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 Biking
in Williamsburg,
Virginia
One of the reasons
we chose
Williamsburg,
Virginia to open the
Mulberry Garden
Manor Bed &
Breakfast was the
number of well
marked bicycle lanes
which can be easily
found where ever you
go in this fair
city. Nearly all
major roads in
Williamsburg have a
bicycle lane and/or
a "Share the Road"
sign. There are many
wonderful bicycle
routes in and around
Williamsburg. If you
are a bicyclist who
enjoys history,
Williamsburg offers
the opportunity to
combine biking with
one of America's
most unique areas.
I
have drawn on
numerous sources to
find bicycle rides
for our guests,
including; The
Williamsburg Area
Bike Rides
(published by the
Williamsburg Area
Bicyclists
organization), The
Flying Wheel
(newsletter of the
Williamsburg Area
Bicyclists), Bike
Beat bicycle shop,
Bikes Unlimited
bicycle shop, Contes
of Williamsburg
bicycle shop and my
own experience
gained from riding
over 6000 miles per
year. There is a
bicycle lane
directly in front of
the Mulberry Garden
Manor. Whether you
go left or right,
adventure,
excitement and good
exercise await.
A casual ride from
the Mulberry Garden
Manor to
Colonial
Williamsburg
would take you past
the College of
William & Mary and
through Merchant's
Square before
entering Colonial
Williamsburg itself.
You can ride down
Duke of Gloucester
Street past the
historic Bruton
Parish Church.
You'll see the
Colonial
Williamsburg
Courthouse as well
as Chowning's Tavern
and Christina
Campbell's Tavern.
This easy five to
six mile ride will
take you past the
Gaol, the Colonial
Williamsburg Capitol
and the Governor's
Palace. You may also
see a windmill as
well as several
businesses still
working in the
Colonial
Williamsburg
tradition. You can
stop to visit any of
the sites (provided
you buy a Colonial
Williamsburg pass)
or return to the
Mulberry Garden
Manor by heading
back up Jamestown
Road.
A nice 12 mile loop
would give you the
opportunity to ride
on the Colonial
Parkway before
taking a short
bicycle path to
Treasure Island Road
and Lake Powell
Road. Along this
route you can stop
at a sandy beach by
the James River for
a picnic or take a
side trip to the
Williamsburg Winery
for a wine tasting
or a light lunch.
You can ride the
Colonial Parkway the
eight miles to
Historic Jamestown
Island or drive to
the park and ride
the seven miles of
flat road at a
leisurely pace. The
area is run by the
National Park
Service so you will
have to buy a pass
to enter. The
archeological dig is
a fascinating part
of Historic
Jamestown Island and
the newly
constructed
visitor's center and
museum should not be
missed.
After a morning ride
to Historic
Jamestown Island to
see the
reconstruction of
the oldest permanent
English colony, you
can ride less than a
mile to the
Jamestown Settlement
Exhibition
Galleries. You can
purchase a pass to
this unique complex
which houses an
interactive 30,000
square foot museum
as well as outdoor
re-creations of a
Powhatan Indian
village, a colonial
fort, and the three
ships that arrived
in Virginia in 1607.
Then it's back the
nine miles along the
Colonial Parkway to
the Mulberry Garden
Manor or five miles
up Route 5 along
intermittent bicycle
lanes.
If you desire a
longer bicycle ride,
it's easy to follow
the Colonial Parkway
from Williamsburg to
Yorktown. The
surface of the
Colonial Parkway is
a little rough, but
the vistas around
the rolling hills of
this ride are worth
a few bumps. In
Yorktown you can see
the re-created
battlegrounds as
well as the Yorktown
Victory Monument,
stop by the
visitor's center or
ride down to the
York River to visit
the Watermen's
Museum, have a bite
at the Yorktown Pub
or in the new Riverwalk Restaurant
(one of our
favorites), or maybe
do a little
shopping. This is a
30 to 35 mile out
and back trip along
the Colonial Parkway
but the views are
great both ways.
Bicycling from the
our
Williamsburg Bed and
Breakfast – a great way
to experience
Williamsburg,
Virginia.
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