We invite you to stay at our Williamsburg bed and breakfast and plan your perfect Mother’s Day weekend getaways in Virginia.
Outside our door, you can spend days with your Mom exploring nature and shopping at local boutiques. Saturday mornings are for browsing at the Farmers Market. You may want to get a massage. There are many options to enjoy mouth-watering meals. If you are here Saturday evening, you can experience the charming Colonial Williamsburg tradition of the Lighting of the Cressets.
Weekend Getaways in Virginia: Out in Nature, Boutique Browsing, and an Exquisite Seafood Dinner
Kick off your special weekend with Mom by heading out on the Bassett Trace Nature Trail. It’s a beautiful place to hike every season, especially during springtime when the foliage and wildflowers vibrantly bloom. The trailhead neighbors the Colonial Williamsburg historic area and extends as far as the Golden Horseshoe Green Course for 1.5 miles each way. If your Mom is a birder, she’ll be in heaven with the dozens of birds that frequent this dense woodland habitat. Butterflies, including monarchs and various swallowtails, are also a delightful and common sight as the days warm up. Walking through the shaded forest, you’ll be surrounded by ancient hardwood trees and occasional ponds - where waterfowl add to the pastoral scene.
After your hike, head to Merchants Square, in the town center, across the street from our inn. Browse with your Mom among the 40 shops, each offering unique goods and apparel in the charming federal-style atmosphere. Whether it’s refined home decor at Brick and Vine, elegant metalwork and jewelry at Danforth Pewter, summery French and Italian women’s wear at the French Twist Boutique, or fine linens at J. Fenton, you’re bound to find a perfect Mother’s Day gift and something special for your Mom to bring home.
Plan for Friday night dinner on the patio at Berret’s, a seafood institution in Williamsburg for over 40 years. Outdoor dining is first-come, first-serve, so show up early to beat the dinner rush. Start with tasty appetizers like baked brie with grilled shrimp or seared sea scallops. Follow this up with an entrée of striped bass, tuna, or oysters. The oysters are harvested fresh from the James and York Rivers. You can learn more about them in our recent Legendary Oysters along the Virginia Peninsula blog. In addition to seafood, there are many other delicious plates, including a honey-mustard chicken breast with asparagus or the peach-mango seared pork chop. You can share a bottle of wine from their impressive 80-bottle wine list and raise your glasses to your lovely weekend getaway in Virginia.
A Morning at the Market, Replenishing Massage, and Cressets Aglow
There’s no better place to spend a springtime Saturday morning than at the Farmers Market, where the town comes together every weekend to support local farms and vendors. After a restful sleep in your Fife and Drum Inn room or suite, stroll around the block to Duke of Gloucester Street, where the market’s 40+ vendors set up along the pedestrian-only thoroughfare while local musicians provide entertainment. Sip on fresh coffee and enjoy a European-style pastry from the Buttery Baking House while soaking in the mid-May sunshine.
Bring your Mom for an afternoon massage session at the Williamsburg Salt Spa, where their expert therapists offer a range of healing body treatments. Choose from a 60 or 90-minute Swedish massage or the more intense deep tissue style, both revitalizing. For a unique twist, add the hot Himalayan salt rocks, which enhance the massage effects by releasing natural minerals. Your Mom will leave glowing and rejuvenated, a treat for the body and soul.
Saturday evenings in May bring a unique opportunity to experience the Lighting of the Cressets in Colonial Williamsburg. Start with some tasty bistro eats and hand-crafted cocktails at the Blue Talon Bistro, one of our favorite Williamsburg restaurants across the street from us on Prince George Street. Then, walk over to Duke of Gloucester Street, where from 8-10 pm, the street glows with the soft light from the fire-lit cressets, creating the same enchanting streetside ambiance as existed during colonial times.
Weekend Getaways in Virginia: A Classic Tavern Mother’s Day Brunch and World-Class Tasting Tour at Williamsburg Winery
Mother’s Day brunch is a beloved tradition, and nowhere is more authentic than Christiana Campbell’s Tavern. The three-course prix fixe menu reflects the tavern’s 250 years of culinary excellence. George Washington ate here often and sang its praises. Mother’s Day menu options include forest mushroom quiche, crab benedict, shrimp and grits, and more! As you enjoy a leisurely walk back through Colonial Williamsburg after brunch, stop by for a cruise through the hedge maze and ornate gardens behind the Governor’s Palace, one of the most stunning landscapes within the 300-acre historic area (ticket required).
You may want to treat your Mom to a Mother’s Day afternoon of wine-tasting at the Williamsburg Winery, just a few miles from downtown. Their sprawling farm feels like an afternoon in Tuscany among the rows of grapes. The rich soil has produced award-winning vintages since 1985. Make your day at the winery unforgettable by joining their reserve wine tasting, which features a guided tasting of nine different wines and spotlights the rare reserve wines from their “library collection.” We suggest reservations for the two-hour tasting session, which includes a platter of cheese and crackers and an etched wine glass to bring home, the perfect souvenir to remember your escape to Williamsburg together.
Reserve your historic room or suite and surprise your Mom with a memorable Mother’s Day weekend getaway in Virginia!