Jamestown Rocks

So we went for a big adventure today: Williamsburg. And I decided to spice things up by adding Jamestown to the trip.

We did great. We got down to Williamsburg and found the reinactment in full swing, which meant all the main ways into Duke of Gloucester Street were closed (you're supposed to buy a ticket to watch the programs). However, you can still slip through some of the back gardens and get there, so we did get gingerbread cakes. It was still a bit early to go to lunch (the taverns open at 11:30), and the guys were hot and tired, so I decided to run them over to McD's instead, then head down to Jamestown.

I got so lost, we ended up back where we started, 20 minutes later. So I parked the car (in the exact same parking space) and we had lunch at the King's Arms. Much yummier than McD's.

Then off to Jamestowne! The Jamestown Settlement is the new museum down there, and it kicks ass and takes names. You walk in and its like you're in the forest with the Powatan. They have reconstructed a 17th century English street, a Native American village, and early American homes. They have short films throughout on things like sailing to the Americas, trade and shipping, slavery and the gold trade, etc. etc. etc. It totally rocks. Then you go outside.

Outside they have full re-creation of a Powatan village, Fort James, and three period ships to go on and explore, all with folks in costume doing things and talking about it. they also have a boardwalk about the marshland and why the colonists decided to stay there (in case you didn't know, Jamestown is in a swamp. Williamsburg is a little farther inland, but still surrounded by swamp.) We didn't get to see all of it, partly because we were dying of the heat, and partly because they had to shut down the outside because of a huge thunderstorm. It was done very professionally, and they got everyone into the building before the storm hit. All the living history people then set up inside, and continued to do their thing! How cool is that?

We did get to climb all over one of the boats, which the boys just thought was great because it was obviously Captain Hook's pirate ship. They had the costumed guys in hysterics, racing around saying "I'm Peter Pan!" "I'm Captain Hook!" and pretending to be dancing, singing pirates. Yes, indeed. Them's my boys.