If you're visiting Williamsburg, Virginia, here are some basic trip-planning tips that will help you make your stay a better and better value vacation.

Here is some insider information on getting the most out of your trip to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, one of America's top family destinations and the largest living history museum in the world.

1. Best Time to Visit Williamsburg

The least crowded period is January through March but the weather can be cold and damp. The worst crowds are during the school holidays from June through August, and in December, when the historic area is decorated for the Christmas holidays.

The best weather in this part of Virginia, where flowers bloom and leaves turn color, occurs in Spring and Fall, and value hotel rooms make a visit worthwhile if you can get away then.

2. Best Way to Get Around Williamsburg

This is a large but compact area with something to see everywhere you turn. One of the best ways to tour the Historic Area with kids is by bicycle. Try Bikes Unlimited (757/229-4620 141 Monticello Avenue, Williamsburg Shopping Center, Williamsburg, VA 23185); rental shop closed Mondays. Not good on two wheels? A free shuttle bus from parking lots is included in the price of a Historic Area admission ticket.

3. Best Family Itinerary in Williamsburg

Allow at least two days to visit the Colonial Williamsburg living history museum, and two more if your history buffs want to see Yorktown and Jamestown as well. Two days will also give you enough time to experience both parts of "Revolutionary City," a dramatic, walk-through living history show. If you have time and a little extra money to spend on your experience, enroll the kids in the "Apprentice" program, which allows them to visit three trade shops, see demonstrations, collect mementos, and "choose" a future trade. Other "must see" sites in the area include Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, Burton Parish Church, the College of William and Mary, DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Gallery, and the Governor's Palace.

Give yourselves another two days to lighten the lessons in summer with a day of splashes at the Water Country USA water park, and a fun outing to the Pirates' Cove Minigolf. An alternative century theme park is the wonderful Busch Gardens which boasts the world's tallest inverted roller coaster.

4. Best Admission Ticket Options

Williamsburg Ticket Plans vary according to length of stay and privileges. A special Hotel Guest ticket, valid for guests of official Colonial Williamsburg hotels, includes length-of-stay admission to Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area and local museums, 25% discount on most evening Colonial Performances tickets, regular daytime programs and activities, free parking at the Visitor Center, Colonial Williamsburg shuttle buses, an Orientation Walk, hotel WiFi.

The Annual Pass provides unlimited access for one year. This pass includes all general admissions, local museums, daily programs and 25% discount on evening shows. The adult price for 2011 is $58.95 and kids 6-17 pay $29.50. Kids 5 and under are free.

5. Best Celebratory Family Event in Williamsburg

In order to be sure to sample an historic tavern meal with the whole family, book ahead as each restaurant is open seasonally and hours vary. Call 800/HISTORY or 757/229-2141 to make a dinner reservation at King's Arms or Christiana Campbell's, which accept only reservations at dinnertime. (Note that Christiana Campbell's was a favorite of George Washington!)  Lunch crowds can be daunting, especially over the school holidays. Another popular and more casual tavern is Chowning's, a reconstructed 18th century alehouse at 109 East Duke of Gloucester Street, but they only serve lunch.

6. Best Williamsburg Experience with Teens

Ghost tours are especially popular with school-age children and teens. Contact the Original Williamsburg Candlelight Ghost Tour (877/62-Ghost) or go to nearby Yorktown for a haunted walking tour. Another eat-and-spook option is a fun meal at the Haunted Dinner Theater (757/258-2500) where you can enjoy a show, while dining on a 71-item all-you-can-eat buffet.

7. Best Williamsburg Information Sources

Some handy phone numbers to keep in mind are the Williamsburg Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (800/368-6511) and the Colonial Williamsburg Reservations and Information Center (800/447-8679).