Weekend out in Colonial Williamsburg

Spend a winter holiday weekend in Colonial Williamsburg on a leash-sharing tour with us! Please note: this meetup is way off, so more details about specific rendezvous points and tours will follow. But, here are the main details: Ever wanted to visit Colonial Williamsburg, take your pup with you, AND see inside the buildings? With a dog-friendly group and ÂÂ'leash-swapÂÂ', you can! This is a new experiment for VA Adventure Dogs and, like everything else we do, it will be an adventure! If this goes well, then weÂÂ'll do more of these. The theory is that weÂÂ're like a group of parents who, when together, look out for each othersÂÂ' kids. We are dog parents who tend to look out for each othersÂÂ' pooches when weÂÂ're together; IÂÂ've seen this in action on the many NoVA Trail Dogs meetups I have attended. What IÂÂ'm proposing here is that we do a walking tour of historic Colonial Williamsburg together. I have done this with my pup during the holidays and it is fantastic: there are lots of cool things to see and do outdoors. But this time, we can trade leashes, giving each other the opportunity to tour inside some of the buildings too. To make this work, weÂÂ'll split the attendees into two teams, A and B. While members of team A are touring inside, members of team B will watch team A pups, then weÂÂ'll switch so that everyone gets equal opportunity to take each inside tour. I will split folks into the teams once we get closer to the time: however if you and a buddy both decide that you would like to pair up on opposite teams, please let me know and I will be sure to accommodate you. Here is a link to a PDF that extensively describes things to see and do in Colonial Williamsburg in general: http://www.history.org/visit/images/CWVacationPlanner_2009.pdf. HereÂÂ's a link to some information specific to Christmas in Williamsburg: http://www.history.org/christmas/multimedia.cfm#video. It is really a neat place to be during the holidays, and IÂÂ'm sure theyÂÂ'll have much more info as the time draws nearer. There are also horse-and-carriage rides: as always, it is up to the driver whether or not to allow a dog onboard. I have been on one with my pup and it was a hoot! He hardly noticed the horse and the horse did not notice him: he was more worried that he could see the road rushing past. In general, weÂÂ'll follow the ÂÂ'first trip itineraryÂÂ' found here: http://www.history.org/visit/whatToSeeAndDo/historicArea/images/FirstVisit_Itinerary.pdf. The Holiday Planner Calendar will be out in the fall, so weÂÂ'll get more info then as to the special programs on tap for the holidays this year. Hotels: Book your own for the one or two nights. While in Williamsburg two years ago, I stayed at the Ramada 1776, which is a mile from Colonial Williamsburg. It was clean and reasonably-priced. I have a large dog, who was allowed with a fee. As much as it would be nice for all of us to stay in the same hotel, I am going to leave it up to you this time. I will likely stay at the 1776 again. When you RSVP for this meetup, please indicate where you plan to stay. If you are inexperienced about booking hotels with dogs, here are some tips: 1. Call and speak to a reservation specialist at the hotel, do not rely on their website!! And, do not rely on third-party booking agents (e.g. Travelocity) even if you speak to them in person: call the hotel directly. 2. Ask not only if dogs are allowed, but whether or not there are size restrictions. Be up front with the hotel: you do not want to book a room, then get there and have the hotel turn you away because you lied about the size of your dog. 3. Also, if you have more than one dog, be sure to let the hotel know that too. 4. Do not be surprised if you are restricted to one floor that allows dogs. You should not, however, stand for being put in a smoking room (or on a smoking floor) if you want a non-smoking room. Be firm about this: specify when you make your booking that you do not want a smoking room, and confirm that it is not their policy to automatically put dog folks in smoking rooms. Some hotels will try to do that, IÂÂ've had that happen before. If they try it, merely complaining about the smell often doesnÂÂ't work, so just tell them you are allergic. 5. Ask how much extra ÂÂ- both per night and refundable/non-refundable deposit ÂÂ- you will need to pay. 6. There are some chains that are notoriously dog friendly, although often they are the up-market ones. For instance, the Loews has doggie room-service menus with bottled water included, and gift bags! I also have stayed in Sheratons, Westins and Sofitels with my pup. Red Roof is another that is usually dog friendly. 7. A few notes about pups in hotel rooms: Technically, your dog should be crated if you leave him/her in the room alone. I personally do not do that with mine because he is so used to hotel rooms and hates being crated. Those of you who have seen my pup know that he is an unusually calm dog. What I always do, however, is to hang the ÂÂ'do not disturbÂÂ' tag on the door so that housekeeping does not enter the room. I also only leave him for very short periods of time, only when necessary. Just be aware that you will be responsible for any damage your pup does to the room, and the hotel will have your credit card number to charge even after you leave. And, if your dog barks and annoys the neighbors, you can be asked to leave. Also, do not take your dog into the common areas of the hotel, except to go through the lobby as necessary. Take water and food bowls, food and poop bags. Food: There are outdoor restaurants in Colonial Williamsburg where we can all sit and eat together with our pups. We'll arrange more details closer to the time. As always, if any of you have been on a trip to Colonial Williamsburg with your pup and have suggestions, please feel free to offer them!