The food, like at any theme park, is overpriced, but it can be part of the fun. A lunch at King's Arm Tavern for example, will run you an arm (and a leg), but you are paying for the atmosphere, as well as lively service and decent enough food (the chicken pot pie was excellent, as was the peanut soup). The character interaction is in many ways similar to a character meal at a Disney park, but instead of Mickey and friends, you might be eating lunch with Patrick Henry and his cronies. Ditto for Chowning's Tavern, however the tomato soup they have is delicious and worth every penny.
Also within the Colonial area, the Raleigh Tavern Bakeshop had decent bakery fare at decent prices. It is good way to start your morning tour in Colonial Williamsburg.
I do agree with your assessment that you have to "get into" the fun of CW, but if you do, the pay off will be nice. Also, each day leads up to some significant historical event, while the whole week culminates in the famous Patrick Henry "give me liberty, or give me death" speech. We had a lot of fun in CW when we went (and personally I dislike Renaissance Festivals, so while the comparison you made is valid, the "actors" at CW are MUCH better than what I have experienced at "Fair"). I highly recommend the area to history buffs and Hall of President fans everywhere! ;)
As for the "theme park-y Jamestown re-enactment", it is also worth a visit, especially if you have kids. The fort, Indian village, and boats are a great way to help bring history to life, so gauge your audience. Historic landmarks are great, but walking through a fort, wearing old time armor, and seeing a musket being fired first hand, those are experiences most kids will treasure.
The Yorktown Victory Center is also very well done, especially for history buffs. It is a shame you missed it.
Two other restaurants in the area we enjoyed were the Carrot Tree Yorktown (great sandwiches, especially the Strawberry Fields croissant) and The Whaling Company, which was wonderful. In fact, WC was the best place we ate at during our Williamsburg trip. It showcased excellent service, atmosphere, and food. I highly recommend the fresh North Atlantic scallops and shrimp (sans the shrooms). The place was right near BGW, but easy to spot and definitely worth a visit.
Lastly, since you mentioned the DC area metro, there is a restaurant at Union Station called "America" that has the best sliders in the world (at least as much of the world as I have had the pleasure to experience!). Did you happen to visit it while you were traveling? Additionally, the National Zoo, if you get a chance to see it, is one of the best zoos in the nation, and it is "free" to all visitors.
Anyway, thanks for the report, Robert, it was a fun read!
C'mon... if root beer is your signature item, how on Heaven's earth do you allow a compressor to fail (without backup), keeping you from serving it? At the very least, couldn't someone run over and grab a bunch of bottles from the various gift shops that sell it and make those available in the restaurant?
And the Raleigh Tavern Bakeshop offered only pre-wrapped individual cookies, muffins and cake slices, piled in huge baskets. They were... nice, but the presentation left much to be desired. Again, it's all about atmosphere, and it looked nothing like a colonial bakeshop. The coffee was wretched, too. Go for Aromas in Merchants Square for morning coffee, instead.
I didn't try Jamestown Settlement, and don't want to knock it, but I can see where some folks might get confused and think that actually is the Jamestown settlement. Which, it isn't. It's a recreation, potentially worth doing, but shouldn't be substituted for going next door and seeing the real thing.
Oh, and by the way, please ignore the directions to Jamestown posted on the NPS website. Colonial Highway is closed near Jamestown and you need to go the "back way," past Jamestown Settlement, to get to the historic site.
When we went to the bakery in June of 2008 it was just that: a bakery. There were a variety of fresh baked goods mixed with a few prepackaged items. Nothing like cinnamon rolls mind you, but some interesting sweet bread choices and muffins & cookies. I wonder if the economy has forced the place to change its wares a bit? It was really a pretty good bakery when we went. Honest.
As for coffee, no one in my family drinks it, so I can't speak to whether it is good or not. I prefer to take my caffeine in pill form as it is quicker, and has less of a bitter after taste! We did attempt to stop by Aromas for lunch one day, but it was packed (sign of a good place, I guess) and we skipped it. Sounds like we should have been more patient.
Lastly, I wasn't trying to dismiss the actual Jamestowne area at all, just commenting that the recreation is definitely worth your time as well. Similar, in may ways, to visiting a pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase: interesting, educational, and well-themed.
Glad you like the cafe in Smith A. Indian. It is the best Smithsonian meal left. A little expensive, that is why I did not mention it before. Many of the others have fallen by the way side. There use to be a great ice cream shop in American History but alas it is now a crappy vendor. Subway I think.
Chowning's is light fare and not the best meal, though it is the cheapest (I realize that is not saying much). The best meal is a King's Head Tavern or Christiana Campbells. However they are really formal full coarse meals. Also the summer months the food quality does take a noesdive in the Taverns. The best time to visit Williamsburg is in the early fall. Food is alway authentic and great. For BBQ you should had done the 15 minute drive to Pierce's Pit BBQ. Much better for the price. The Cheese Shop in the Marketplace is also off the hook. I forgot to mention that before.
KUDOS for going to the Park Service side of Jamestown!! Granted I am biased but it is some much more interesting than the Amusement park side that everyone else goes to. Did you make it to the Glass Blower? I go there every year a pick a new piece for my collection. The sites speaks for itself and it such a pretty spot.
While I agree that CW is a Amusement Park of sorts it is really quite more than a RenFaire if you know how to work it. Being a Rev War Historian, I have learned how to visit CW and get an educational experience that is enteraining as well. You do need a plan but you also have to know which things to hit. Some of the best programs are the smaller ones where the re-enacters are actually demostrating things and learning how to do them as well. I once was lucky enough to walk in to the Govenor's Palace kitchen as they were LEARNING how to make chocolate the 18th Century way and was able to help. This was one of the best experiences I have had there. I would love to show you how to do CW right. Never the less I hope you had a good time. I would love to hear more details of your DC visit and give you advice for the future. Thanks for visiting my neck of the woods.
Here is their website: ARK Restaurants.
There is no longer a "rush-hour" fare as Metro has been charging what was called "rush-hour fares" from opening-9:30 AM and 3-7 PM on weekdays and 2 AM-closing on weekends and calling those "regular fares." All other times of the day, riders pay what are called "reduced fares." However, the reduced fares will probably be discontinued with the next fare increase that will likely take effect early next year. Whether you're 5, 25, or 55, from Washington, DC or Walla Walla, Washington, you will still pay the same fare for the same trip at the same time. Metro does offer discounts for senior citizens, allows children under 5 to ride for free, and the federal government picks up a large portion of the tab for its workers to ride the system through the "Metrocheck" program.
However, anyone can get a a 1-day pass, which is good for unlimited rides after 9:30 AM on weekdays and all-day on weekends and holidays at a cost of $7.80. That means it would take 3 long trips (across city lines) or 4-5 short trips to make back its value.
Sorry to debunk your conspiracy that you thought existed, but unfortunately, you fell into the trap that is the SmartTrip system.
Anonymous is also correct in that you do not need to pay to get into "the park" section of Colonial Williamsburg. The fee just gets you on the bus and into the museums and exhibit homes. That said, I still think that's worth it. Here's an example: A thunderstorm soaked the area the afternoon we visited. A couple without tickets ran into the Magazine (a ticketed building) to find shelter... and the attendant kicked 'em out, into the pouring rain. They had to find a non-ticketed building to wait the rain out.
Finally, we did visit the glass blower at Jamestown and he was a big hit.
Excellent!
The food at Williamsburg does not look too bad! Still, looks like a great time. I think I need to make my trip out there!