The Historic Triangle – Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown
We arrived at the Williamsburg KOA and were allocated a site so uneven it was impossible to level ‘Arvey, so we asked to be moved to another site, which was a little better – only just. After walking the campground we realized that a high percentage of the sites were far from level.
Williamsburg – what a place, full of old buildings, wide streets and some people in costume. What most people, including us, don’t realize is that it is a public place and unless you want to go into the buildings you really don’t have to pay an entrance fee, but we paid. The shuttle service that goes around the area is free (with a pass) and was very welcome on a warm day.
In the ‘old days’ when a camera used a roll of up to 36 images you were fairly choosy about the pictures you took, with a digital camera and a memory card that limitation is gone – and I was going crazy, snap – snap and snap again, snap-happy. Here are just a few of the ‘snaps’ during our stroll through Colonial Williamsburg.
We left Williamsburg and headed down the (amazing) Colonial Parkway to Historic Jamestowne. The parkway is a 23 mile scenic roadway that links the 3 sites – no stop lights and a steady 45 MPH – really relaxing. In Jamestown there are 2 locations – Historic and the Settlement, we headed for the Historic area which is the site of the first permanent English settlement in America. There are a few archaeological digs on the site which in no way detracts from the wonder of it – over 400 years old.
The next day we went back to Williamsburg for breakfast at Aromas café and sat outside with Rusty. The next leg wasn’t as much fun when we found out that dogs are not allowed in the Jamestown Settlement so I did a quick photo tour while Connie and Rusty sat in the car with the AC on, it was a warm day.
We were just about to go over to Yorktown when we spotted the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry – shall we go for it – we did. We managed to get a few different views of the settlement and historic areas from the ferry. The ferry is free, part of the Virginia DOT system, even better. The seagulls liked the ferry too – hitching a ride.
There was a really fun park on the other side – Chippokes Plantation State Park, really nice drive through and we stopped to take a few pictures of the petting zoo, potbellied pigs, Jerusalem Donkeys and goats. Back on the ferry to Jamestown and home for the night.
The next day saw us again at Aromas for breakfast, this time in Newport News before setting off for Yorktown along the parkway that runs along the York River, where we spotted a sailing ship so had to stop for a photo-op. Yorktown battlefield was truly an experience, they’ve done a great job in setting out the descriptions and explanations of the battle for Yorktown, how Washington and the American Colonial and Militia forces with the French defeated the British under Cornwallis in 1781.
In all this was a really wonderful experience, enjoyable and we both learned a lot about the area and the settlements and revolutionary war. Off to Gettysburg next, can it compete?