Travel with Toddler: July 2010

we are back about 2 weeks ago and back to real world stuff - drive kids a to b, busy with kids summer stuff, laundry...a.k.a sorry for delay

but here is all the information about Virginia!

Virginia was a lot better than i thought - sorry for folks who live there but we did not expected much from there...but here is my new thought - i love Virginia and we will surely back someday

July.3 sat: we were trap in airport...starting at 9 am in CA time, 2 hours difference in Chicago and 3 hours of lay and when we get to Norfolk airport11:30 pm on east coast time - were tired and hungry and need to drive good hour for williamsburg... but we saw the Sonic and i knew it, this place can not be bad!! =)

July.4th. sun - shake you flag, USA!!

colonial williamsburg - i underestimate size of colonial park, i thought it will be like few building and tons of souvenir shops...oh, how i was wrong!! it starch mile each way and not much shops!! - defiantly lots of walk and road condition was...colonial!!

if you want to get in to historic buildings you need to purchase pass ($40/person, no stroller allowed and only "nice kids" are allowed) so we passed on pass

love the detail of building - this place is trying to leave colonial as possible, lot of buildings are original and trying to not renovate(untouched) as much as they can

but come with very pricey price tag on everything especially on food and drink - do offer mug cup for $7 (i think) and refill is $1, didn't get it - brought our ice chest(thanks god!!)

had lunch @ bakery (few full service restaurant - very pricey) and 2 quick meal stop(1.b.b.q stand with million people 2. bakery shop) order ham and turkey sandwich(bread, ham, cheese - like hospital grade) slice of apple pie, one coke, one beer ...$26

after long walk at sun, we find civilisation ... merchant square!! a air conditioned shops and restaurants!! it was nice to be back to civilization, had ice cream break and pick up good sandwich from smithville ham shop (they offer super size hand made sandwich and mac and cheese was good) back to governor mansion lawn, let the kids play colonial style and made some friends - people are nice in this part of country, don't mind little chat, take their time to let us know where is great place to visit and eat...i miss that, southern hospitality!!

had wonderful fire work - can't think of any better place to see fire work than here, real reason to celebrate our freedom

and time to walk back to car(good 15 min up hill and humidity)

July.5th.m: Busch Garden day!!

didn't know Busch garden is big on sesame street, had dine with Elmo - my opinion, this was best character dining ever, very organized and this was first park allowed kids to eat first before character show up, food was good $20 per adult kids under 3 free - hot dog, chicken nugget, bread, pasta... and Elmo cup cake!! Elmo do dance and show, plenty time of pictures and dance with kids - Elmo and friends do line dance!!

my kids go nut on this place!! - 24 hours are short in here

Busch garden self is huge and full of scary ride yet they did not forget little kids - we were worry about not enough for kids stuff but once again i was wrong, most kids friendly park ever i been including Disneyland - and 1st place that we do not need fold our stroller in the tram(best future ever!! you park and hop on the tram with kids full of stroller), very organized park but child swap wasn't great - one parent wait on the line while the other party wait in the exit with kids and swap...did not like it!!

Guess what happen? my older one ride this scary ride....she didn't know what she get in to, she saw bunch of kids/baby get out of this ride and said "i want to go, WANT TO GO!!" in a very 2 years old nagging so i let her...and after this ride she doesn't even go near any slide!! - according to their staff "if you can walk, you can go!!" don't believe it!! 4 and older please!!

