From historic cobblestone walkways to white sandy beaches, two cities in Virginia snagged the first and second place awards for the Travelers' Choice Family Award-winning Great U.S. Destinations to Discover hosted by TripAdvisor.

Chosen by the greatest number of recommendations from reviewers who traveled with family, Williamsburg was voted as the number one destination for family travel, followed by Virginia Beach in 2nd place. 

Having lived in Virginia all my life, this does not come as a surprise to me. Virginia Beach, with its 14 public beaches, is a spectacular city hugged by the sea and among the sand, sun, and surf families will find there are many things they can do for free!

As for Williamsburg, it's no wonder this city was chosen as the top family destination. There's so much to see and do, and all of them worth doing more than once, that you'd be hard pressed to run out family fun in this historic city.

My kids have enjoyed everything from lazy afternoons spent fishing off a pier to the the rip-roaring fun of the roller coasters at Busch Gardens. To top it off, they know their American history extremely well since just walking most anywhere in Williamsburg reveals a history lesson just waiting to be learned. Should you tire of gardens, museums, roller coasters and water parks, there's also one of the nation's top-ranked colleges to visit while you're there. 

For more great places to visit, check out the complete list of Traveler's Choice Award-winning Family Travel destinations:

1. Williamsburg, Virginia 
2. Virginia Beach, Virginia 
3. Lake George, New York 
4. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 
5. Branson, Missouri 
6. Gatlinburg, Tennessee 
7. Corpus Christi, Texas 
8. Port Aransas, Texas 
9. Daytona Beach, Florida 
10. Destin, Florida