We were thrilled to find a building named after us on the William and Mary campus!
We turned the Silver Bullet southward on Friday, April 1 toward Williamsburg to do a little exploring of Virginia's Colonial Triangle. As an added bonus, Ben was able to take the day off, so he joined us for the weekend, before flying back to Pennsylvania on Monday morning.
The drive from Slippery Rock to Williamsburg was a little over seven hours. We had booked a place to stay in Williamsburg starting on Saturday, so we spent Friday night in Richmond, which made our Friday drive around six hours. As we tend to do, we turned the six hours into a full day adventure.
We left Slippery Rock pretty much the same way we had found it when we arrived a week earlier, cold and snowy. As we made our way down I-76 the weather was like looking into a kaleidoscope, constantly changing. We had rain, snow, sleet, hail and occasionally sunshine. Thankfully there were no delays and the constantly changing conditions served as a little added entertainment.
The drive took us by Hagerstown, Maryland right around lunchtime so we made a quick stop for lunch at the Pennsylvania Dutch Market, a place we had discovered last summer when we spent a month in nearby Sharpsburg. We also passed by Washington, DC so naturally we stopped for a few hours to enjoy a stroll around the National Mall to see the monuments and tidal basin where the cherry blossoms were in their final days. We arrived in Richmond after the sun went down and headed for Williamsburg after breakfast. We know there's plenty to see and do around the Richmond area, but that will have to be for another time.
The Pennsylvania Dutch Market has great food and even better desserts!
The Lincoln Memorial is always an inspiring place to visit in Washington
From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech
We had been to Washington about six years ago when the Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom. On this visit they were well past peak, but Beth took this great shot which captures a few blossoms, the tidal basin and the Jefferson Memorial
A few more lingering blossoms and a great monument!
Williamsburg is the largest of the three cities that make up the Colonial Triangle. The three are connected by the twenty-three mile long, appropriately named, Colonial Parkway. Williamsburg has a population of around 15,000 plus an additional 8,900 students who attend William and Mary University. The university, which was established in 1693, is the second oldest in the United States (Harvard was established in 1636). Near the William and Mary campus is Colonial Williamsburg, a one mile long/ half mile wide area described as a living history museum. There are numerous buildings and houses, as well as the Capitol building where founding fathers like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and Patrick Henry argued for independence from British rule.
We purchased a seven-day pass which gave us unlimited admission to the buildings and daytime presentations in Colonial Williamsburg (there is no fee to walk through the area), as well as admission to Busch Gardens theme park which is located a few miles away. We spent most of Saturday, as well as an additional half day later in the week, enjoying the sights and sounds of the colonial area. We took full advantage of the combo pass by going to Busch Gardens on Sunday as well as Wednesday. There are also numerous nightly programs offered around Williamsburg. These were not included in our pass, but we did enjoy a "ghost tour". We didn't encounter any paranormal activity, but we did hear some great ghost stories!
Williamsburg
Throughout Colonial Williamsburg there are staff dressed in clothing from the period. They share stories of the settlers as well as the buildings. These two fellas welcomed us to the Governor's Mansion where we enjoyed a guided tour.
A fife and drum corps played and marched on the parade grounds by the courthouse
Between the colonial area and the William and Mary campus is Merchant Square. The Duke of Gloucester Street between the two is "pedestrian only". Beth and I met a young man from Williamsburg while we were in Alaska last month. He gave us two excellent food recommendations, The Cheese Shop (behind us) and the Old Chickahominy House. Thanks Sean, we enjoyed them both!
One interesting thing about Colonial Williamsburg is that some of the houses are privately owned (this one is privately owned). The ones that are open to the public have the Grand Union flag on display in front of them.
Carriage rides through the colonial area are available for a fee
This fella was part of the Colonial Williamsburg welcoming committee!
There is a light show in the gardens of the Governers Mansion at night (check the website for times and dates).
Beth took this great picture while we were waiting for the start of the ghost tour. Is that possibly a ghost coming out of the flame?
This group of musicians shared songs from the colonial period. They were very talented and entertaining!
There is a lumber yard and a crew of seven that build new buildings for the colonial area the old fashioned way..........axes and saws!
