When The Cheese Shop is open, there’s likely a line — and you can bet almost every person is waiting on a sandwich. “You’ll get it in about 10 to 15 minutes, but then you can shop around and see the rest of the store or order a custom cheese plate,” owner Mary Ellen Power says. “There’s an energy about it.”
From its home in Colonial Williamsburg’s iconic Merchants Square, America’s first outdoor shopping district, The Cheese Shop is a 54-year-old family affair, run by Power and siblings Tom and Cathy (recently retired), whose parents started the business when they were kids. “We would finish elementary school and help mom and dad in the store,” Power remembers. “They had an amazing vision — European cheeses, breads, and wines — they worked crazy hard, and they got lucky.”
First things first: lunch. Begin your Williamsburg wanderings by picking up a made-to-order sandwich from The Cheese Shop. Photography courtesy of Visit Williamsburg
And the sandwiches? “One day, mom said, ‘We’re going to make sandwiches for our lunch.’ She took a great German salami, a true Alpine Emmental cheese from Switzerland, and the freshly baked French bread. Then she concocted our house dressing — it’s actually our number-one product. All our sandwiches are made to order.”
Going to The Cheese Shop is a no-brainer, and so is what comes next: where to eat those sandwiches. The Duke of Gloucester Street (known as “Dog Street” to the locals) runs through Merchants Square and leads straight to your best picnic spot: the Palace Green, a grassy lawn in front of the Governor’s Palace where you can picnic and play. Spread a blanket, unwrap those sandwiches, and map out your route through Virginia’s Historic Triangle.
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With a towering cupola and ornate landscape, the majestic Governor’s Palace instantly catches the eye. Photography courtesy of Visit Williamsburg
Power suggests starting your tour of Colonial Williamsburg at the Governor’s Palace, originally completed in 1722 and reconstructed in 1934. The palace was home to seven royal governors and Virginia’s first two elected governors. “If you were a person of prominence visiting Williamsburg in the 1770s and you walked in the entry, you knew this was the powerhouse.”
Hundreds of swords and firearms — taken down to use during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War and then replaced — adorn the entryway walls. Begin your guided or self-guided tour here and end it on the palace grounds’ hedge maze.
“My daughter is 26 years old, but the hedge maze is one of her favorite childhood memories. Running through it with her friends was so much fun,” Power says. “Adults love it, too!”
The best way to explore Colonial Williamsburg is to park the car and mosey about on foot. Photography courtesy of Visit Williamsburg
A few steps away at the Courthouse of 1770, stop for a photo at the stocks and pillory. Then spend a few hours shopping in the quaint boutiques and exploring the historical sites, and don’t go home without a visit to the Capitol building, a peek into the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, and a fascinating look at the Williamsburg Bray School.
After exploring the colonial setting, drive about 10 minutes away to discover the distinctly Old-World experience at Busch Gardens. The amusement park’s layout and design draw inspiration from western Europe, and with the thick canopy of trees that provides shade on the hottest of summer days, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a wonderland for all ages.
Start in England and work your way through Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster, Italy’s Escape From Pompeii, and Germany’s famous Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge, which opened in 2025. While you’re here, grab a beer at Festhaus, the German dining hall with bratwurst, knockwurst, and corned beef, plus daily entertainment.
At Jamestown Settlement, you can board replicas of the 17th-century ships that transported colonists to the shores of the James River. Photography courtesy of Visit Williamsburg
As a site coordinator and interpreter at Jamestown Settlement, Carol Wiers believes she has the best job in the world. “You’ve probably heard the term ‘Historic Triangle’: Jamestown, Yorktown, and historic Williamsburg,” she explains. “Jamestown is a key part of the beginning of our modern American story — the good and the bad of that.”
Between the Algonquian natives who lived in this part of Virginia for centuries, the arrival of English colonists in 1607, and West Central Africans in 1619, Jamestown was the place where everyone converged.
Jamestown history comes to life for visitors with life-size replications of a 1610 fort, Paspahegh Town, and a recreation of the English ships that docked in Virginia in 1607.
Not to be confused with Jamestown Settlement, the nearby Historic Jamestowne is the site of an active archaeological dig and original site where the settlers lived. Photography courtesy of Visit Williamsburg
“You can get on that ship and imagine what it would have been like in the middle of the ocean in a storm in a vessel of that size,” Wiers says. “And you can go to the fort and imagine how you would have felt being 3,000 miles from home with very few of your fellow countrymen. We tend to talk about the English settlers, but really, the Indigenous people actually settled Virginia. At Paspahegh Town, you can see what life was like for them.”
It’s well worth noting that while all the sites at Jamestown Settlement are reproductions, Historic Jamestowne is the home of true, 400-year-old artifacts. Many of these are the result of Jamestown Discovery, an archaeological project funded by Preservation Virginia to protect the memory of America’s birthplace and to find the remains of the original James Fort, built in 1607.
It’s a truly interactive experience, according to Wier. “When you go there, you’ll see the site where archaeologists are currently digging and you can ask them questions,” she says.
Hop on the free Yorktown trolley to cruise effortlessly between destinations in the historic village. Photography courtesy of Visit Williamsburg
For the last eight years, Brandy Taylor Strzelecki has lived in the historic Yorktown Village neighborhood, “within walking distance of all the Yorktown things,” she says. Her neighborhood is so historic, in fact, that it’s not uncommon for her six- and eight-year-olds to dig up artifacts when they’re playing outside. “We find pottery pieces that are very, very, very old,” she laughs.
If Taylor were to design the perfect family-friendly Yorktown day, she’d look to a typical Saturday for inspiration. “One thing that’s a remarkable hit with kids is Yorktown’s free (and air-conditioned!) trolley service, which connects 11 destinations in Yorktown, and we can hop on from our neighborhood.”
Settle into the bench seats in an open-air steamer wagon and sightsee the Colonial National Historic Park in style. Photography courtesy of Visit Williamsburg
Treat the family to a sweet scoop from Little York Confectionery. Photography courtesy of Visit Williamsburg
Yorktown’s newest offering is the Stanley Wagon Tour, which drives its passengers through the battlefield tour roads on a shiny-red replica of a Stanley Steamer Wagon. Buy your ticket, plus a treat, at Little York Confectionery on Main Street. “There are streams and trails, and as you wind your way through, plaques mark things like the location of the French hospital and Washington’s headquarters,” Strzelecki says. “The steamer wagon tells you all about it.”
Mobjack Bay Coffee Roasters, located in the 1726 Cole Digges House, is a great spot for breakfast or an afternoon coffee or tea break with fresh scones and sandwiches. And for lunch or dinner, Taylor recommends the Yorktown Pub, a local institution tucked into the hillside down by the water. Its dive-like feel and daily infusion of fresh-caught seafood brings locals and visitors.
Yorktown, like Jamestown and Williamsburg, is an important slice of the Historic Triangle. For families like Strzelecki’s who want to learn about their nation’s storied past, the destination makes history fun. Says Taylor, “My kids will grow up and be grounded by a piece of history that’s right outside their door.”
Click here to discover this history for yourself with a family trip to these historic towns. Whether you want to wander through Jamestown Settlement, ride the roller coasters at Busch Gardens, or cozy up with a coffee at Mobjack Bay Coffee Roasters, an adventure for every interest awaits in the Historic Triangle.
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