Summer Fun in Greater Williamsburg
As summer heats up, Kingsmill and the Williamsburg area come alive with seasonal activities for the whole family — from culture and theme parks to the great outdoors.
As the mercury climbs in Kingsmill Resort and the Williamsburg environs, so does summer fun with a host of outdoor activities for all to enjoy. Tee off or swing a racket at the resort. Hike and bike the area’s many parks and green spaces. Get out on the water on the James River. Tap your feet to outdoor summer concerts. Watch dazzling Fourth of July fireworks. Walk through the country’s largest living history museum. And thrill to roller coasters, zip lines, ropes courses, and more as they welcome visitors all summer long.
Dine on the Waterfront
Perched on the James River at the Kingsmill Marina, the patio at James Landing Grill is the only waterfront dining in Williamsburg. Enjoy fresh, locally sourced cuisine along with beautiful sunsets over the James River. Open seasonally, James Landing Grille serves a selection of regional and sustainable seafood, such as local oysters on the half shell and grilled local fish.
Tee Off on a Championship Course
What better way to enjoy summer than by playing a round at Kingsmill. With two renowned 18-hole golf courses, a celebrated golf academy, and excellent instruction, you’ll see why the resort has been recognized by Golf Digest and Golfweek. Choose from the Pete Dye-designed River Course, perched on the James River and among the 10 best in the state, or the Arnold Palmer– and Ed Seay-designed Plantation Course, featuring landmarks from the original 1736 plantation. No wonder Kingsmill has hosted the world’s best players on both the PGA and LPGA tours.
Swing a Racket
At the Kingsmill Tennis Club, you can enjoy private lessons, group clinics, tournaments, social events, or just a friendly game. Play on 15 well-maintained courts — 13 clay and two hard, with six Hydro Courts.
Float in a River Pool
The whole family will love gliding along the meandering lazy river at the river pool at Kingsmill, check website for schedule. Most outdoor pools in Williamsburg open in late May.
Head Out on the Water
Spend a leisurely afternoon on the beautiful James River taking in views of Williamsburg’s attractions from the water. Get your adrenaline fix as you zip along on jet skis or spend a relaxing day cruising on a pontoon boat or kayak. You can rent jet skis, pontoon boats, kayaks, paddle board, and fishing poles at the Kingsmill Marina.
Listen to Music
Summer is the perfect time to enjoy an outdoor concert once the sun goes down. Here are some highlights:
Tap your toes to the beat at the 2nd Sundays Art & Music Festival in Colonial Williamsburg. On the second Sunday of every month, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., enjoy six blocks of live music, performing arts, and artisans. Summer dates: June 12, July 10, August 14, and September 11.
Enjoy Williamsburg Live, presented by the Virginia Arts Festival on the lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, June 17-19. Headliners include Mandy Moore, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, and Martina McBride.
Bring the whole family to the Busch Gardens Summer Nights concert series every weekend. Top artists representing diverse genres and decades — from country, to R&B and classic rock, to Christian and pop — will take the stage at the outdoor Royal Palace Theatre.
Merchants Square in Colonial Williamsburg welcomes the Summer Breeze Concert Series every Wednesday evening from late June to September. Local bands will perform jazz, blues, beach music, and dance tunes.
Starting on June 2, don’t miss the free Sounds of Summer Concert Series at Riverwalk Landing in historic Yorktown. Every Thursday evening through Aug. 11, enjoy genres including Motown, disco, funk, R&B, and pop against the backdrop of the York River. From Sept. 8 through 29, Thursday evenings are devoted to Rhythms on the Riverwalk Concert Series, which features jazz, big band, and country.
Take a Hike
Celebrate the glory of summer while hiking on one of many trails through forests, wetlands, and fields. Start on the scenic 4-mile walking path that winds its way through Kingsmill itself.
Then head offsite for a hiker’s paradise of options in Greater Williamsburg. They include: the Greensprings Greenway Interprative Trail, which links history and nature over more than 5 miles (with several loop options) in Jamestown Settlement. Explore a dozen short trails of the coastal estuary at York River State Park. Enjoy stunning views of nature on the 2-mile Powhatan Creek Trail, as it loops through beaver ponds, wetlands, and forests. Trek through Waller Mill Park, which features a 3.7-mile paved trail with views of a 360-acre lake as well as a 2.5-mile wooded trail. On the Island Loop Drive in Historic Jamestowne, choose from a 3-mile or 5-mile loop that features 11 interpretive stops, archaeological excavation sites, and the roosting nests of bald eagles. Stroll on 2 miles of multiuse trails, including a 1-mile ADA-accessible paved trail, in Williamsburg’s 600-acre forested Freedom Park. Hoof it on part of the 52-mile Virginia Capital Trail that starts in Williamsburg at the Governor’s Mansion and follows the Colonial Parkway to Jamestown Island, the site of the first permanent English settlement in the New World.
Ride a Bike
Want to feel the wind in your hair? Take a scenic bike ride through Kingsmill’s extensive grounds with miles of paths to pedal. Bike rentals are available at the Kingsmill Marina.
