I’m going on a road trip next week and I might have time to spend a few hours at either Colonial Williamsburg or Jamestown. For those who have been there,
-I’m guessing Jamestown is doable in a few hours, but is there much there to warrant it? Are the museum and reconstructions good? (I’ve read several books about Jamestown but I haven’t been there since I was a boy.)
-Is it even worth spending a few hours at Colonial Williamsburg or is it one of those places that you need to go when you have at least a couple of days?
I haven’t been to Jamestown but Williamsburg isn’t too hard to get to, and it’s neat to walk around for a few hours even if you don’t pay money to go into the buildings.
Yes to be clear, you do not need to pay an entry fee at CW to walk the grounds. The fee is for tours and renactments that are inside the buildings, some of which are quite interesting. However a significant amount of stuff is just happening on the street in the ongoing “revolutionary city” program. The Fife & Drum corps are always cool, normally they march at about 5pm. If I had a couple hours I’d visit but not bother with the fee unless I really want to see something in particular (check programming online).
Williamsburg is nicer, in my opinion. Jamestown has a more historical feel to it since Williamsburg blends semi-seemlessly with the College of William and Mary and has more modern amenities seeing as how it’s more tourist-friendly.
W-burg is easier to get to though, as noted above.
Really? That surprises me; I assumed the historic area was like an amusement park where you paid a fee somewhere at a gate; I know of several lesser living history museums that are like that.
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You can’t do Jamestown and Williamsburg without completing the trifecta - Yorktown, just a short ride down the colonial parkway. They have a olde time farm, the battlefield, a nice view of the York river and some other exhibits I’ve forgotten.
Heck, go for the full monty and visit Busch Gardens too. They have accurately recreated such historical sites as the rapids at Pompeii, the log flumes of Canada and quite a few rollercoasters of various nationalities.
Many first-time visitors do not know this, I assure you, though its obvious once you’ve been there. CW is completely open, ungated, and, technically, includes portions of the William & Mary campus which would be impossible to gate in any event. Passes are needed to enter buildings, not see them from the outside. You might need a pass for the walled grounds at the Governors Palace ( I don’t recommend jumping the wall at night though it is a hallowed W&M tradition).
The Cheese Shop has great sandwiches, the turkey & Smithfield ham is classic. You can’t go wrong with Pierces Pitt Barbecue, but it’s slightly harder to find. (The Cheese shop is in the CW shops)
Any recs for which buildings are the best to see? I’m guessing the Governor’s Palace would be one.
Because I’ve always been interested in his murder I’d like to see the George Wythe house if it’s not too expensive. (My understanding is that it’s one of the authentic 18th century buildings, also.)
You pay one fee in the visitor’s center and you get a pass that allows you into the buildings. They have several levels of fees starting with the one-day pass at $41.95.
The Wythe house is really neat and it is one of the original buildings. The Governor’s Palace is OK. There’s also the Capitol and the Peyton Randolph house (also an original).
There are also several programs going on during the day that the pass allows you to see.
I would highly recommend Jamestown, especially as you haven’t been there since you were a kid. There have been massive changes, such as, oh, finding THE original fort :D, and the displays are very, very well done.
There are actually two parts to Jamestown, with two separate entrances and admission fees. There is Jamestown Settlement, which is on the mainland and has the “living history” stuff you may have seen before, including the reconstructed fort and Native American village, as well as the ships. It’s definitely worth seeing if you enjoy that sort of thing. Then there is Jamestown Island/Historic Jamestowne, which is across the causeway onto Jamestown Island, and is run jointly by the Park Service and the APVA. That is the location of the original settlement, and is the place to see the actual historic artifacts: there is a NPS Visitor Center, a separate Archaearium (museum), and on summer weekdays you should be able to see the actual digging in progress and chat with the archaeologists.
Colonial Williamsburg is good, too, but it all depends on what you want to see. I think you can get more “punch” out of an afternoon visiting both Jamestown sites than you can in a similar amount of time at Colonial Williamsburg, but that’s just me. (Disclaimer: I worked on the dig at James Fort one summer, so I’m very partial to the place, but everyone I’ve taken there has enjoyed it as well.)
Yorktown is best saved for if you really like the military history side of things (battlefields, army reenactments, etc.); otherwise I’d give it a miss. It’s divided similarly to Jamestown, with a living history/reenactment side, and a Park Service side (with a visitor center covering the battlefield itself).
I understand it dates back to 1934 if you’re interested in the distant unfathomable past.
