Playin' Hookie

The Williamsburg Pottery  is one of the  strangest places I've ever seen.  It's hard to even describe it.  Basically, it's a giant place where you can buy almost anything.  Craft supplies, cheese, art prints, oriental rugs, live plants, kitchen ware, plastic sea creatures and just about anything else you could imagine (and of course pottery, and lots of it too!)   If you've been there, then you know how crazy it is.  We always go this time every year.  I can't say we actually purchase very much, but it's still an adventure.

 

   

It's a great place to take pictures, too.  It's been around for ages, the entire area is huge and sprawling, with several gigantic, warehouse buildings and outdoor areas with zillions of terracotta pots in every size you could imagine.  The buildings are old and dingy and the whole place has the charm of a vacant lot.  You just gotta go and see it for yourself.  I did snag some interesting, craft things to play around with, and I'll have more on that later.

Also, if you are out that way, and you have younger kiddies, you should stop by the Yankee candle Company.   I know what you're thinking, "A candle store?!?!  Why the heck would my kid want to go there?"  But  really, this place is pretty cool.

It's like they hired a Disney engineer to design it.  In the main entry there is a huge, vaulted ceiling with a realistic sky-ceiling. 

The rooms are elaborately decorated for Christmas, with lots of miniature scenes and trains that wind their way throughout the entire place on suspended tracks.  In one area, it "snows" every fifteen minutes or so.  (Sort of  strange, disappearing foam that falls from the ceiling, but it's really fun!)  Santa is there too, and you can take pics with him in his sleigh, and there is a cutsie, animatronic show in the main area too.  Cute stuff.  You should check it out if you're in Williamsburg.

(That's Max and my Mom.)   Boy, was yesterday fun!  Just what I needed.

Comments

[Cassie]

Aww..the pottery factory. Reminds me of being so little and following my mom down each aisle for hours.

Oh, and the ever present smell of eucalyptus – I'll have to visit again.

[mj]

I love the pottery so much! And it's kind of fun to visit Yankee as a local and watch all of the tourists freaking out.

[Casey]

Oh wow! My boyfriend's mom was telling me about a recent shopping trip to the Yankee Candle place in Williamsburg a few weeks ago. She really thinks I would love it and wants to take me down there some time--and now I really want to go! ;) lol. It looks really fun. hehe.

[Sara]

LOVE those colanders! Such great colours.

[Marissa]

My mom, son, and I made the same exact trek a couple of weeks ago. That Yankee Candle place was wierd. While Henry was loving that suspended train, I was worried if that freaky "snow" was going to give us cancer. What was that stuff? Also, I've never seen so many people buying candles at once. There were older ladies stuffing those plastic 12-pack take-out style containers to the brim as if they'd never have a chance to ever buy a candle again... candle hoarders.

[lulu sparkles]

oh my!!I have been there!-we used to go there when I was little when on vacation. thanks for the stroll down memory lane

[*Heidi*]

Wow, that's an interesting store...I don't think I've ever been to a place like that! Thanks for pics of the inside! I do love Yankee Candles! Yum!

[Lisa]

Ahh, that looks like so much fun. You have a cutie mom too. I want a yankee candle now.

[sarah]

OMG how much are those streiners(spelling?) I would love to have one of those!! I cant find them anywhere...haha

[Agnes]

My mom has been taking my sister and I there since we were little! I love it...its a very nostalgic place for me :)

[Melissa]

I just found your site today and LOVE IT!!! I sure wish we had a place like this near us because I'm looking for plastic carrots to put inside a gift that I have yet been able to make up because I need them.

BTW, I absolutely LOVE the sock dolls. I'm part of a ministry at our church where we make items to give to missionaries in several locations. One is in Mexico, we typically send maternity clothes, make up flannel receiving blankets, baby hats, and sleepers but the missionary has now asked if we could make small soft toys for the older siblings that are getting the new baby in their family as a gift too. I'd like to show the ladies your dolls and see if we could make something similar to it as I need to have 100 ready in two months and all the sewing patterns I've found take more time than I thought to make up all those toys.