Outside the resort, more than 25 cycling routes beckon riders, featuring historic sites, peaceful farmland, and scenic back roads. Pedalers’ favorites include the Colonial Parkway, a 23-mile National Park Service trail connecting the cities of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown; the Virginia Capital Trail, a 50-mile trail stretching from Jamestown to Richmond; the Historic Jamestown Island Loop Drive, a 3-mile or 5-mile loop that features 11 interpretive stops, archaeological excavation sites, and the roosting nests of bald eagles; and the 600-acre Freedom Park, a forested retreat with 2 miles of multiuse trails and more than 20 miles of mountain bike trails winding through historical sites and forests and along creeks and open meadows.
Sample the Bounty of the Season
Feast on produce, prepared foods, and farm products grown or made in Virginia by some 40 vendors at the Williamsburg Farmers Market in Merchants’ Square every Saturday morning (8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) throughout the summer. Or shop for produce, baked goods, and arts and crafts at Yorktown Market Days, another Saturday morning option, at Riverwalk Landing.
Celebrate the Fourth of July
Join in the star-spangled fun in the cradle of democracy. Attend a public reading of the Declaration of Independence by a young Thomas Jefferson at the Capitol West Balcony. Hear the stirring sounds of the Revolutionary War field music with Colonial Williamsburg’s award-winning Fifes and Drums. Attend the Salute to the States, a special muster to celebrate Independence Day. Conclude with dazzling fireworks in Colonial Williamsburg and on the Yorktown waterfront.
Slip Away on a Segway
Hop on a Segway with Patriot Tours and glide along for a 1- or 2-hour adventure covering the waterfront and historic Main Street in Yorktown where stories of the city’s Revolutionary and Civil War battles come to life.
Swing Through the Trees
Bring the whole family to GoApe’s treetop course, just 15 minutes from Colonial Williamsburg. Zip lines, rope ladders, and even a flying trapeze take you high into the forest of Freedom Park where you can swing your way through the canopy.
Go Bird and Butterfly Watching
Explore tidal wetlands, swamplands, hardwood forests, and open meadows on one of New Quarter Park’s nine trails. Perfect for bird watchers, the park’s landscapes are home to a variety of avian species, including American bald eagles, wild turkeys, and red-tailed hawks.
Flutter around with more than 200 butterflies at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden, which hosts an annual summer Butterfly Festival (dates to be announced).
Have a Blast in a Theme Park
The kids will flip over Busch Gardens, considered the world’s most beautiful theme park. Sprawling across 383 acres, it’s home to European-themed hamlets, entertaining shows and, of course roller coasters, lots of them. A new one, Pantheon,™ the world’s fastest multi-launch roller coaster, debuted this spring. Harnessing all the speed and strength of five of the greatest Roman gods, this record-breaking coaster stands 180 feet tall with a top speed of 73 mph, and features a 95° drop, four launches, five air-time hills, and two inversions.
Then feel the spark after dark during Busch Gardens Summer Nights when nightly fireworks light up the sky. Special evening entertainment, DJs, and culinary experiences create a whole new park at night.
Chill or Thrill in a Water Park
Chill or thrill? You choose at Water Country USA, Virginia’s largest water park. With names like Jet Scream, Big Daddy Falls, and Colossal Curl, Water Country will send you screaming over the edge. But the 43-acre park also offers opportunities to chill in the Surfer’s Bay Wave and the Kritter Korral, which features fountains and splash pools for the little ones.
Put Pedal to the Metal
Just try keeping your kids away from the tracks at GO-KARTS PLUS. They can race in NASCAR-like Super Stockarts, zoom around the four tracks of the eight-acre park, play miniature golf, try bumper cars or blaster boats, ride a coaster and other rides, take aim in the shooting gallery, and even pan for gemstones and fossils.
Have Fun on the Not-So-High Seas
Sail away for a couple of hours on the historic waters of the York River with Yorktown Sailing Charters. Get a feeling for what Capt. John Smith experienced four centuries ago aboard the 150-foot-long schooner Alliance. If you’re traveling with junior mateys, check out Captain Mayhem’s School of Piracy aboard the Alliance or its sister schooner Serenity (don’t let the name fool you). On these cruises, the kids will set the sails, steer the ship, and even get tattooed — temporarily, of course.
Live Like a Colonist
Amble through America’s largest living history museum, Colonial Williamsburg. Walk down Duke of Gloucester Street to experience life 250 years ago. Explore the food, crafts and stories of a revolutionary time with the characters — tinker, tailor, solider, wig maker — who lived then.
Dive deeper into history at Jamestown Settlement by grinding corn, digging out a canoe, or trying on armor. You’ll find a recreation of 17th-century life from the Powhatan Indian village to the James Fort to the ships that transported colonists to Virginia in 1607. Clamber up the gangway to the Susan Constant, where you can steer with the tiller, tie sailors’ knots, and climb into a sailor’s bunk.
Experience the Battle of Yorktown
Take a tour of the Yorktown Battlefield with a ranger and hear dramatic details about the last great battle of the Revolution. This is where the combined American and French armies led by Gen. George Washington defeated British forces under Lord Charles Cornwallis in 1781. Hamilton fans should ask about the part he played in the victory.