Merchants Square has been a favorite place of mine to shop, dine and recreate for decades. It has…read moreover 40 stores. Recently I had the opportunity to visit the square that's nestled between The College of William & Mary and Colonial Williamsburg. During Christmas is one of my favorite times to visit this area. It was hoping too! Crowds were beginning to arrive in Williamsburg for The Grand Illumination the next day. There was music, and a Christmas spirit in the cool crisp air. I visited a few shops that I had time for that were both favorites and new to me. The Cheese Shop for a snack. This shop has been a place I have frequented for decades, it's awesome and an independent run store like most others. I went to R. Bryant, a men's store. Lulu lemon, Danforth Pewter and a new shop Walkabout Outfitters which is a small chain. It replaced a very well known and established independent store I shopped since early 2000. If you're looking for a unique place to shop, eat and also take in a show at the Kimball Theater then Merchants is the place.

A beautiful American place to visit. Settled near an American college WM. We enjoyed our visit,…read moreplenty on outdoor seating and nice small shops amd bistro. A must place to visit when in Williamsburg.

We are so fortunate to have such an exceptional set of libraries in Williamsburg and James City…read moreCounty. In addition to an outstanding collection of books, the library has a theater that shows both new and old movies for free! The seating is comfortable and the screen is large. I saw Oscar-nominated Past Lives, which attracted a good size audience. It was part of their art house cafe series. There is plenty of two-hour parking onsite as well as across the street in the garage. I'll definitely go back to see more movies.

The Williamsburg Regional Library is a great place to stop by, whether you are a local or if you're…read morevisiting the area. This quaint library offers a children, teens, and adults section, with a recent addition of the Kiwanis Kids idea Studio that offers fun interactives. Look for updates on events that occur throughout the year; there are also rooms you could reserve and request a bookmobile to come to your area. There's plenty of parking, and convenient drive-by book drop-off depots. +friendly staff +plenty of parking

This is a great historical attraction, but you have to know how to navigate it. The signs around…read morethe historical section are not great at all. We stayed a few miles away, so we drove in and parked at the visitors center (paid parking). Go inside the visitors center to get your passes & maps (make sure you get the clip passes as every person manning the doors at the different houses will ask). Go down to the bottom of the visitors center and catch the WATA bus to go into the historical section. We started at the governor's mansion and walked from there. You'll easily get 10,000 steps if you see the whole property, if you have mobility issues you definitely should rent a scooter (there are quite a few rental spots around the visitors center). You can take the WATA bus to most of the big attractions, but walking through really gives you the whole experience. We made the mistake of going on a 95° day in August and quickly realized there is little shade on property. Be prepared to be in direct sun most of the day. We had someone in our group who was hard of hearing using hearing aids, and it was quite hard to hear a lot of the tour guides in the buildings with the echoes. Emily in the governors mansion was the best tour guide by far. A must see attraction, but do your research and plan your trip before coming

Colonial Williamsburg should be so much easier to visit than it is…read more We visited as a family and were really looking forward to the experience, but left disappointed largely because the wayfinding is so poor. The printed map is surprisingly difficult to use, directional signage is inadequate, and it is often unnecessarily hard to work out where you are and how to get to the next attraction or program. And it wasn't just us. I lost count of how many visitors we saw standing staring at maps, apparently trying to figure out where to go next. This was especially frustrating because someone in our party has limited mobility following recent surgery. Walking several hundred yards in the wrong direction isn't just an inconvenience in that situation. In 2026, a major attraction covering an area this large should have proper smartphone navigation. You should be able to select "Governor's Palace," a particular program, restaurant, restroom, or bus stop and get GPS walking directions from your current location, along with distance, accessibility information, and estimated walking time. Better physical directional signs are badly needed as well. There is so much history here and clearly an enormous amount of work goes into preserving and interpreting it. The problem is finding it. Colonial Williamsburg could be a wonderful visitor experience. Unfortunately, today we spent far too much time trying to figure out where we were and where we were supposed to go. This is a very fixable problem, and I hope they fix it.

This review is a bit through my sons eyes. However I did pick him up and dropped him off from the…read moreTransportation Station in Williamsburg. The station is located just blocks from the campus of William & Mary. Ample parking is provided and the lot was clean. The building is fitting for the area but seemed nondescript with small signage on the building. Mask are required inside regardless of vaccination status. Tickets can be purchased inside. The Men's restroom was functional and clean. I purchased my sons tickets online which was an easy to use system. Major credit cards are accepted. An email confirmation was generated immediately. The train arrived around 5 minutes late, not bad. My son rode coach for $27 from DC. Quite the bargain. He described the trip as comfortable and similar to a bus or plane with more leg room and better seating. The timing was approximately 3.5 which is slower than driving in perfect conditions which never occurs in NOVA. The return was less than 10 minutes late and quite crowded with some passengers traveling as far as Philly. My son will schedule to use them again some time in 2022. By the way, if your wondering if the conductor yells ALL ABOARD when arriving they do. Just like the movies.

* Train got delayed for 2.5 hours in DC Union station, no apology…read more* Website messed up their ETA status twice, had to pay to cancel scheduled ride home That was my first and and last time using Amtrak.

If your time is more valuable than money, this is your place. We waited over 90 minutes to get…read moreshuttle to and from port each way. Waited in a Hot parking garage on the way and in the sun on the way back. I would pay the extra $20-$30 for week long parking closer to the ship then wait in long lines again. The parking facility is also a 20 minute shuttle ride each way. Never again will I start and end my cruise in long lines.

It was such a smooth process going through Asphalt Lots!! We will continue to use this lot when…read morecruising in the future! Great people too!

My significant other always comes here and sent me over for a simple windshield wiper blade…read morereplacement. I am not savvy with anything car-related and 1) Anthony was incredibly helpful sorting me out and installing 2) the place is just plain "nice"- clean and friendly atmosphere in addition to the stellar service.

I needed a new battery pretty quickly. Shawn and Cole went above and beyond to make sure I had…read morewhat i needed and at the best price. Helped me out with removing and cleaning the terminal. i really appreciated their help!

Love the views on the ride to and from Surry Co! The staff is amazing and made every effort to…read moreensure our safety! And its free!

Life is slower when traveling by the Jamestown Scotland Ferry, and it's so much fun!…read more To go across the James River, you can fight traffic on I-64, or sit back and let the ferry captain do the driving. The ferry crosses the James River from either Jamestown or Scotland/Surry. The pleasant (about) 15-minute ride allows you to park your car on the ship and walk the decks to see seagulls or osprey flying by, water lapping the sides, and the oh so gorgeous view. The ferry has an upper viewing deck too, as well as restrooms. The ride is free and runs often at least twice an hour. Check their website for the schedule. Occasionally you may be randomly selected for a car check by security before boarding. This is done on the car with mirrors, but they check your trunk. It's pretty quick. Enjoy!