Enjoy Williamsburg in Spring
Welcome warmer weather and the promise of spring in the Kingsmill area with a bouquet of seasonal activities and re-openings — from culture and theme parks to the great outdoors.
Celebrate the return of warm weather at Kingsmill Resort and around the Williamsburg area, when spring brings a host of fun 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. Walk through the country’s largest living history museum. Tap your feet to springtime concerts. And thrill to roller coasters, zip lines, ropes courses, and more as they re-open for the season.
Here’s what’s on tap this spring:
Dine on the Waterfront
Perched on the James River at the Kingsmill Marina, the patio at James Landing Grille 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 welcome spring 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.
Get Pampered at The Kingsmill Spa
Take advantage of our on-site Spa. Get a massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, and more. We have something for everyone!
Take Advantage of Resort Events
Enjoy one or more of our Events during your stay at Kingsmill Resort. Events range from live music at James Landing Grille, Easter Brunch and Egg Hunt, Cookie Decorating, and more! Most are included with your resort stay.
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
Glide your way along the meandering The River Pool at Kingsmill, which typically opens for the season in early May.
Head Out on the Water
Spend a leisurely afternoon on the beautiful James River taking in views of Williamsburg’s attractions. 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.
Ride a Bike
Want to feel the wind in your hair and inhale the sweet scent of spring? Take a scenic bike ride through Kingsmill’s extensive grounds with miles of paths to pedal. Bike rentals are available at the Kingsmill Tennis Club.
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.
Gaze at Spring Flowers
From formal gardens to wild fields, it’s time to stop and smell the roses. Just don’t forget your camera (or smartphone). Start at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden to enjoy more than 800 species of native vegetation, plus a butterfly garden. Bring a lunch and dine under the pavilion at one of the picnic tables.
Colonial Williamsburg’s historic area offers more than 90 acres of green spaces and gardens. Sign up for a Green Thumbs & Garden Enthusiast itinerary. Or visit the Colonial Williamsburg Arboretum, made up of more than 30 historic gardens — from flowering backyard pleasure gardens to the grand Governor’s Palace gardens and grounds.
On April 23, take the annual Historic Garden Tour of Williamsburg that features a combination of historic and scenic residences and their gardens. And the 77th annual Garden Symposium takes place April 25 – 27 at Colonial Williamsburg. Speakers will discuss distinctive landscape styles.
Take a Hike
Take in the glory of spring 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.
Listen to Music
Second Sundays Art and Music Festival kicks off with the first event in March and runs through December in Colonial Williamsburg. The festival showcases numerous local and regional acts on several outdoor stages while more than 400 artists and craftsmen offer their creations for sale in downtown Williamsburg.
Williamsburg Live, part of the Virginia Arts Festival, takes place June 21-23 at The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.
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 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.
Have a Blast in a Theme Park
Visit Busch Gardens in the spring, the least crowded time of the year when the flowers are in bloom all over the park. Sprawling across 383 acres, it’s home to European-themed hamlets, entertaining shows and, of course roller coasters, lots of them.
Chill or Thrill in a Water Park
Chill or thrill? You choose at Water Country USA, Virginia’s largest water park, which re-opens for the season on May 11. 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, which re-opens for the season on March 18. 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 a small vessel. If you’re traveling with junior mateys, check out Yorktown Pirate Ship Adventure Sail aboard the schooner. 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 — tinker, tailor, solider, wig maker — and stories of a revolutionary time with the characters 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 be sure to ask about the part he played in the victory.
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry
Enjoy produce, prepared food, and farm-related products grown or made in Virginia at the weekly Williamsburg Farmers Market, which returns every Saturday starting on March 16. Conveniently located in Merchant Square, it features 40 different vendors and live toe-tapping music.