Colonial Williamsburg

We left the village and wandered around town looking for sustenance. At the Trellis Restaurant, would-be patrons were adding their names to the long waiting list and strolling around Merchant Square until their turns came.

We finally found seats at Seasons Cafe, which had both good adult selections and a stellar kids' menu. Shirley Temples were not on the menu, but on request our waiter delivered them, with extra cherries.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg, and the living history museum for the first time is changing programming by day and season. So if you have, say, an interest in politics during the revolution and none in 18th-century religion, you'd want to visit on a Monday or Thursday, and avoid Sunday.

Another new feature this year is regular extended hours for candlelit visits after dusk. Unlike the shopping malls, Colonial Williamsburg will begin breaking out its Christmas decorations -- including 1,500 wreaths and 15 truckloads of holly and such -- on Thanksgiving weekend.

The season highlight: fireworks and revelry at the Grand Illumination on Sunday, Dec. 2, beginning in the late afternoon.

Summer and the holiday period are the best times to catch a wide variety of special events. Last Sunday, aside from the church-related activities on the grounds, it was a quiet day. But we enjoyed a talk with a very convincing George Washington impersonator, and played hide and seek in a maze in the gardens of the Governor's Palace.

Chestnuts fell from trees, begging to be collected. The sun was warm under blue skies. It felt good to think not ahead to a perilous future, but behind to a glorious past.

Details

GETTING THERE: Williamsburg is less than three hours from Washington by car, about 150 miles via I-95 south and I-64 east.

WHERE TO STAY: The nonprofit Colonial Williamsburg has six properties on or near the grounds of the village. The least expensive, the Governor's Inn, is currently in the $100-a-night range. At the most luxurious, the Williamsburg Inn, doubles range from $395 to $775. Book through Colonial Williamsburg (see below). The local hotel association (see below) can help you book 80 other properties. Next weekend, the association quoted the price for a Quality Inn at $69 the first night and $49 the second, including breakfast and attraction discounts. We were very happy in our $69-a-night Hampton Inn Williamsburg (201 Bypass Rd., 757-220-0880), with free breakfast and a nice pool. (Don't confuse it with the Colonial Hampton Inn in Williamsburg.)

TIPS: If you have your heart set on a particular hotel, like the Williamsburg Inn, reservations are a must. Ditto for restaurants . . . If you plan to buy souvenirs in the colonial village or the Everything Williamsburg store in Merchant's Square, consider purchasing a higher-priced ticket to the village that includes merchandise discounts, if the discounts do not come with your hotel.

INFO:

• Williamsburg Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800-368-6511, www.visitwilliamsburg.com.

• Busch Gardens, 800-343-7946, www.buschgardens.com.

• Colonial Williamsburg, 800-447-8679, www.history.org.

• Williamsburg Hotel and Motel Association, 800-446-9244, www.mywilliamsburgvacation.com.

-- Cindy Loose