This shop closed permanently in April 2021.
We stopped by the Yankee Candle Village in Williamsburg while on a trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I’m so glad we did! Yankee Candle Village stores are an experience, even without a special event, but Fall Fun Weekends really made our visit special.
The exterior is made to look like several small shops sharing one building; that’s exactly what you’ll find inside.
You can literally spend hours browsing here.
There’s a central fountain in the main shop area. It’s a picturesque spot to enjoy fudge or Popcornopolis popcorn. You can easily forget you’re indoors!
In the toy store, you can find a train on an elevated track, steaming along from shop to shop. It was a family favorite for sure! You can purchase one up to take home, too.
Yankee Holiday Park
Yankee Holiday Park is a mini plaza that includes a collection of Christmas-themed products all year long.
The plaza features lit Christmas trees, artificial snowfall, and a somewhat ominous countdown calendar. (Is Christmas really only 70-odd days away?!) The shops carry ornaments and decorations. It’s a Christmas-lover’s dream!
Wax Works
Yes, there are candles!
If you’ve ever smelled a Yankee Candle, you know they are all amazing. My favorites are basic: Clean Cotton and Macintosh. I was able to find them in wax melts, votives, and jars of several sizes.
The Wax Works area also offers several DIY options: hand-dipped candles, wax hand forms, and fill-your-own jar candles.
We opted for hand-dipped candles. Even though the store seemed busy, there was no line! We were able to select our candles and have all three kids dipping in just a couple minutes.
There were a variety of candles to choose from, including pillars of all sizes, letters, animals, and holiday icons. The prices varied, but topped out at $3.99.
There’s a helper to walk you through the process, reminding you to dip the candle into the lukewarm water between coatings or walking you through specific methods for achieving different effects (such as rainbows).
The wax is warm enough to give you a fright, but won’t actually burn you. (How do I know for sure? I have a 4-year-old!)
Our kids aren’t allowed to burn candles at home, of course. They also would never want to burn their masterpieces! Instead, we used the attached string to hang them on their doors at home.
The jars looked like particularly good gifts for adults and I’m having a bit of non-buyers remorse that we didn’t create some for grandparents or teachers! Next time.
Fall Fun Weekends
Yankee Candle Village stores also host special events. In October, two weekends are dedicated to free fall fun!
Santa Claus was available for photos, sporting his best fall-themed clothing (overalls and red flannel, of course).
Mrs. Claus was hosting a pumpkin-painting event! (This activity had a $5.00 fee.)
We spent the bulk of our time at the Hoverball archery booth, attempting to shoot down levitating ping pong balls with blunt-tipped arrows. Though the arrow toppers look like giant marshmallows, they’re actually made of foam.
We hopped on the last hayride of the day and enjoyed complimentary lollipops as we went through the “haunted” alley behind the store.
The only disappointment was that we didn’t get to see any alpacas, some of my favorite fiber animals! They’d been listed on the flyer, but the farm was unable to make it.
The Verdict
We had an incredible time! It’s sometimes difficult to find activities that will keep our 4-year-old, 7-year-old, and 10-year-old entertained and this event succeeded.
We will be checking the events listings on the Yankee Candle Village website every time we visit Williamsburg and encourage you to do the same!
Plan Your Visit
Yankee Candle Village
2200 Richmond Road
Williamsburg, Virginia 23185
877-616-6510
This shop closed permanently in April 2021.
