Visit Virginia’s Historic Triangle

Do you love colonial American history? Next time you’re planning a road trip, add a stop in Virginia and visit the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg.

Jamestown

The site of the first permanent English settlement in the Americas, Jamestown is perched on Virginia’s James River and was the home of the famous John Smith. Explore the site of the original settlement and fort at Historic Jamestown, where you can watch colonial crafts being made, learn about the excavation of the Fort and see the hundreds of artifacts unearthed by archeologists studying the colonial period.

If you’re in the mood for something a little more interactive, head over to the Jamestown Settlement. This living history museum recreates the village of the local Powhatan Indians, the Jamestown Fort and the three ships that brought colonists to Virginia in 1607.

Yorktown

Just a few miles away, visitors can explore historic Yorktown. The battlefield, site of the American victory over the British at the end of the Revolutionary War, is open to the public and includes the original earthworks, Washington’s Headquarters and Surrender Field.

From there, take a trip to the living history museum at Yorktown Victory Center. Actors will take you through a recreated military camp and a colonial farm, where you can learn about colonial warfare and medicine, as well as how crops were grown, prepared and preserved.

Williamsburg

At the center of the Historic Triangle is Colonial Williamsburg, a complete recreation of the colonial town that stood during the Revolutionary War. Visitors can wander down Duke of Gloucester Street and stop in at the blacksmith, milliner and other merchants producing and selling real goods. A visit to the Governor’s Mansion will show you how the upper classes lived and reveal what happened to British loyalists during the war.

Colonial Williamsburg has a full schedule of daily events, from a lighthearted lesson in colonial social dance to a staged and heartbreaking slave auction. The visitors’ center can let you know which shows are appropriate for young children. At night, you can sign up for a ghost tour and learn about the ghosts of lord, ladies and pirates that are said to haunt the town.

To learn more or reserve tickets for Virginia’s Historic Triangle, visit History is Fun.