Beat the Heat: Water Park Edition

In previous postings, we have discussed some great ways to handle the Virginia summer weather including the heat! Well, as we battle another bout of it, we are checking out a few other ways to manage to have the best vacation ever while keeping cool.

So if you have been here on certain days you will ask yourself if it is possible to keep cool by staying in the water all day. We assure you it is... Try one of our fabulous water parks! While you might be heading to our area with dreams of historical discoveries, epic roller coaster rides, and lounging on the beach, don't forget to make a trip to one of local water parks. If you are headed to Busch Gardens during your stay, you may want to look at adding Water Country when you purchase your passes.

Want to make it easier? How about sleeping at the water park? You read that right. Reserve your room at Great Wolf Lodge and enjoy their onsite water park. Best part: you don't even have to step outside in that heat to enjoy it. Great Wolf Lodge features a spectacular selection of rides and water adventures with the luxury of being indoors. Check out GWL's other amenities on their website.

If you already have a place to stay, but still want to enjoy a water park, one of our favorite options is Ocean Breeze in Virginia Beach. Ocean Breeze offers 16 different water slides and well as pools, playgrounds and other attractions. They have some great events too! Our favorite is Dive-In Movies on Fridays during the summer. Be sure to explore season pass options and look at purchasing corporate discount tickets online. And make sure your check out their birthday options if you are having a party this summer. Go to their website for deals on tickets and other opportunities.

So plan your water park trip today!  And no matter where you end up making a splash, just make sure you stay cool and safe!

Squeaky Clean

One of the best parts about being located in the middle of the East Coast is the easy accessibility by car. So let's say you hop in your car, load in the friends, kids, dogs, whatever and hit the open road to Tidewater Virginia...

You have arrived! Now you can unpack your car and find the remnants of four or five fast food meals' worth of wrappers, cups and lost french fries... And let's not even mention the outside of the car. The bugs get bigger the further south you go. If you are coming from the South, well, the bugs are still big and plentiful. So you arrive, unpack, and survey the disaster area. But don't spend another moment of your vacation thinking about it...

Head on over to Mega Auto Spa in Williamsburg! State of the art equipment, a great selection of services and other options make it a perfect spot to pamper your car for its hard work. You will be guaranteed an easy process and top notch service - two things you should have whether you are on vacation or not.

And to our locals, enjoy the same quality and easy luxury at Mega Auto Spa, but with the added option of monthly passes that will save you money the more you visit! Also, be sure to ask about fundraising opportunities.

Hurry over to Mega Auto Spa today and in no time at all, you will be on your way with a clean and comfy car once more... For more information check out their website!

The High Life at High Street

Happy Monday, all! We hope you had a wonderful weekend. We definitely did! This weekend, we took some time in Williamsburg to visit a favorite area, High Street. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, you really should! If you are coming into the area for a visit, be sure to plan to spend an afternoon or evening checking the place out.

We popped into Quirks of Art first for look through the delightful collections. The name is quite appropriate for the stock they carry. The art work, jewelry and other specialty items has selections that are lovely, unique and some great conversation starters! Whether you need a something festive to add to your own decor or a quirky gift for someone else, we can assure you that it is currently waiting for you at Quirks of Art.

After that, we made a stop at the always fabulous Plaza Azteca. The menu is a selection of the most delicious and authentic Mexican dishes. Plaza Azteca also has a phenomenal atmosphere both with their indoor and outdoor seating. We enjoyed their patio where live music was playing and can't even begin to describe how amazing the fresh guacamole was!

After our amazing dining experience, we headed over to Movie Tavern to take in a showing. We opted for drinks and dessert, but their food selection was impressive and incredibly reasonable in price. We definitely want to check out the King Kong burger on our next visit. Our order items were great and staff and atmosphere were wonderful. And we are pleased to say the new Spiderman movie was worth a view!

High Street is conveniently located off Richmond Rd. just a short trip from the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area and the College of William and Mary Campus. Whether visiting or an area local, there is a good time to be had by all. Stop by today!

Fun for the 4th!

In this area of the country, Independence Day is especially exciting. We are in the epicenter of some major American history and it's definitely a passion around here. And a true celebration of the 4th of July isn't complete without a spectacular firework display. So in honor of the upcoming celebration, here is your round up of the great places in the area that you can visit for some firework festivity...

