3 nights/4 days in Williamsburg, Virginia: Top attractions including Historic Jamestowne and Yorktown Battlefield
 |
| Historic Jamestown, Virginia |
Despite having a rather short history as a nation state, United States somehow managed to become the world’s most powerful and prosperous nation. Compared to some countries like China, South Korea, Iran, France, whose history began easily roughly 1200 years ago or earlier, America’s history only began in 1776, with the “Declaration of Independence “.
As a young impressionable, immigrant student living in the United States, the rather short history of this great nation was a fascinating thing. How could such a young nation be the leader of the free world when some of these countries mentioned above easily beat the US in terms of their respective histories?
I count American history class in high school as one of my favorite subjects. It was always interesting and at times harrowing to learn how this young nation got its start. Starting out at Jamestown, about 2 miles from the present day Williamsburg Virginia, the young country had its humble beginnings.
Jamestown, and those adventurous, hardy, and pioneering people managed to survive while dealing with everyday challenges like finding water to drink, foods to eat, and getting along with native peoples. At its lowest point of its existence, it even had to resort to cannibalism(!) to survive.
Despite those insurmountable obstacles, the young nation started to prosper. Although it would take several wars to see America as the most powerful country we know of today, it is without a doubt, a fascinating story of the hardy, never give up attitude of those first settlers that would define the American experience. I’m just glad I’m living here today, reaping the benefits of this prosperous nation…
My interest in American history aside, the present day Williamsburg is a popular tourist destination onto itself. My wife and I had a chance to visit there 27(!) years ago, and we had a great time.
We visited the Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg on our 3 nights/4 days trip. I still have fond memories of both places, as I won so many stuffed animals while playing various carnival games (whack-a-mole, skeet ball) at Busch Gardens, and the guide-led tour experience was so memorable that we still mimic our guide’s heavy Southern accent while pronouncing ‘Governor DeWitt’ which to us sounded a lot like ‘goovnuh DeWitt’, to this day.
It was truly a great place full of history, experiences, and memories!
27 years later, we decided to stop by for a second time. For our 3 nights/4 days trip, we chose an unassuming Hampton Inn & Suites. The hotel was dated and the room was rather small, but we made the best of it.
We didn’t mind the room so much, but we did mind bunch of school kids on a field trip to Williamsburg! The breakfast area was absolutely mobbed. I had to wait a good 20 minutes to make my own waffles. Kids were being kids: loud, selfish, and disorderly. Exactly how I used to be at that age.
It was kind of cool to look at these kids as I also was a school age kid on a field trip ages ago. My, how times fly…
My quick advice: don’t wait to live your life. Life is really too short. Enjoy the small moments, cherish your loved ones, and do the things you wanted to do. Life will literally flash by in an instant when you look back at it…
 |
| Small room with 2 beds, but good enough for a 3 nights stay |
We used Hampton Inn hotel as our base of operations for the next 3 days to check out places we didn’t get to visit on our first trip there some 27 years ago. And with that, here are two of our favorite places we visited this trip:
- Historic Jamestown
Prior to planning our attractions to explore on our second trip, I was a bit confused by similar sounding names of famous attractions and places. For example, there is the Colonial Williamsburg which is where we visited on our first trip with period homes, performers, and tours, there is also the Jamestown Settlement, a living history museum celebrating Jamestown, and then there is the Historic Jamestown, which is run by the National Park Service.
I had to sift through loads of information to make sense of where we wanted to visit. After some time, we chose Historic Jamestown, which is the actual location of Fort James, built 1607, and the location of the town of Jamestown, the first English settled land in the New World.
We chose a beautiful and sunny morning in early February to explore the place. For those of you that haven’t visited Williamsburg area recently, I can proudly say that the place is definitely cleaner, developed and well laid out.
The main road, Colonial National Historical Parkway is a scenic two lane road that connects major attractions. We had a great time just driving on that road. With beautiful trees planted along the parkway with scenic water views of James River, it is a great place to just get lost sometimes, driving to nowhere in particular.
 |
| Visitor center, Historic Jamestown |
 |
| One of many fascinating exhibits |
The weather was practically mid-Spring in early February in southern Virginia and we got our share of the sun and Vitamin D. We parked at the visitor center to check out the exhibits, fascinated by the realization that we were at the exact spot where America began.
The more we read, the more we began to understand and appreciate the hardships the early settlers endured. New World was no day in the park back then. It required everyone to chip in to live day by day. Everyone contributed to society to make it work.
It made me realize how lucky we are today, living in this modern world with endless conveniences and endless possibilities. Life back then was simple, harsh, yet unyielding. They had to constantly work to eat, and to survive. It was not the kind of life I can envision doing myself, so pampered by this modern, convenient world.
During our walkthrough the exhibits, we learned there would be a ranger-led tour beginning shortly near the statue of Captain John Smith, who established the first English settlement in the New World. The tour’s location, right by the river, was only a few hundred yards away, and we headed out.
 |
| Walking out towards the river |
 |
| Location of our tour, by the statue of Captain John Smith |
We grabbed seats, concentrated and listened intently, despite the incredibly bright sun that was threatening to burn all of us alive. We persevered through the tour, hearing about the harrowing journey of these English settlers trying to make their home in the New World.
