Loved Merchants Square! Such a fun area to wander around, with shops, restaurants, plenty of places…read moreto sit, and the historic Williamsburg setting all around you. It's right across from William & Mary, so you get this great mix of college town and Colonial Williamsburg. When we were there, a man was playing trombone in the square, people were sitting outside, and the whole area just had a wonderful atmosphere. It was super hot outside, but I still loved walking around. Definitely worth spending some time here rather than just passing through. Grab something cold, find a shady seat, browse the shops, and enjoy the ambiance. One of my favorite areas in Williamsburg.

Merchants Square has been a favorite place of mine to shop, dine and recreate for decades. It has…read moreover 40 stores. Recently I had the opportunity to visit the square that's nestled between The College of William & Mary and Colonial Williamsburg. During Christmas is one of my favorite times to visit this area. It was hoping too! Crowds were beginning to arrive in Williamsburg for The Grand Illumination the next day. There was music, and a Christmas spirit in the cool crisp air. I visited a few shops that I had time for that were both favorites and new to me. The Cheese Shop for a snack. This shop has been a place I have frequented for decades, it's awesome and an independent run store like most others. I went to R. Bryant, a men's store. Lulu lemon, Danforth Pewter and a new shop Walkabout Outfitters which is a small chain. It replaced a very well known and established independent store I shopped since early 2000. If you're looking for a unique place to shop, eat and also take in a show at the Kimball Theater then Merchants is the place.

One thing to understand about Colonial Williamsburg is the naming of the buildings is not by…read morecoincidence. John Greenhow was a merchant that operated a store on Duke of Gloucester during colonial days. The history of the man is as important to me as the current day store which I do enjoy browsing. John Greenhow was born in England 1724. He has been described as enterprising for the day, a real go getter. He operated a three man eight ton Schooner named "The Robert" along the James River from Virginia to Philadelphia carrying butter, pork, peas and lard to Pennsylvania. His return trips to the Old Dominion brought back coffee, chocolate, flour, bread, skillets, soap and even furniture. Williamsburg was not his only store as he operated a second location in Richmond. Mr. Greenhow passed in 1787 and is buried close to his mercantile at Bruton Parish Church. His stone is visible to this day. The present day store instills some of the old past of products like soap and housewares among lots of other items that may, or may not have been carried in the shop like home decor, clothing and even wine that seemed logical for the colonial time. Visitors can also purchase, or rent period wear. I have shopped at this store dozens of times in the past 30 years. I seem to always find something for purchase. The last time it was a few bottles of Williamsburg Winery Wine. Other occasions it's been soap which is fantastic. During Summer months when mobbed it can be a tad crowded to navigate. Staff typically is not in the floor to assist, but is more than willing to help when asked. It's no fault of their own, it's CW's staffing needs adjusted during the height of tourism. The clerks working the store are super friendly and knowledgeable about their goods and the history of Greenhow. It's fun to throw them a question, or two about the old day store. I would recommend a visit to The Greenhow store when strolling down DOG.

I'm not a shopping person and sadly I've become not much of a CW person but if you're in CW and if…read moreyou're going to shop, the Greenhow Store is not a bad place to do it. My Yelp brother JD did a great job covering the history of the man who's name is on the building. I have nothing to add other than the current store is not one of the original 88 CW buildings but it was built on the site of the original and on land that Mr. Greenhow owned. Back in the day you could easily see the yard over at Bruton Parish but FWIW this is the final resting place for Mr. Greenhow: makinghistorynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/mr-greenhows-tomb-bruton-parish.png Usually I'm in here because I've got people in my family who love the soap balls that they sell here (maybe they have them in other stores but usually I find the bars everywhere - not the balls), the vanilla beans, the musket balls and a few other odds and sods. The other reason I like to shop here is because of the one "sales interpreter" who normally works here. When you walk in he's usually at the register on the left side. He's a taller older guy who wears small round wire rimmed glasses. He's the one guy in the store who usually will engage you in sort of a quasi-in character demeanor. He's hysterical and I always enjoy seeing him and I remind him of that whenever I'm there. While this store is normally very crowded on my most recent visit we walked in to find we had the whole place to ourselves. Three employees in there with just us. After a few minutes another couple came in but that's how dead it was on New Year's Day. One brief negative note regarding that visit. While there were three sales interpreters there. Cluelessly, there was also a supervisor/manager present who kept having a little meeting with the group over in the one corner out front even though they could see that I was at the register ready to go. Experiences like that are the types of reasons people say "Never Again" to CW. It's small but it also shows you a small spot of where management's focus truly is at. That singular visit aside, normally it's a decent experience here and it's always worth a visit to see what they have when on DOG Street.

This was a very unique store, I didn't find anything I truly loved or need. They had a lot of…read morerandom things through out the store. Was fun to take picture with the bear out front and the froggy inside. Did see they had fudge for sale. If you like browsing this is the store for you.