The costumed interpreters have not always worn Colonial dress. As an experiment in anticipation of the Bicentennial, in summer 1973 the hostesses were dressed in special red, white, and blue polyester knit pantsuits.
Wiki
But my understanding is it’s built to exactly resemble the original. Many ‘authentic’ house museums have had so much replaced in restoration that there’s far more new than original.
Is it true the cafeteria now has Powdered Wife Carbonaro on the menu?
The Brafferton – currently the President’s House on the College of William & Mary campus – has been standing continuously since 1723. It was gutted in the Civil War when everything burnable inside was stripped for firewood. However, the structure is original, give or take some restoration work, and is considered the most original and complete of the College’s Colonial-era buildings.
CW makes no secret that the Governor’s Palace burned to the ground in 1781 nor that the currently standing building is a modern reconstruction. The reconstruction is based on sources such as archaeological findings, a floorplan drawn by Thomas Jefferson when he was governor, and an engraving found in the Bodleian library.
CW has several excellent websites, I really advise you just see what they have to offer and decide if it makes sense to spend the $40 in your particular circumstances. Programs vary seasonally and they are also different on different days of the week.
The boyfriend and I did CW last August; it was his first time, and my first time in 30 years. We spent two days and easily filled the time, but if we were just wandering the area and not stopping in all the houses, it could be done in a few hours.
The Cheese Shop is AMAZING- I cannot recommend a stop there for lunch if you decide on CW.
There’s a lovely church in CW that’s well worth a walkthrough, along with the small cemetery. There’s no fee, but a small donation box is placed rather conspicuously in the entryway.
It’s been a few years, but I remember really enjoying CW. Went there a couple of times. One time we stayed on site, and especially enjoyed just walking around during “off hours.” (My family - other than myself - are rev war re-enactors, and were camping on the main green. I was staying at the Inn, and hitting the FANTASTIC golf courses! ;))
One way to pass a little time is to have a meal at one of the various inns. I recall them being a tad pricey, and some need reservations, but we enjoyed it. Might be less fun as a single…
I found the Gov’s Palace underwhelming. Thought the other houses gave a better feeling for how the average folk lived.
By all means engage the re-enactors you see on the streets, in the gardens, and in the workshops. Many of these folk are EXCELLENT at what they do. They put RIDICULOUS thought and effort into their clothing, their character’s back history, etc. and can be quite entertaining and educational to engage. Of course others are blowhards, from whom you just quickly excuse yourself and walk away. But they are pretty much in the minority. CW really is a center for some pretty serious historical scholarship and craftsmanship. Much of it available for free.
I would have to give more than a day to Colonial Williamsburg. I fell in love with it. We went to a parking center somewhere and took a bus to CW. If you do that, just stay on the bus until one of the last stops. That way, you are not moving with the crowd. At the parking center we got tickets to everything.
There is a Tavern behind the Governor’s Palace where the Founding Fathers used to hang out for lunch. But our favorite place to eat was The King’s Inn (I think.) The waiters are dressed in Colonial dress and the food is good. Do not miss the peanut soup.
It’s been over thirty years since I’ve been there, so it may have changed some. I would love to stay at the William and Mary Inn at Christmas time.
I also loved Jamestown – the part that is still beside the James River. There wasn’t as much to “do,” but it was deeply moving. If they still have the glass-blowing place, be sure to pick up a little green glass pitcher. They are almost a trademark of Jamestown. It was very peaceful down on the banks of the river in the cemetery. Again, it’s been 30 years since I was there.
Skip Busch Gardens. The only thing I remember was seeing the Clysdale Horses. Awesome! The rest of the day was fuzzy. I found out that at 6:00 pm, it was 105 degrees. Very humid. No wonder I didn’t care for it.
Virginia is fantastic. Notice the lack of large signs on the highways. There is a church (St. John’s?) where Patrick Henry made his famous speech. (In Richmond)
Pocahontas’s baptismal font is at that church too. In the churchyard is Edgar A. Poe’s mother’s grave.
Down the street and around the corner is a house where Poe used to live while in Richmond.
We went to a state(?) museum that was fantastic! At that time it had an exhibit of Salvador Dali’s jewels, an exhibit of Farage eggs from the Romanoff’s, and wax items and people that look more real that not.
One of the restaurants serves a delightful colonial cocktail called a “syllabub.” It sounds repulsive – something like wine and whipped cream – but it’s really quite refreshing.
I love CW. I wish I could wear my three-cornered hat in my day-to-day life. And my three-cornered pants.
