Williamsburg has top-ranked premier courses that bring golfers to the area and great supporting courses that bring golfers back. The region is home to more than 12 championship courses ranked 4 stars or better and is very affordable compared to similar golf courses in other golf destinations. Several facilities have multiple courses on-site, allowing golfers to easily play two different courses on the same day.

Williamsburg National Golf Club

Voted “Best Golf Course in Williamsburg” by the Virginia Gazette two years in a row, this open-to-the-public private club features two very different courses when it comes to layout and putting surfaces (Bermuda vs. bent).

• The Jamestown Course, developed by Nicklaus Design, is a 4-star Golf Digest winner. The par-72 course measures close to 7,000 yards from the championship tees with five different sets of tees appealing to golfers of all skill levels. It has received several awards, including being named “One of the Ten Best Courses you can play in Virginia” by Golf Digest magazine.
• The Yorktown Course layout offers a great mix of classic course design with a few modern twists. In addition to being ranked No. 7 of the most-improved courses in the nation by Golf Advisor (now GolfPass) in 2018, it has the area’s most interesting back nine featuring three par-5s, three par-4s and three par-3s. Bermuda fairways, bent grass putting greens, and a course full of fun challenges await.

Golden Horseshoe Golf Club

Just as Colonial Williamsburg brings America’s history to life, the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club honors the classic traditions of the game—while still creating an entertaining challenge for today’s player. Designed by the father-and-son team of Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Rees Jones, players will experience 45 walkable holes over three courses, surrounded by mature woodlands.

• The Gold Course is a classic reimagined. Recently renovated by “the Open Doctor” Rees Jones, the Gold Course now features cutting-edge turf grasses, new grass on the fairways, greens and surrounding roughs, and utilizes “Better Billy Bunker” construction. Tees have been re-leveled and resurfaced, and the expansion of the practice putting green and range gives golfers plenty of opportunity to work on their long and short games.
• Opened in 1991, Rees Jones drew inspiration from his father Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s iconic Gold Course to create the acclaimed Green Course. Carved from the same beautiful parkland terrain, the Green Course is longer than the Gold Course but also more forgiving—creating an enjoyable challenge for golfers of every skill level.
• Perfect for networking or a quick golf getaway, the Spotswood Course is Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s updated version of the original 1947 Williamsburg Inn course. Called the “best short nine-hole course in the country” by Golf magazine, this par-31 course includes six par-3s, two par-4s and one par-5 to test your whole game. Spotswood is family-friendly and fun for beginners and juniors, but still presents a signature Jones contest for the more experienced golfer.

Kingsmill Resort
Championship golf is the centerpiece of the Kingsmill Resort experience. It has hosted 38 PGA and LPGA events with golf legends Payne Stewart, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer among those who have played the famed courses. Additionally, the Kingsmill Golf Academy offers expert advice for all level of players.

• The River Course, a Golfweek “Top 200 Resort Course,” is designed by prominent architect Pete Dye and home to the LPGA Pure Silk Tournament. This course has welcomed presidents Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.
• Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay designed the Plantation Course to test the skills of all types of players with its generous fairways, water hazards, and undulating greens.

Kiskiack Golf Club

Kiskiack Golf Club is home to one of the top-ranked 18-hole golf courses in the state of Virginia. Designed by John LaFoy, it’s nestled along a ridge of a natural bluff in Williamsburg. Kiskiack’s public course features tree-lined fairways, gorgeous water features, and is easily walkable. While the course can be demanding even for the experienced player, the course’s open fairways and picturesque views will allow beginners to enjoy a round of golf as well. It’s the only golf course in Williamsburg with no houses on the course.

Stonehouse Golf Club 

The 18-hole golf course at Stonehouse Golf Club in Toano features 7,013 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par 72. Stonehouse was originally designed by one of the most innovative golf course architects in the business, Mike Strantz, a former protégé of Tom Fazio. Strantz envisioned a mountain-style course that disturbed nature as little as possible. With deep bunkers and wide fairways, the par-72 layout features dramatic elevation changes and enormous putting greens perched on the edges of natural cliff formations with constant challenges for all levels. Williamsburg golf travelers looking for a unique golf experience will find it at Stonehouse.

Ford’s Colony Country Club
Located just minutes away from historic Williamsburg, Ford’s Colony offers some of the best resort golf in Virginia. This semi-private golf club features 54 holes with three distinct championship golf courses designed by Dan Maples. Each course brings its own challenges and highlights.

