Living in Williamsburg

Williamsburg, VA, is home to our historic campus and to Colonial Williamsburg. The vast majority of our team live in, or just outside of, Williamsburg. Some of us commute from Richmond, Newport News or Norfolk/Virginia Beach.

Relocation to Williamsburg will give you access to suburban campus living, the rich history of W&M and Colonial Williamsburg, as well as the beaches at Virginia Beach (60 miles to our East), Skyline Drive through the Shenandoah Mountains to the Blue Ridge Parkway through the Blue Ridge Mountains (155 miles to our West), the Virginia capital in Richmond (50 miles to our East) and the seat of the Federal Government in Washington, D.C. (150 miles to our North). Travel to and away from campus for visiting relatives or friends is convenient with a local Williamsburg Amtrak station and easy door-to-door drives to the Newport News (30 min.), Richmond (50 min.) or Norfolk (55 min.) international airports.

If you are relocating to Williamsburg with school-aged children, read about the Williamsburg James City County School System and our nine elementary schools, four middle schools and three high schools here. A quick Google search also provides information on independent schools including parochial schools in the Williamsburg area.

We asked our team what they love to do in and around Williamsburg, and this is what they said:

• “Live music at Sweet Tea & Barley at the Williamsburg Lodge.”
• “Season passes to Busch Gardens and Water Country USA are the obvious choices if you have kids or are a kid at heart.”
• “We have endless pools that you can choose from in the summer (including the lazy river in Kingsmill). In most big cities, you have to spend a fortune to belong to a pool. This is a big bonus if you have kids.”
• “Splitting a bottle of wine with friends while eating BBQ at Saude Creek Winery! Best view around for sure.”
• “I have so many favorite things...!! Appetizers and drinks on warm evenings on the terrace at the Williamsburg Inn; a Sunday drive out Rte 5 to Upper Shirley Vineyards for (fantastic!!) lunch and wine; dinner at Aticha Thai; enjoying pizza on the outside terrace at Mellow Mushroom; Saturday morning farmer's market in Merchants Square; a leisurely drive on the Colonial Parkway to Yorktown; taking a (free) trip over the James River on the Scotland-Jamestown Ferry to Surry and lunch on the deck of the Surry Seafood Company; walking DoG Street in the evenings; coffee at Aroma's; playing tennis on the clay courts at the Williamsburg Inn, next to the sheep pasture; dinner at Fat Canary.”
• “My family loves long bike rides on the Capital Trail, and the Monday evening 5K's at DoG Street Pub. Lots of great ways to enjoy the outdoors here in town.”
• “Checking out the local breweries, walking/running/biking the Capital Trail, food and drinks at Amber Ox or Opus 9, shopping at the outlets, being within driving distance of a Wegmans (Richmond and Virginia Beach).”
• Local golf courses are also popular!

We love to eat, too, if you hadn’t noticed… Some staff favorite restaurants near campus, near the office, and off the beaten path include Spice Palace, Cochon, Fat Canary (dinner only), Blackbird Bakery, Aticha Thai, Surry Seafood Company, Five Forks Cafe (traditional diner specials for breakfast and lunch only), Opus 9 (especially for happy hour), Pierce's Pitt BBQ (since 1961!), Mellow Mushroom, and Culture Café (breakfast ALL DAY!). And of course, don’t miss the students’ favorite for sandwiches and bread ends with house dressing -- The Cheese Shop on Merchants Square!