On the parade grounds
We enjoyed visiting with Edith for about ten minutes. She gave us a private lesson in how to walk properly. Later we enjoyed listening to her one woman show as she told in full character of her experiences as a woman of color in Colonial Williamsburg in the late 1600's.
We were thrilled to have one of Ben's high school friends who now lives near Williamsburg join us for our day at Busch Gardens. Daniel spent many hours at Ben's legendary back yard poker parties while they were in high school back in Burleson. He's now proudly serving our country as a member of the Air Force. They talked me into riding this roller coaster. That's Ben and I in the second car and Daniel right behind us. Beth wisely said no and chose to serve as the photographer.
There were several shows at Busch Gardens. This was the German Oom Pah Band.
It took us only a few minutes to really fall in love with Williamsburg. As we travel about we often ask each other, "if we ever decide to settle down is this a place we would consider living"? Hopefully that day is a long ways off, but the answer for both of us was an enthusiastic YES!
Ben had a very early flight on Monday morning. After dropping him off at the Norfolk Airport we made the short drive to Virginia Beach. We enjoyed watching the sunrise from the boardwalk.
Virginia Beach Fishing Pier
Neptune watching over the Virginia Beach Boardwalk
Yorktown At the east end of the Colonial Parkway, along the banks of the York River, is Yorktown and the Yorktown Battlefield. It was on this battlefield in 1781 where General George Washington led American and French forces (commanded by Comte de Rochambeau) to a decisive victory over Lord Charles Cornwallis and his British troops. This battle is often considered the "beginning of the end" of the Revolutionary War. The battlefield is managed by the National Park Service. There is an excellent museum and film, and park rangers offer various programs. In addition to being a battlefield during the Revolutionary War, the same area was a battlefield during the Civil War.
Guarding the entrance to the museum at the Yorktown Battlefield
The museum had a number of interesting displays. The canopy of this tent was the actual tent used by George Washington.
In addition to walking the battlefield there is a self-guided tour with numerous stops along the way.
Yorktown Victory Monument
Yorktown Beach on the York River. The George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge is in the background.
The city itself is quite small, but there is a very interesting waterfront walking path along the river front. There were also plenty of shops, restaurants, and a couple of museums that make Yorktown a great place to spend several hours.
Jamestown At the opposite end of the Colonial Parkway is Jamestown (also known as Jamestown Island). In 1607, 104 Englishmen arrived and settled in an area they named James, in honor of Britian's King James. This became the first British settlement in the United States. As was often the case with early explorers, the journey was difficult, but once they arrived the hardships really began. Within one year all but 38 of the original settlers had died. As with both Williamsburg and Yorktown, there is so much history to explore. The national park service and Jamestown Rediscovery co-manage the area and also like the other two, it's well worth spending a half a day or more enjoying.
Jamestown National Historic Site
Archeological digs on the grounds have uncovered the foundations of numerous buildings (some are being recreated). They have also unearthed the graves of many of the early settlers.
The Jamestown-Scotland Ferry connects Jamestown to Surry. Beth took this photo of the Jamestown Rediscovery area from the ferry.
There were two ferries operating the day we were there. This ferry is heading in the opposite direction.
Replicas of the three small ships that brought the first settlers from Britian can be seen near the Jamestown ferry terminal. There is a separate museum at this site that is not a part of the Jamestown Rediscovery/National Park Service area. It gets very good ratings, but with our time limited we choose not to do it.
Another restaurant we found was the Surry Seafood Company. It is located on Gray's Creek, which feeds into the James River. The food was as amazing as the view! From Williamsburg it's a short ferry ride or a very long drive!
The Surry Seafood Company. Beth took this picture from their dock. You can arrive by car or boat!
Chippokes Plantation State Park is a sprawling 1,947 acre park located on the banks of the James River near Surry. We enjoyed walking around the grounds and taking a few minutes to look for sharks teeth and other fossils on the banks of the river.
I made a new friend at Chippokes Plantation State Park!
Our time in Williamsburg flew by. There's so much to see and do. We look forward to coming back soon and who knows, maybe one day we'll start our own settlement in this area, after all, there's already a building there named after us!