• Blackheath is the most picturesque of the three courses with water coming into play on 13 holes. Every green on the course is guarded by bunkers and the course also features many doglegs with rolling fairways. The Blackheath course is the only course at Ford’s Colony that plays to a par 71.
• Blue Heron is a continuous 18 that has long, challenging par-3s and par-5s. The Blue Heron has generous fairways carved out of dense wetlands. The course has new Champion Bermuda greens which provide the smoothest surfaces throughout the year. Blue Heron is the longest of the three courses and contains many different species of birds, fish, and other wildlife.
• Marsh Hawk features traditional tree-lined fairways. It has small, undulating greens with strategically placed bunkers. The narrow fairways, well-placed bunkers, natural lakes, and elevation changes are the defenses of this course. Marsh Hawk was the host of the 1998 and 1999 Virginia State Opens, a Monday Qualifier for the 2005 – 2007 Henrico County Open, and a Monday Qualifier for the PGA Tour’s Michelob Championship for 12 straight years.

Colonial Heritage Golf Club
Featuring the only Arthur Hills signature-designed golf course in Williamsburg, Colonial Heritage is open to the public and offers pristine playing conditions on an exceptional layout that winds through rolling hills, streams, and pine forests. This artfully crafted masterpiece emulates the classic beauty and refinement of the natural terrain of its southern Virginia surroundings. Thoughtfully planned bunkers, undulating fairways, and well-arranged water features create an enjoyable golfing experience for novices and experts alike. Each year since 2013, Colonial Heritage has been ranked “Best in Region” by Coastal Virginia Magazine.

Never been to Williamsburg? Baffled by how to plan your visit? This insider’s guide to an initial visit hits all the highlights you don’t want to miss. We’re going to make sure you don’t forget your first time. Here are the essentials for what will be the first of many memories.

1. Live in Colonial Times – Eighteenth-century Colonial Williamsburg is not the place you visited in fourth grade. The world’s largest living history museum — with more than 40 sites and trades and two world-class art museums — is full of participatory experiences. Stop by Peyton Randolh House and take the “Freedom’s Paradox” tour examing slavery’s evolution and the reliance upon it by patriots to build a city, a colony, and eventually a nation. Take part in a dig into the past. For the adventurous, learn how to fire a flintlock musket.
2. Amuse Yourself – After a fascinating dose of history, time for some fun. Who doesn’t love a day at an amusement park? Head to Busch Gardens and Water Country USA where new rides and old favorites will leave you smiling — and maybe screaming with joy. Check out Finnegan’s Flyer, the swinging ride that takes your childhood playground experience to the extreme. Two-pendulum arms soar to 80 feet over the cliffs of the Celtic coast at the park’s Ireland village at 45 mph. If you can keep your eyes open, you’ll get a stunning vista of the park, annually named one of America’s most beautiful. At Water Country USA, chill with some wet thrills. The Cutback Water Coaster is the only RocketBlast coaster on the East Coast and Virginia’s first hybrid water coaster, combining a water jet propulsion system, tunnels and open-air saucers at a speed of 35 feet per second over 865 feet. Caught your breath yet? Exactly.
3. Quench Your Thirst – Greater Williamsburg is home to a tasty mix of breweries, distilleries, and a winery. It offers a journey through the old and the new — and the exciting — ways of making beer, wine, and spirits. Check out the fun at relative newcomers like The Virginia Beer Co. or the Precarious Beer Project and old standards like The Williamsburg Winery and Alewerks Brewing Company. Leave the driving to others by taking a Drink Williamsburg tour. Cheers!
4. Experience the Revolution in a Revolutionary Way – At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, children of all ages will identify with the stories of ordinary people in an extraordinary time, a time when subjects of a king become citizens of a nation. Inside, nearly every attraction is interactive. Outside, there are old-fashioned interactive options. Drill in an Army encampment. Help fire artillery. Pick up a recipe from colonial cookbooks at the bakehouse. Tend to the crops at a colonial-era farm.
5. Time Travel Four Centuries in a Day – Head back in time to the beginnings of the colonies at Historic Jamestowne. There you can talk with archaeologists about their excavations on the exact site of the first permanent colony in America, experience the first democratic assembly, and visit the Archaearium, a museum that houses some of the two million artifacts uncovered since the Jamestown Rediscovery Project began in 1994. For another view of the time, drive over to the living history museum at Jamestown Settlement where you can climb aboard replicas of the three ships that made the historic voyage from England in 1607, visit the re-creation of a Powhatan village, and walk through a re-creation of the original fort, interacting with interpreters.
6. Find Your Outlet – You can’t return home empty-handed. Go shopping. Browse the more than 120 stores of Williamsburg Premium Outlets. You’ll find deals up to 65 percent off where that word “premium” is not an accident. These are the best of the best. Pick up bargains at Burberry, Calvin Klein, Nike, the Coach Outlet, Oakley, Ralph Lauren, L’Occitane, Swarovski, Waterford, and many others.
7. Take a Tour Standing in Place – Head to Yorktown and hop on a Segway with Patriot Tours for a one- or two-hour tour covering the waterfront and historic Main Street. If you’ve never tried a Segway, it’s easier than you think. Lean forward, imagine you are moving and — presto — you are.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

