Our Williamsburg Adventure: A Family Trip with Two Elementary Schoolers

April 14-19, 2019 | Kids: Ages 6 and 7

The Great Musket Obsession (And Other Colonial Williamsburg Truths)

Let me start with the most important piece of advice I can give you about Colonial Williamsburg with kids: Every single child will be running around with toy muskets. I’m talking about a full-blown colonial arms race in miniature. Your kids will see these replica muskets approximately 3.7 seconds after arriving, and from that moment forward, they will not stop asking for one. Not when you’re trying to enjoy the blacksmith demonstration. Not when you’re learning about 18th-century cooking techniques. Not when you’re desperately trying to get that perfect family photo in front of the Governor’s Palace.

We held out for exactly one and a half days before surrendering to the inevitable. And you know what? Once they got their muskets, the first half of our trip became about getting the toy, and the second half was spent happily playing with it. Sometimes you just have to pick your battles—and this is not the hill to die on, trust me.

Where We Stayed: Williamsburg Lodge

We stayed at the Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection, and I cannot recommend the location highly enough for families. The hotel is located in the heart of the historic district, just minutes from Colonial Williamsburg, which meant we could easily walk back for nap time, snack breaks, or when someone inevitably had a meltdown about not having a musket yet.

The real MVP of our stay? The heated outdoor pool. In April, this was absolute gold. The kids used it every single day, sometimes twice. After a morning of walking around in potentially hot and sunny conditions, nothing beats letting them burn off energy in the pool while you decompress with a poolside beverage.

Colonial Williamsburg: Living History at Its Finest

The historic area itself is genuinely impressive. The skilled craftspeople in the 18th-century trade shops are incredibly knowledgeable and patient with kids’ questions. Our kids were fascinated watching the blacksmith work, the printer operate his press, and the baker explain how bread was made in colonial times. It’s all very well done—people are actually using authentic methods to create the goods that the town would have needed centuries ago.

The cannon firing demonstrations are absolute crowd-pleasers with kids. Fair warning: they’re LOUD. But kids seem to love the combination of being startled and then immediately wanting to see it again. Same goes for the musket demonstrations—surprisingly loud but thrilling for little ones.

Pro tip: The old part of town is very walkable, but prepare for frequent breaks, especially if it’s hot and sunny. We learned to plan our day around the pool schedule and built in plenty of flexibility for when small legs got tired or attention spans waned.

The Busch Gardens Experiment (Aka: The Cotton Candy Crusade)

Here’s where I’ll save you some time and money: you can probably skip Busch Gardens with kids this age. We dedicated a whole day to it, thinking it would be the highlight of our trip. Instead, our kids were too scared to go on most rides, managed maybe 2-3 attractions total, and spent the entire time fixated on getting cotton candy.

It wasn’t a complete disaster—they did get their cotton candy and enjoyed the few kiddie rides they were brave enough to try. But if I could do it again, I’d skip it entirely and spend that time exploring more of Colonial Williamsburg or relaxing at the pool.

The Tale of Two Jamestowns

This is where things get a little confusing, and I’ll admit we made a rookie mistake. There are actually TWO different Jamestown sites:

1. Historic Jamestowne – The actual location and active archaeological dig site of the first successful English settlement
2. Jamestown Settlement – A museum with immersive films, gallery exhibits and outdoor re-creations

We accidentally ended up at Historic Jamestowne first, which is more of a museum and archaeological site. It’s fascinating if you’re a history buff, but with kids ages 6 and 7, it was a bit dry. They were interested for about 20 minutes before restlessness set in.

The Jamestown Settlement is definitely the kid-friendly option. It has reconstructed buildings of the original settlers, ships you can walk around on to experience what the voyage might have been like, and recreated Powhatan Indian village structures. The musket firing demonstration here was another hit—again, startlingly loud but thrilling for the kids.

You can easily do Jamestown Settlement in a morning or afternoon. If you’re tight on time or have young kids, I’d skip Historic Jamestowne and focus on the Settlement.

Our Day-by-Day Breakdown

Sunday, April 14: Arrived late afternoon, walked from the hotel to Colonial Williamsburg for initial exploring and scouting

Monday, April 15: Full day exploring Colonial Williamsburg (prime musket-begging day)

Tuesday, April 16: Busch Gardens day (cotton candy achieved, rides largely avoided)

Wednesday, April 17: Historical tours in Colonial Williamsburg, walks around the beautiful gardens and grounds

Thursday, April 18: Morning at Historic Jamestowne/Colonial National Historical Park, afternoon back at the hotel pool (much-needed decompression time)

Friday, April 19: Drove back home to the Hudson Valley

The Bottom Line

Overall, this was a solid family trip—no one puked or ended up in the hospital, so by my standards, that’s a win! Colonial Williamsburg is genuinely educational and entertaining for kids this age, and the living history aspect kept them engaged in a way that static museums sometimes don’t.

Perfect for: A long weekend or short week. The pace is very manageable, and there’s enough to see without being overwhelming.

Could be enhanced with: Beach time if you’re visiting during warmer months and staying longer.

Budget reality check: Yes, you will buy the musket. Yes, they will want cotton candy at every opportunity. Yes, the gift shop visits will add up. Plan accordingly.

The college town of Williamsburg (home to William & Mary) is charming to walk through as well, with nice restaurants and shops if you want to venture beyond the historic area.

Would we go back? Absolutely. Maybe when the kids are a bit older and braver about rides, we might give Busch Gardens another shot. Or maybe we’ll just spend more time in Colonial Williamsburg and fully embrace the musket-toting colonial life our kids clearly loved so much.

Final wisdom: Sometimes the best family trips aren’t about seeing everything or having a perfectly planned itinerary. Sometimes they’re about heated pools, toy muskets, and cotton candy—and that’s perfectly okay.