Spending the weekend away from D.C. I traveled by one of Amtrak's Northeast Regional trains from…read moreAlexandria to Newport News, Virginia. I've been a frequent passenger on this line, visiting my son and his family who have lived in Yorktown for about 10 years now. Not so long ago, the Amtrak station serving Newport News was a crowded deteriorating station, one of the worst I've been to on the east coast. Not so anymore. The recently opened NPN station is an amazing location. Set on acres of diversely detailed landscape, the station itself is gorgeous: it offers an abundance of inside seating in a building that looks like a high-ceilinged atrium, with details like interior canvas awnings evoking the maritime industries local to this part of Virginia. It offers bus transit to Virginia Beach and provides what looks (to me at least) like secure parking at no cost to the train's passengers. The building itself was super clean - the seating was well-maintained, the bathrooms were clean, and the modest vending area was in full operation. Station managers were attentive, signage was functioning properly, and the air conditioning was doing a great job keeping the humidity at bay. Because NPN is the ending and starting point for the Northeast Regional trains serving D.C, New York, and Boston our train when returning to Alexandria was spotless, 100 percent empty when we boarded, and we were permitted to board about 15 minutes before departing the station. Note that while passengers may receive baggage assistance when boarding the train, currently there is no checked baggage service and no checked baggage storage. This means that transporting a firearm from the station is not permitted (because firearms need to board with Amtrak's checked baggage service). The station is 100 percent accessible, but there is no wi-fi service at this time, nor are there any pay phones.

Beautiful! I'm so excited this station is now open. It's conveniently located, minutes to the…read moreairport. It's a platform station versus having to go up and down stairs with bags, kiddos ect. There is ample parking. There is a nice loop to drop off and pick up passengers as well. One of the best parts, restrooms and plenty of seating inside the center. This station brings a lot of opportunity for Newport News and surrounding areas. There is so much room on the platform. Staff we encountered including security was helpful.

A good place to start on the tour of the battlefield sites that defined America…read more The Yorktown Visitor's Center is the perfect starting point for exploring several of the most pivotal sites in American history. The drive from the main road to the center is scenic, offering glimpses of Virginia's historic landscape before arriving at the center. Getting to the actual center seemed a little confusing as there are arrows describing the car tours to visit various sights when leaving the center. The center is not very large. The exhibits inside are well-organized and interactive, showcasing artifacts from the Battle of Yorktown, maps, uniforms, and weaponry from the era. There is a short film that provides an good overview of the battle and its significance in the history of our American independence. The center also features a gift shop with books, souvenirs, and historical memorabilia. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable and offered suggestions regarding various tours that you could take when driving around the area. There are several well-marked signs leading visitors from the center to the surrounding area sites. The driving tours take visitors through key historic sites connected to the Siege of Yorktown (1781) and the broader Colonial National Historical Park. Overall, the Yorktown Visitor's Center is an great stop, providing an introduction to this historic battlefield and its role in shaping the nation.

Colonial NHP is spread out over Jamestown, Yorktown and a road connecting them. We went to the…read morevisitor center in Yorktown and thought it was great. It did a great job of explaining what led up to the British surrender and how it happened. I especially liked the part of a ship that was built into the visitors center. Walking through it really was like walking through an 18th century ship - very cool. The visitors center did a great job of explaining the surrounding area and helping us decide where to go. I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend checking it out when visiting Yorktown.

We didn't book our sunset charter in time and it was raining off and on - we thought a good view of…read morethe sunset was not in the cards for us tonight. We opted instead to take the scenic Colonial Parkway drive and perhaps catch some views over the river. We lucked out and found a free ferry that crossed the river just as the sun was setting. The storm couldn't hold back the sunset no matter how hard it tried and the ferry offered us the best views. In the end we got our sunset cruise and it didn't cost us a cent.

Getting on the ferry and off was easy and fast. More than enough space for all the cars. Didn't…read morehave to wait long and the ride was enough time to explore and take in the sights walking around and exploring the viewing deck.

take the tour and book with William ! He takes you through not only the folklore but more…read moreimportantly the history which makes it so much better to understand . Even better he personally is familiar and knows some of the family members of the haunted homes from growing up in the area . He's very interactive with his audience and makes the tour very enjoyable. A definite must do while in Williamsburg! Take the evening tour ... you won't regret it ...

the guide didn't know much and when he did speak he was inaudible.. half way through the tour he…read morestill had not used the word ghost. All we did was to walk down the main street in downtown Williamsburg and look at one church and houses. a comment about the church but no info on houses. Never heard the word ghost! Do not recommend, at least not with this guide, don't remember name.