Not ready for far-away travel just yet? You might want to skip that mid-winter trip out of the country. Why not take a Staunton staycation instead? We’ve rounded up five ways to have a blast and make new discoveries right here in Staunton. Here are our tips for seeing our beautiful city through fresh, new eyes.

Fill Your Days With Local Fun

How well do you really know Staunton? Why not find out with one of the unique tours you can take when you download the Traipse app on your phone. Combining trivia with touring, Traipse brings Staunton to life in over 12 themed tours. Level up your history game with a tour of the Frontier Culture Museum or the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace and Presidential Library, and the Camera Heritage Museum. Little ones will love the Antique Fire Engine Museum at the fire station, starring the oldest motorized fire engine in Virginia.

Try a New Outdoor Adventure

Venture a little way out of Staunton for some of the best outdoor adventures in the country. Glide downhill at one of the area’s four awesome ski resorts: Wintergreen Resort, Bryce Mountain Resort, Omni Homestead Resort, and Massanutten Resort all offer skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing. Bridgewater’s Generations Park has a stellar skating rink. Shenandoah National Park and George Washington and Jefferson National Forest are packed with interesting trails in a range of difficulties, though you should check online before visiting for an area’s opening status. Head underground at Grand Caverns, the country’s oldest show cave. Another way to get underground is by exploring the Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail that follows an old railroad bed under Afton Mountain!

Skip the Souvenir and Invest in Something Unique and Meaningful

Do you sometimes waste money buying silly trinkets when you’re on vacation? Why not take all that money you’ll be saving and put it toward something you’ll really love, something that will bring your room together? Consider heirloom-quality furniture from Concepts Created, which uses reclaimed wood to create custom dining tables, hutches, benches, mantles, and more. Buy some exquisite art glass from Sunspots Studio, or make your walls pop with work from a local artist from the CoArt Gallery. If you like to personalize your space with words, check out the gorgeous custom signs from Blair Made. And if your kids are pining because they didn’t get Mickey Mouse ears, take them to Pufferbellies Toys & Books and let them pick out something they’ll love even more!

Make Take-Out a Fine Dining Experience

If you’re still hoping to wait a bit before hanging out in a crowded restaurant, why not take carry-out to the next level? Iron the fancy tablecloth and use those fancy forks you got for your wedding. Shake things up by ordering something new from your favorite restaurant. Most Staunton restaurants offer takeout, so you could even order different courses from different spots. Start with a bottle of wine from Yelping Dog Wine and a loaf of fresh bread from Newtown Baking. Enjoy entrees from Table 44, Chicano Boy Taco, or the Depot Grille. Still hungry? A decadent pie from Firkin Pie or a sundae from Wright’s will taste just right at the end of your night.

Your Home Away From Home

Clutter and day-to-day tasks overwhelming you? Leave your baggage (physical and emotional) behind and check into a Staunton lodging property. Not only will you enjoy some focused time with just the essentials, but you’ll also see your city with new eyes. Best of all, someone else will make the bed! Book a room in a luxury historic hotel, a convenient brand hotel, a well-appointed bed and breakfast, or a unique vacation rental. Stop by the front desk or the Visitor Center for some brochures and ideas about where to spend your day. Staunton has much to offer both visitors and long-time residents. Get out there and have fun like a tourist!