July.6th. T : Virginia beach on 105 degree weather and 100% humidity!!

was hot, was very pretty and hot again!! - went there at 2pm (our day doesn't start till 11am - 9am CA time, eat breakfast at hotel room, put the cloths on the kids, deal with toddlers...)

but couldn't do much - sand was really hot - un touchable with bare feet and family bike rental(you know 4 wheeler, put the kids in the front kind..) was too hot (seat can burn our skin), price was good $25/hour - trust me, if it was in CA it will be $50/hour

so we decide to what we do best - time share tour!!90 minute on air conditioning and $75 visa card =)

after sun goes down we hit the beach - saw lots of baby fishes in the water and water was warm and comfortable

with $75 visa gift we went to Captain George seafood restaurant for dinner

love the place, $35/person again kids under 5 free - endless buffed line, lots of seafood - this place is well known seafood buffed, means 95% seafood on the buffed line - my husband and i love the food and very much enjoy the dinner!! highly recommend if you are in town(one in v.beach and one in williamsburg)

sometime on July.Wednesday : Yorktown

we passed this pretty road about 40 minute, i was in love with this colonial park way - lot of trees, water, and brick bridge... something we just can't see in CA

we end up really small and cute harbor town!! but this was where US had battle with British

and we saw this interesting looking "auto mobile", had to try before i ask price ($45/adult half price on each kids...) but i think it was worth to try - the lady in the picture is shop owner, Jill and she was very knowledgeable guide, very historical and she grow up here so she knew lots of stuff about town

this is actual canon ball - it is real site the canon hit but not a real canon stuff(man made) but you can see through the town - once again remind us this cute town was battle field

another cute house!! love the brick houses....

not a best picture of me but this is one and only both of us are in the same picture - had hard time standing like this...it was not easy to "drive" but once you got used to it easy peesy!!

york town harbor - do have bay cruse but didn't try $45 per person but not kids free!! half price on earier not on 6 pm one, full price on kids - so we sat on the harbor watching jellyfish

Yorktown have sand area and swimable beach with fresh water

Thur.:water country USA - huge water park, i mean huge!!

did not bring camera so no pictures!! but we were happy about their kiddie pool - have 3 kiddie pool with different theme, one with cow, animal, and UFO

very clean and again well organized park - can't bring floater but they do have nice one for free(only free stuff in this park)

had dinner @ ruby Tuesday - again something we don't have -love the salad bar and food, kind of like sizzler but fancier and better food

Fri: outlet mall

thank you god that gave me a good outlet mall that is not full of junk!!

williamsburg outlet mall is huge!! need good hour to just walk to each end - not stop at any store just walk...

good place to shop, have gymboree, kate spade, l.lbean, polo, crogs, coach, Hanna anderson, Bebe, juice etc.. and get this, sales tax in Virginia...only 5%

Sat:sadly time to go home!!

on the way out we stop at Jamestown but did not spend much time because starting to rain and didn't have enough time

this is where the boat came in, the 1st colonial place, similar to williamsburg colonial park but in front of water

few pictures from Sonic - i think you got the idea how i love the sonic =) their drink is truly the best!!

other dining:

polo club williamsburg- familly owend resturant and have really good food, lots of italian dish and american classic

chick fil-a : fast food resturant and had to try since we don't have in CA - good christain buisness mind resturant, resturant was very clean ( i mean very clean) people are nice - there was a maneger walk around and check each table(with bowtie)...this is not a fast food resturant, had good experience of this place - and there is a cow for picture!!

craker barell(i think this is how they spell) : chain southern food resturant and love their chinken dumpling - i miss that soooo much...and this place do not sell alchole drink, it is all about familly

home made mac and cheese is superb, country shop is worth to check out - i don't know every craker barell have store but one we went have big store and full of memory lane candy - got pop candy for girls and was fun to watch their face when rock pop in their mouth=)

chickahamony house : original southen food/clonial food - famouse for chicken dumpling and virginia ham sandwich, had great sweet tea and very very cute old house - i believe house is more than 100 years old, local hang out place also have cute shop inside and only open for breakfast and lunch(till 2:30pm) in my opinion this is must stop place in williams burg

some ramdom picture from road side: this place is bakery/dry cleaner...

every vacation must be end and everytime it happend make me sad but this place was really sad to leave...when ever i think about this place i have huge warm feeling in my heart - i think beacause of nice people