GAFollowers.com writer, Rick Limpert loves taking trips that are an easy drive from the Metro Atlanta area. He loves them even more when golf is part of the trip.
Usually when we are talking about golf and history we are talking about the history of golf.
Names like Hagen, Hogan, Vardon. Jones, Snead, Palmer and Nicklaus usually dominate the conversation with a little Tiger Woods thrown in for good measure, since no golf conversation these days isn’t complete with some “Tiger Talk.”
This summer, I was able to play great golf and experience history involving names like Washington, Jefferson, Henry, and Paine- as in George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine.
All in Colonial Williamsburg.
How to Get There
Coming from Georgia and the southeast, you have choices.
Three different airports are convenient. Delta has nonstops going to each of these airports.
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF) (20 minutes)
Norfolk International Airport (ORF) (45 minutes)
Richmond International Airport (RIC) (45 minutes)
Driving from the Atlanta area, it’s about an 8 hour drive going up I-85 north.
Where to Stay
As with any other popular destination, there are plenty of places to stay in Colonial Williamsburg. To get the feel and experience Williamsburg in the best possible way, I would recommend staying at the luxurious Williamsburg Inn or the convenient and upscale, Williamsburg Lodge.
Williamsburg Inn
All you need to know is that the Williamsburg Inn hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip during their much talked about visit in 2007. Built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1937, the “Inn” offers 62 comfortable rooms and 9,000 square feel of conference space.
Williamsburg Lodge
If you want to get a feel for what is going on in the Revolutionary City, there is no better place to stay than the Williamsburg Lodge. Located just a block from the Williamsburg Inn, the “Lodge” boasts 323 rooms, restaurants, modern amenities and is close in proximity to everything going on in Williamsburg.
Unlike anything you have ever experienced, in Colonial Williamsburg, you have the option to stay in guest houses and Colonial houses at Providence Hall or in the historic Colonial Houses scattered around the city.
Where to Play
If you want to do it, you can in Williamsburg. Educational excursions, art museums, live demonstrations, golf, tennis, swimming pools and a world-class spa.
History is everywhere in Colonial Williamsburg, so you can’t go wrong doing anything in the historic area. That includes shopping, dining and learning.
Don’t miss the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum. These two properties are loaded with artifacts that would be feature pieces at many other museums around the country. Pay special attention to the exhibit on mental health and Public Hospital of 1773 and the collection of guns and firearms- it’s one of the best I’ve even seen.
Relax a little at the Spa of Colonial Williamsburg. This award-winning spa is housed in a Georgian revival building across the street from the Williamsburg Lodge. 12 private treatment rooms and couples suites offer a little of something for everyone. There is a fitness room to complement the wellness and rejuvenation rooms.
Hit some balls at the world class tennis center or tee it up at any of the three Golden Horseshoe golf courses. 45 holes of golf in all are offered at the Gold Course, the Green Course and the Spotswood nine-hole course that families just love to play.
The Gold Course, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary is in exceptionally great shape and is a true test for golfers of all levels.
Robert Trent Jones Sr. once called the Gold Course, his “finest design.”
The Golden Horseshoe Golf Club has again been reconfirmed as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International. Golden Horseshoe has held this distinction since 2001.
Golden Horseshoe Golf Club’s continued efforts to enhance wildlife habitat and protect the environment at both of its 18-hole championship layouts – the Gold Course and Green Course as well as the nine-hole Spotswood Course, surpassed the standards set by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program.
The golf courses were recognized by the Audubon organization for maintaining naturalized areas to provide water, food and habitat for local and migratory wildlife, particularly the connected patches of native grasses between the holes that offer wildlife corridors for movement. Other elements of Golden Horseshoe’s program that won praise from Audubon International.
While playing 18 at Colonial Williamsburg, stop and look around and soak in the beauty.
What Else
The College of William & Mary is located right in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg. Feel free to meander around the beautiful campus and visit the university bookstore.
Make sure you experience 18th-century life as you walk around the city. You will see tradesmen and women working as printers, silversmiths, wigmakers and bookbinders. It’s quite a sight to see and another living lesson in American history.
There are 11 restaurants located in Colonial Williamsburg, you can’t go wrong with any of them and you will never be hungry.
Remember that all profits earned in Colonial Williamsburg go back to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. This helps preserve what you see in the Revolutionary City and helps with the offering of educational programs, preserving the Historic Area buildings and museums and bring new art and exhibits to the area.
Plan your trip to Colonial Williamsburg see American the way it was, the way it is, and make sure you picture how it might be in the future.
Spa, sports and more in what is Historic Virginia.