Let's bring this one up to the current:…read more Since my last drivel about the CW Brickyard a lot has changed. First and foremost is their location. Until two years ago they were preverbally down in the hole off of Nicholson Street over by the Cabinetmaker. Now, they are off of Botetourt Street next to the Carpenter (who has only been there a few years from when they got moved due to the closing of Great Hopes Plantation). Why the visit and what's the big deal? It's all about the kiln baby. Why is it worth seeing? Because you simply cannot see bricks fired this way in this country anywhere else except here at this time. Normally once a year, in certain years they have done it twice and at different times but this is normally the pattern, in mid-November they fire up the kiln that they spent approximately five weeks building to solidify the bricks which were made from late-spring to early-autumn. This year, depending on which person you talk to, they're firing around 18-19K. A few thousand will be used at The Magazine for part of a new outer wall they'll do next year (The Magazine is currently closed until '25 for archeology/renovation work), most will be used for the rebuilding of the First Baptist Church - www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/learn/research-and-education/archaeology/first-baptist-church/. Fwiw, if you got the dough, the bricks can flow. Part of the total are 800 for a private individual that is doing an outdoor hearth. Pricing is $5.25 per brick (faint). Also neat is that while all of the CW trades close for the day at 5pm, a random one or two at 4:30pm, during the kiln firing the brickyard stays open until 10pm. Yes, at 10 they very politely ask you to leave and yes, several staff members from different trades stay out all night long for the five days it takes the process to unfold. The staff that work here are arguably the best CW has to offer. Whether it's answering the same question for the millionth time or answering a very technical question from someone who knows something about bricks, they handle it professionally and some with a good sense of smart-ass humor. The rest of the year the brickyard open Wednesday-Sunday from 9am-5pm but if you can swing it, usually, the second week of November for a visit, it will be worth your time. (They also once every so often fire up the oyster shells they have on the property which are then used as mortar for in between the bricks once they're melted down. One of the guys said it was coming "soon" but I forgot to ask when "soon" is.)

Colonial Williamsburg is the perfect place to relive history. Don't worry about what time of year…read moreyou go ... there will always be plenty of people there to share your stay with! The docents in their historic garb doing things we don't do anymore will absolutely blow you away! Don't wait ... go now!

Did this nighttime walking ghost tour on the evening of October 30th just before Halloween…read more It was crowded but fun and our group was large but not so large that everyone got lost in it. The playhouse stage was easy to find and we were all given a sticker to wear color-coded to our guides who called us to them based on the color. Williamsburg was busy at night this weekend with fires burning and music playing and lots of people milling around after hours. Our tour guide was amazing, I think his name was Jeff. He told us some wonderful 18th century ghost stories and walked us via candlelight lamp around into the back yards of some of the historical homes for true stories of sightings and occurrences on the property. The tour lasted just over an hour and had us done in time to find the shuttle. So much fun! We learned several new things you'd only get via this tour and had a blast. Highly recommend.

Although the tour wasn't "scary" it was entertaining. Our "ghost host" was actually very funny,…read morecharming and informative. They stayed in character the entire time and really kept our attention. We went into 3 houses and instead of touring the homes you just enter a room and sit to hear the stories then move to the next. I think to really elevate the tour it would be nice to see the rooms we are hearing about ! The price was very fair $19 per person and it lasted about an hour and 15 minutes. It was worth our money to get out of the house but I would love to see more interactive things added into this fun experience! We really appreciate our host. Thank you!

The hosts are terrible story tellers. There are no stories about old residents or much in the way…read moreof history. The stories are all about the staff that work there now and how they're sure spooky things have happened to them. We left after 2 stops because it didn't satisfy the desire for a good story or a good scare. Don't waste your money.

Just came back from a tour with the BEST guide. She was simply adorable…read more Her name is Liv and she is a student at William and Mary college. Therewas a pub walk where we saw the Wren building, a pub called Precarious that had a glorious fire pit outside. It was so cold and windy but Liv kept us warm with her stories. Then we went to Burton Parrish and in between she regaled us with stories about the area adding her own personal touches. This was such a fun event to do in a super awesome location. The only downside was the rest of our tour who were super cheap in tipping our guide. She was very pleasant with everyone and worked very hard in the cold to make sure we had a great time. I wish people understood how hard these kids work. We gave a generous tip and thanked her profuseyfor such a wonderful evening. I highly recommend!!!

Oh, my goodness, what a very special tour this was. Trish is full of knowledge about the buildings,…read moreplants, and people of Williamsburg. It was one of the most enjoyable walking tours I've ever taken. Don't miss the opportunity to have Trish teach you about Williamsburg.

it was interesting & enjoyable. Trish was wonderful & full of great information. My wife & I aren't…read morereally history buffs but we both enjoyed this & felt it was worth the money.