<p>I went on a tour of William and Mary last week and absolutely loved the school! The academics sounded amazing and my tour guide as well as the students on campus were all very friendly. The only thing that I was not sure I liked was the touristy feel of Willamsburg. I realize that I went during spring break, but do students feel like the Williamsburg area is very touristy? If anyone has likes/dislikes that they could share with me about the Williamsburg area I would really appreciate it! :)</p>
<p>if you wander down into Colonial Williamsburg, it is definitely touristy. Especially in the spring. Generally tourists only go on campus as far as the Wren building. So, campus is not touristy really at all, IMO. Neither are the delis (the bars right across from the football stadium). College kids are free to enjoy the excellent tourist restaurants though, so that is a plus.</p>
<p>We would agree with soccerguy. Tourists tend to stick to Colonial Williamsburg, ancient campus (so only the absolute head of campus where the Wren building is) and the outlet malls. It is rare to find tourists flooding the campus and much of the acdemic year (November - March) is Colonial Williamsburg’s off-season when tourists are less abundant in general.</p>
<p>Colonial Williamsburg is also a wonderful asset. It provides some great restaurants, entertainment (ghost tours, Grand Illumination) and some wonderful learning opportunities for students through classes, research, internships and living in the CW House ([W&M</a> Blogs CW House](<a href=“http://blogs.wm.edu/author/cwhouse/]W&M”>CW House, Author at Blogs))</p>
<p>Thank you for all of your help!</p>
<p>As a student years ago, when I had time and the weather was nice I’d take books down into Colonial Wmbg and sit on the lawn or a bench and study. Sometimes when I saw tourists I remember thinking that I was so lucky that I didn’t have to come to Wmbg only for a visit because I LIVED there. As others have said, on campus, tourists rarely venture past the Wren Building, but I do remember being in an English class in the Wren Building when the door opened and some shocked tourists looked in on us. They quickly closed the door, and we had a momentary diversion. As an aside, if you end up going to W&M, try to take a class in Wren; it’s amazing to take a class in such an historic building.</p>
<p>Agreed Bayberry. There are some wonderful benefits to having Colonial Williamsburg right next door to campus especially on gorgeous spring days like today.</p>
<p>Since the campus of W&M is geographically quite large, the campus is not very touristy if you don’t count all the high school kids & parents on pre-college tours. Some benefits of greater Williamsburg being a tourist attraction are that the area is not economically depressed; it is a beautiful and well maintained locale. There are many tourist-driven employment opportunities for students during their time here. CW is an ideal place for a run or a walk if you’d like to unwind from academics. CW is a lovely place to stroll all year with friends when you need somewhere safe and beautiful to get away without spending any $. A free bus ride will take you to vast # of outlet stores. CW is a wonderful place to take friends and family when they come for a visit – awkward helicopter parents ealiy shoo’d over to the shops/restaurants/historic sites! Busch Gardens has a W&M day for the students. Being a tourist destination, the 'burg is easily accessed from both Richmond and Newport News airports, and AMTRAK & bus station are within walking distance of campus. Many of the “tourist attractions” will become fond memories of your college days at W&M.</p>
<p>Absolutely. In fact, every fall there’s a W&M Busch Gardens day. W&M students can buy tickets at a great discount and much of the campus community goes to the park for a Friday afternoon and evening generally during their Hallow-scream festivities. It’s a popular annual event on campus.</p>