First time in this large store and enjoyed wandering around and looking at the unique things…read moreinside. Fudge in the back like most trading posts and literally tons and tons of random gifts and items. I found two cute stuffed animals for my daughter and a few magnets and other things I liked to remember the trip. They have shirts, mugs, dolls, jewelry, name-themed goodies, snacks, you name it. Checkout was easy and plenty of parking.

There are lots of shops nearby. You can get your haircut, grab items at The Dollar Tree and get…read moregroceries. Hubby can be at one end of the strip while I am at the other. Win-win.

I love me a bit of Downtown Hampton. It's a bit of a quiet, hidden gem that most don't go out of…read moretheir way for. No idea why not, there's so much on offer down here! Events? My favorite is the New Year Block Party, complete with a crab pot drop. But there's also block parties all year round for different events. Then there's the annual Blackbeard Pirate festival over in Mill Point Park and Bay Days. The Virginia Air & Space Museum also offers a lot of events for kids and families - never a bad shout for young and old explorers alike. Dining or Drinking? There's plenty of options in Downtown, with the favorites being along E Queen St. Marker 20, Venture, Brown Chicken Brown Cow, Taphouse, Musasi, and over on Settlers Landing Rd you have Bull Island Brewing Company and Latitude 37. There's plenty of residential options, two higher education facilities, and retail options - just a stone throw away from I-64. If you haven't made a trip down here, give it a go. Retail shops are mostly independent and offer a range of unique gifts, art, jewelry, clothing, pottery, and more! So shop small, and support local!!! Downtown is defined by it's waterfront, and of course the marina and piers. There are multiple garages (mostly FREE) and on-street parking spaces throughout, but better yet, on a sunny day, the walkable area along Hampton River waterfront is breathtaking and incomparable.

Queen Street business area has a unique blend of restaurants and shops. I enjoy grabbing coffee at…read moreFika, dinner at Brown Chicken Brown Cow and brunch at Marker 20. A trip won't be complete without stopping in at Worn and Homespun to shop their unique items.

We shopped here four times during our week-long visit. Each person knew all the products so…read moreexpertly! I was over-the-moon impressed. I am very very very hard to be over-the-moon impressed!

When taking a stroll down DoG street don't miss this shop. Oh, where are my manners...DOG street is…read morean acronym for Duke of Gloucester. I personally have found it to be one of the most unique shopping experiences in CW. So what's in the store, well a little bit of everything. However, think of a Nordstrom of the 18th Century it's high end quality goods and you have the idea. Leather luggage, pewter, jewelry, cuff links, wine, beer, baskets, dishes, mugs, hats and there is more. This is the hard to find unique item gift store of the CW. Some items are within a price range that makes it difficult to justify a purchase. However, the quality is great! Many items I would consider affordable lower price point and still very nice. The store presents beautifully and the two staff members on the day of my visit were extremely helpful and ready to answer questions. This is a store that usually has a lot of foot traffic and the day I visited was no exception. One of my favorite aspects of the store has to be the long counter and next would be it's wonderful front window with dishes and other items displayed. When striking up a conversation with the older male staff member about the history of the building the place got much more interesting. It is one of the 88 original structures in CW. That alone made it intriguing to me because I believe there are more originals off DOG street than on, but could be wrong. The Prentis shop holds the distinction of being the longest continual running commercial brick building in the CW. That is a bold statement folks because the building is early 1700's. To give how old the building perspective George Washington was 7 years old when it was completed. It's built like a fortress with four layers of brick on the bottom half of the walls and three up to the rafters Most of the bones of the original structure are present. The original wood floor was replaced due to a modification in the 1920's when it service as a tire and parts store of all things. Cool shop, cool history, cool people working here. Don't pass on it.

I had no idea this place existed till mom dragged me in. You couldn't tell from the door but the…read moreplace was full! All the stuff they had was name brand. They had sketchers sneakers, name brand power tools, boat shoes of all different colors and sizes and a WHOLE room just for purses. Mom bought one and I bought some early Christmas presents. 15$ for the purses! Mike is the owner and operator and he is just as sweet as pie! I will be back for boots when it gets a little colder. Come see it, it's worth it. The stuff is ALL at discount yet brand spanking new.

This marketplace is much smaller than I thought when we parked, but they make good use of the…read moreinside and have tons of stalls all with unique items and some really cute things. My mom and I spent about a half an hour wandering around and found some really cute things like yard flags and some Christmas ornaments we loved and purchased. I love finding unique markets that showcase local artists and collectibles and vintage items. This place does all of that. Friendly staff and easy to find.

Flipping Flea is a fun consignment shop to visit. There are an array of different items for…read morecustomers to take in. Items include candles, blankets, jewelry and my favorite, Goosebump books. The manager, Michelle, is so nice. I enjoyed chatting with her. She was helpful when asking my questions. The service + selection makes the Flipping Flea a great place to check out.