Last week’s post is all about the things you should do in Colonial Williamsburg. And really, you can find plenty to keep you occupied within the Revolutionary City itself. But there are also a lot of really cool things to do nearby.

Here are a few things we did this trip around Williamsburg that we recommend:

Williamsburg and Surrounding Area

#1 – Yorktown Sailing Charter

We booked a two-hour sunset cruise on the Yorktown Schooner Alliance partly because I love sailing (thank you, years working at Boy Scout camp) and partly because Gordon’s dad has always wanted to hoist sails and play crew. It looked like our trip might end up cancelled due to rain, but with a break in the post-Hurricane Florence squall, the crew decided to chance it. We did get pretty soaked at the beginning, but the rest of the trip was overcast, cool, and beautiful.

We loved learning about Yorktown from the crew and Paul loved hoisting the sails and (briefly) steering the ship. If you are anywhere near Yorktown, you should definitely take a sail with this company.

#2 – William and Mary Campus

Wandering around the second-oldest college in America is a great way to spend an afternoon. You can go shopping at the bookstore, take pictures with really old brick buildings, and feel the stress of thousands of students rushing to class. If you are into geocaching, finding the caches on campus will lead you to these great spots:

The Crim Dell Bridge is the most photographed (and most romantic, according to the website) spot on campus. Apparently, if you hold hands with someone while walking across the bridge, you’ll be friends forever. If you kiss, you’ll be lovers forever. We kissed, it was sappy. Apparently, the graduating class all cross the bridge together before graduation, which is precious.

There are also two coastal redwoods on campus, brought in as saplings. Between the trees is a bench built from limbs that were damaged by a lightning strike.

On the other side of the wall behind the redwoods, you’ll find busts of various Tylers (including president John Tyler) to celebrate their connection to William and Mary. If you stand on the intersection of the brick lines in front of the statues, turn toward the building, and talk, you will be shocked and amazed by the acoustic phenomenon. Trust us, it’s worth the walk across campus.

#3 – Yankee Candle Store

When Gordon told me we really needed to visit the Yankee Candle store, I wondered why candles were such a big deal to him all of a sudden. Turns out, this store is about way more than the 400,000 candles they stock. You can make a wax mold of your hand, dip candles, watch the giant mechanical cuckoo clock sing and dance for you, eat fudge and popcorn, and visit Santa year-round in the Christmas village, where it snows every four minutes. It’s crazy and huge and great.

#4 – So Much Delicious Food

There are lots of awesome restaurants close to Colonial Williamsburg for you to try, including the three delis right next to each other just off William and Mary campus (Pauls is our favorite). This trip, we found two more favorites:

If you are looking for some delicious Southern comfort food, Corey’s Country Kitchen is the way to go. We had fried chicken, okra, corn pudding, grits, collard greens, corn muffins, and crab cakes, and it was all really delicious.

The staff was all friendly and helpful, and had we found it earlier in the trip we would have eaten there multiple times.

If you are of the opinion that no trip to the coast is complete without an absurd amount of seafood, Captain George’s is the place for you. This seafood buffet offers mounds of fish, crab, oysters, clams, and more. We ate our weight in crab legs and had no regrets.

#5 – Wawa

I know, it’s weird that a convenience store made the list. But Wawa has delicious food made to order 24 hours a day, along with your typical convenience store fare.

It is nice to know that no matter how late you get in, Wawa will always be there for you. In the words of my friend who graduated from William and Mary and spent many a night frequenting this store, “Praise Wawa.”

#6 – Seriously, Go Sailing

I mean, look at it. As we were walking away we thought for sure Paul had stowed away on board. Would you leave?

There is way more to do in the Historic Triangle. We didn’t even make it over to Jamestown. We do take recommendations, so let us know what we should do on our next trip.