New Town Dining

In our weekend adventures through New Town in Williamsburg, one of the things that we loved about the area was that there was no lack of good food. So many options! Although we couldn't hit all the amazing restaurants in New Town, we managed a culinary experience at quite a few spots...

If you are looking for an easy, familiar and low-priced meal, there is a Panera Bread at the end of the main street. Want something high class? Opus 9 came highly recommended by several people we encountered along the way. Ichiban, right next to the theatre has an amazing atmosphere, great food, and all you can eat sushi during lunch. Z Pizza is right across the way, if that is what you are craving.

Cogan's Sports Pub came highly recommended as well. We opted for a stop at Buffalo Wild Wings so we could catch up on the Olympics while we were there... Later on, we discovered the Green Leafe - a friendly, local watering hole. Great service, great drinks.

Our favorite part of the culinary experience were the dessert portions! The fro-yo at Sweet Frog was incredible. The do-it-yourself set up was fun and the flavors and toppings were delicious. One of there newer shops was Williamsburg Cupcake. Best cupcake ever.


And that, friends, isn't even all of the places there. That means that there is a trip back to New Town Williamsburg in our future to finish exploring... Until then, check it out for yourself and let us know what we missed!

New Town: Shopping Edition

So now we move on to the important stuff: shopping. It's an essential for every vacation. Or everyday really, but that may be an opinion. And if you had to pick the most prominent feature of Williamsburg, you would probably say... well, history, but after history, you would definitely say shopping! A lot of awesome shopping venues around town, but we submit to you New Town as our top pick. There is literally something for everyone in that vein too.

If you want to find unique shops, be sure to check them out. Paisley, The Nautical Dog and The Mole Hole were some of the specialty shops we wandered in, but we also found a music shop, jewelry store, stationery shop, candy store and a cigar shop - all of which were delightful!

We also had the chance to pop in a great variety of old favorites including Ann Taylor, White House, Black Market, Victoria's Secret, and Joanne Fabrics. We even popped in Barnes and Noble to browse, borrow the wi-fi, and grab a cup of coffee.

One of our absolute favorites was a store that just opened called Charming Charlie's. If you need accessories, they are the store for you. It was absolutely amazing. And apparently you can hold private events there too!

After exploring, we checked out the movie theatre in the center of town. It was the perfect addition to our visit. And we definitely enjoyed The Dark Knight Rises for a second time. All this to say and we haven't even gotten to the dining experiences yet! So stay tune for more adventures in New Town...

Painting the New Town Red!

This weekend's adventure took us to New Town in Williamsburg. If you haven't had a chance to explore New Town, you are missing an adventure! We definitely didn't get to make it to all the stores, but we managed to take in quite a few. There was way more to do than we could discuss in a single blog post, so let us start with the basics of what New Town has to offer.

New Town is Williamsburg's premiere living, dining, and shopping central location. It is conveniently located in the middle of Williamsburg, just a few miles from the historic Colonial Williamsburg area of town, as well as near a great number of hotels, resorts, and other vacation rentals. One of the best parts about New Town is that you can stop in for a few hours to do some shopping or take in some of their other entertainments, or spend a whole day there and take in some of their dining options.





If you are a local to the area, you have the opportunity to live in this delightful neighborhood. The shopping and dining options are interspersed with lovely townhouses, condos, and house that make a charming little village. With New Town being so, well, new, there are still some houses being built, but also availability in some of their completed dwellings as well, so be sure to check it out if you are in the market. Also, they have a post office, banks, medical offices and daycare right there to make it even more convenient!

All that to say, New Town literally has it all and whether you have a few minutes, hours, days or a life time, there is plenty there for you to do, so be sure to stop by. And stay tuned for more blog posts about some of our favorite shops and dining experiences!

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!