We learned of important names in the annals of American history like Pocahontas and Chief Powhatan. We also learned of new archaeological research going on right next door in the Archaeology Museum, constantly updating new discoveries to our limited understanding of the settlement.
Our ranger was just awesome. He interweaved fascinating stories with his own insightful commentary, and it was as if I was back in my high school American history class, ready to learn and to soak in all that delightful knowledge.
As the tour ended, we got to chat few minutes with our tour/ranger. We thanked him for his fun, informative, and insightful tour and let him know we thought he taught history in his past life. He was that good.
We walked through the rest of the site, taking our time soaking all of the place in: the soothing sounds of the James River, the sounds of birds, but most importantly, realizing and understanding the historic significance of Jamestown as the start of this new country that will be known as the United States.
Wow! That is just mind blowing type of thing even if you’re not a fan of history…
 |
| First church at Jamestown |
 |
| Statue of Pocahontas |
 |
| View of serene James River |
We wrapped up our visit by walking over to the Archaeology Museum. There, we learned about a typical life of an early settler and their interaction with local native peoples. We got a chance to listen in on a Native American tour guide demonstrating some of the tools that his ancestors may have used back then. Cool stuff!
The most memorable part of the museum was learning about a young girl who was a victim of cannibalism. The bone records show hatchet markings on her smallish bones. If you think the times are tough now, do you think you can live through something like what the early settlers went through???
 |
| Archaeology Museum |
It was a somber moment to think about the life of that girl in particular but of the other settlers. I guess that’s the importance of learning about history: it teaches us to never forget where we came from, so we can forge ahead for a better future.
We walked outside taking our time enjoying the surroundings before heading back to our hotel. It was a fantastic day of learning old and new things, all while enjoying some of the most amazing views by the James River.
- Yorktown Battlefield
Yorktown Battlefield was the site of the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. In the fall of 1781, General George Washington with the allied French and American forces besieged General Charles Lord Cornwallis’ British army. On October 19, General Cornwallis surrendered, effectively ending the Revolutionary War and ensuring independence.
My wife and I have visited many Revolutionary War battlefields in our lifetimes, but it was vital that we make our pilgrimage to this particular site at Yorktown.
We left our hotel on a sunny day and stopped first at the Yorktown Battlefield visitor center. We needed to get a map of the place to figure out where we needed to see, and also to check out the exhibits at the visitor center.
The exhibits were absolutely amazing, especially the replica of a Revolutionary War era warship with period furnishings and decorations. After a quick walkthrough the exhibits, we grabbed a map of the battlefield as we head outside.
We headed to the nearest battlefield site just outside the visitor center. We walked around the site looking at cannons, redoubts, bunkers, and ammo depot, thinking about what the soldiers on both sides must have felt out here.
Readying for war must be one of the most frightening things you can probably do as a human being, not knowing whether or not you’re going to live through today to live another day. Again, most of us these days live pampered lives, devoid of any true hardships like these men faced day by day. It made for a truly somber and touching experience just to put myself in their place…
We had lot to cover, so we got in our car to check out other points of interest. We made frequent stops checking out different redoubts, some with views of the York River.
The final stop we made was the site of General Cornwallis’ surrender to the American-French forces. That was pretty cool! That was literally the site where this new nation gained independence from the British. Cool…
We stared out the surrender field trying to imagine what both sides felt: the British side admitting defeat to these renegade forces while the American-French side feeling elated over the hard fought war against one the greatest empires known to man. It was definitely an experience and one that every American should put on their list of bucket lists.
On our way out of Yorktown, we made a quick stop by the river along Water Street. The views were awesome. Had we more energy (it was near lunch time after all, and I must eat!), we may have walked around the area, but maybe next time. Enjoy some nice views below.
In conclusion:
We were glad we got to have a second visit to Williamsburg, where this fledgling new country that is to become United States got its start. The two places we visited, Historic Jamestown and Yorktown, are some of the most hallowed places in all of United States.
I highly recommend any students of history as well as all Americans to visit these places. It will make for an enlightening and informative experience for all.
Thank you for reading and happy trails!
Jake
Wandering Money Pig
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Bushkill Falls and Grey Towers.’
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 natural attractions in Las Vegas’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Zion National Park’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Vdara Hotel’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Chateau at Coindre Hall’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Oyster Bay’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Ocean Casino Resort’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Wildwood Park and Fort Hunter Mansion’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Ottawa’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Fiore Suite and classic room at the Borgata’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 places with awesome views near Harrisburg, PA’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Quebec City, Canada’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 quintessential places to visit in New York City’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Ricketts Glen State Park, PA’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Beaufort, NC’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Vernon, NJ’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Harrisburg, PA’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Montreal, Canada’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area, Wake Forest, NC’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 parks to visit in Bogue Banks, North Carolina’.
Please check out our YouTube channel ‘Wandering Money Pig’ showcasing our travels and our Pomeranian dog! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3kl9f4W9sfNG5h1l-x6nHw
