Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown VA

I loved Colonial Williamsburg! An incredible learning opportunity done authentically. The goal of Colonial Williamsburg is not just about history, it’s about keeping alive the trades that were current in the 1700’s. Several of the buildings had tours you could take, all given by folks dressed in traditional outfits. I went on tours of the Governors Mansion, the Courthouse (where they did a mock trial), the Capitol Building, and the historic Raleigh Tavern.

In addition to formal tours, there is a schedule of ‘trades’ that you can witness all being done exactly as they were at the time. There are a lot of these to see and, due to the excessive heat, I only saw a few.  My absolute favorite was The Kitchen at the governor’s mansion.  Again, dressed in traditional outfits of the day, there was a Head Chef and two Apprentices. There are traditional foods on display, and you can watch them preparing foods in the traditional way.  They were working on Ox Tongue while I was there in addition to other dishes. You can stay as long as you like and ask all the questions you want. The dishes they make are from actual 1700s recipes and they are made with a traditional fireplace oven and utensils. The ingredients are all grown in their garden or obtained from the farmer (or other tradesmen) at Colonial Williamsburg. The pots, pans, and utensils were all made by the Forgery and Tin Smith.  All tradesmen try to get everything from within Colonial Williamsburg except where replicas must be made (but using original drawings etc).  I also saw the Tinsmith and the Spinner/Weaver (my 2^nd favorite).

It was pretty amazing standing in the same place as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson during the time of the American Revolution.

This area of Virginia is called the Tri-Cities because Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown are all nearby. I was able to see part of Jamestown and Yorktown. I didn’t do it this way, but it’s recommended to do the 3 towns in that order which is chronological. The severe heat & humidity curtailed a lot of what I could do each day (in the morning hours).

Jamestown was set up much like Williamsburg with people dressed in traditional clothes telling visitors how life was for early settlers. I was able to see the replica Cargo/Passenger ships docked there. The replicas are built to exact specifications of the originals.  There is also a recreated Indian Village and Jamestown Settlement.

The one thing that made it feel VERY authentic was the heat, humidity, and Cicadas!  This was the year of the mighty Cicada emergence! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and don’t really like giant flying bugs landing on me. I was pleasantly surprised that Cicada’s are heard (loudly) but hardly ever seen.  They were buzzing in force when I visited this area which gave it an ‘exotic, sultry’ feel.  Luckily Cicadas quiet down at night unlike Crickets!

At the end of the Williamsburg pictures, I’m including some from my short stay near Chincoteague and Assateague Islands with their Wild Ponies. What a beautiful place!