Chesapeake

July 3rd. Celebrate Freedom. Grassfield High School. 7:30 PM. http://www.cityofchesapeake.net/Calendar/Celebrate-Freedom---Concert-FIREWORKS_s_p4902.htm?EventMode=View&EventOccurrence=0

New Kent

Racing to the Stars and Stripes. Colonial Downs. 5 PM. http://www.colonialdowns.com/promos/viewpromo?fid=344 

Newport News

4th of July Stars in the Sky. Victory Park Landing. 6PM. http://www.newport-news.org/things-to-do/events.php

Norfolk

The 30th Annual AT&T Fourth of July Great American Picnic & Fireworks. Town Point Park. 5 PM. http://www.festevents.org/mini-site/30th-annual-atandt-fourth-of-july-great-american-picnic-and-fireworks 

Portsmouth
Independence Day Fireworks. Seawall or along Crawford Parkway. 9:30 PM. http://www.portsvaevents.com/july_2012.html

Suffolk
Stars and Stripes Spectacular. Constant's Wharf Park. 6 PM. http://www.suffolk-fun.com/calendar.html

Virginia Beach

July 4th Celebration. Mount Trashmore Park. Activities begin at 4 PM. Fireworks at 9:30 PM. 

http://www.vbgov.com/government/departments/parks-recreation/special-events/Pages/default.aspx

4th of July Celebration. First Landing State Park. Activities begin at 10 AM. http://dcrintra.dcr.virginia.gov/dcr_public/events/ViewEvent.cfm?585D0E707D080106010D0A1B0109

4th of July Fireworks. Sandbridge Beach. 6:30 PM. http://sandbridgelife.com/archives/1226

Stars and Stripes Explosion. Virginia Beach Oceanfront. 7:30 PM. http://www.beachstreetusa.com/events/StarsAndStripesExplosion

Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg Independence Day Celebration. Events starting at 10 AM. Fireworks begin at 9:30 PM. http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/do/special-events/12-4-july/

Busch Gardens Illuminights. 9:30 PM. http://seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-williamsburg/Events/IllumiNights

Yorktown

Yorktown Independence Day Celebration. Riverwalk Landing. 7 PM. 

http://www.yorkcounty.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=7108&vw=3&ItemID=2530&d=20120704

All events are on the 4th unless otherwise stated. We hope you enjoy... Have a safe and happy holiday!

Beat the Heat: The Essentials

In our previous blog post we talked about ways to beat the heat by scheduling your itinerary around the hottest times of day, but no matter what activity you are participating in, you should plan on being out in some intense weather.

No matter what sites you are planning on visiting, seeing the sites is exhausting, so be sure to bring some necessities with you to eliminate a lot of unnecessary stress. Whether you are out in the heat or not, you should plan to have some bottles of water with you. It's easy to get, but it is also easy to forget and really not that hard to become dehydrated. So be sure you take the time and grab some water before you head out for the day. 

SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN, SUNCREEN. If you haven't already discovered how easy it is to acquire a sunburn, you will when you get to this area. Do yourself a favor and keep the sunscreen handy and apply at regular intervals. We promise you will not regret it. 

If you get too hot, do what the locals do... Go to Rita's. It always makes us feel better. Not only a nice, cool options, but delicious. Check out their Facebook page for frequent coupons and other savings and events. 

Beat the Heat

We have had some pretty extreme weather in our area lately! And if you are not used to the heat of a Tidewater Virginia area summer, it can be pretty tough to handle. Who are we kidding - we live here all year and it can be tough for us! Either way, heat can be brutal and if you are going to be out and about in the area this summer, we want to make sure you are being cautious of your time in the heat, so we are beginning a series of blog posts about how to beat the heat.

We want to, of course, stress how dangerous the heat can be. No matter where you are in the world, extreme hot weather requires precautions. Here in the Tidewater Virginia area, we definitely have our share of hot days. The first recommendation is to save the indoor visits (museums, shopping, etc) for the really hot hours of the day.  


All of the places you will love around the area can be visited at a variety of times, not just middle of the day. Consider your time on the sand. Get up early to hit the beach. Not only is it much cooler, but also less crowded.


 Also, with many of our awesome local attractions, summer brings longer hours so places like Busch Gardens you can go to until 9 or 10 pm. Also, there are a lot of evening programs available. Colonial Williamsburg offers a variety to choose from and don't forget our current favorite Swingtime Salute at Nauticus. 

Stay tuned for our next post on how to beat the heat and post your tips in the comments below!

For the Love of the Game

In preparation for Father's Day this weekend, we though it only appropriate we talk about one of our dad's favorite things... golf. He sure loves it! But as much as he does, he could definitely use some work on his game... don't tell him we said that. He's an AWESOME dad, so his less than stellar golf skills aren't that big of a deal. Again, don't tell. So, in honor of him, we have a few pointers that will help improve your game.


For his bunker shot, check this out:

Here's one for a driver...

One for a chip:

And how about his putt...

Hopefully, this will help your game. Thank you to Colonial Heritage for helping us out with this series. Be sure to check out their awesome courses. And Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there, even if you aren't golf pros...