After we left my sister's, Kevin and I headed over to Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg VA. I have always wanted to go there. We have had a couple of friends from our old ward in Philadelphia that have gone and had great things to say about it. So before I tell you all about our trip let me tell you why it is so neat! Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg are colonial treasures that are preserved for our entertainment. Each town has something different to offer. If you don't care about the history stuff...skip the bold, italic writing!
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Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement to settle in VA so you get a lot of history there. This is where the story of Pocahantas and John Ralph got married. The settlement/ fort was written about in history but everyone thought it had been washed out by the sea. In 1994, an archeologist discovered that it hadn't. Since then, they have been digging stuff up left and right and recreating what the settlement looked like and what it was like to live then.
Yorktown is most famous as the site of the siege and subsequent surrender of General Cornwallis to General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War on October 19, 1781. We didn't go there however, because of time.
Williamsburg was founded in 1632 as Middle Plantation as a fortified settlement on high ground between the James and York rivers. The city served as the capital of the Colony of Virginia from 1699 to 1780 and was the center of political events in Virginia leading to the American Revolution. The College of William & Mary, established in 1693, is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States; its alumni include three U.S. presidents as well as many other important figures in the nation's early history.
(Williamsburg is a bit more touristy because it is all recreated/ simulated to represent the colonial times. It's kind of like a Colonial Disney land w/ out the rides. People dress up, and live like the colonial people would. You can watch people make shoes, garden, make baskets, etc. I think the coolest thing about it is that all the homes and shops are made with things they produce and make in Williamsburg. So their bricks are made the way they would have made them, things are nailed down with nails made by the Blacksmith, etc.)
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Okay so now about our trip...
We went to Jamestown first. It was pretty rainy throughout the day but one of my favorite things about Jamestown was watching the Glass Blowers! It was really neat to see how they made glass back in the day. I was so tempted to buy a glass ornament from them (Kevin and I collect ornaments from every place we have visit.) but, since we are living out of our car, I didn't want to have to worry about it breaking. It was super neat though!
Later, we did an archeological tour. It was neat because we got a good piece of history out of it and we got to hear from one of the archeologists on site. It started pouring rain towards the end of it though so we missed the last half of the tour staying dry in the church where Pochantas and John Ralph got married. We also missed our other tour because they had canceled it due to rain, but we went into the archelogical museum and enjoyed looking at all the cool things they had dug up in the past couple of years.
(This is a musketballer. The archelogist said it was missing a handle but its similar to those ice cream scooper things with the handles)
(Don't Rain on my Parade!)
The next day, we went into Williamsburg. We had heard that it cost money and was a bit pricey but it was A LOT pricier than we were expecting. I think they might have upped their price. So we debated on whether we should go or not and finally decided..."Why not? We probably won't come back here again especially once we have kids because its so expensive."
So we went into Williamsburg. We were a little worried about rain again for that day, but it ended up being a PERFECT day. No rain, no heat! It was awesome! I am glad we spent the money to go! We loved every piece of it. Before we had planned on having dinner there, but because of the price of the tickets we decided not to...it helped that the inn most people recommended was closed for the day!
(OFF with their HEADS!)
(Colonial Men doing business)
(The actors stayed in character. This guy asked us if he could help us with any business.)
(The Garden's were probably my favorite part!)
(Kevin studying the Gospel at Church)
(Everything was so pretty!)
(Sword deco at the Governor's Palace)
(Governor's Palace)
(Cooks at Governor's Palace)
(Music Recital. They played and sang songs of the era. I learned that the women were only allowed to sing, or play an instrument involving their hands like harpsicord/ piano forte, or harp because blowing into an instrument or flailing their arms around was not lady like. They had to have their face the center of attention.)
(Blacksmith)
Video's of our experience!
YEP! IT WAS JUST AS WE HOPED IT WOULD BE! AMAZING!
3 comments:
I know it is expensive, but I am glad you spent the money for Williamsburg. It is amazing!So lucky to have good weather!
You guys are so lucky to be able to experience all of the amazing historical stuff. I think my parents are going to Williamsburg in September.
Looks like fun! Your hair looks cute!
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