I clearly remember reading a passage about colonial Williamsburg in elementary school and how utterly boring I thought it was. Throughout middle school, the stories about the first settlers at Jamestown seemed to be repeated all too many times until it too became a bland subject. And Yorktown? By the time I had finished middle school, there was no way I would be forgetting what happened there. While these three places didn’t interest me at first, in high school and beyond I came to understand their significance. Today, I am an American history enthusiast!
When I planned our trip to Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, known as Virginia’s Historic Triangle, I could not wait for those days to come! Would I really get to visit the places I had read and learned so much about since 4th grade?! Shoutout to my mom for coming on this trip and walking through all the history with me. Even after visiting the Historic Triangle, I still feel excited that I stood where so much of our country’s fate was decided.
The highlights of the triangle include visiting the Jamestown settlement, wandering around colonial Williamsburg, stepping onto the Yorktown battlefield and spending hours at the American Revolution Museum. When visiting this part of Virginia, I would recommend staying in Williamsburg, as you will find the most accommodation options here and it is located in the middle between Jamestown and Yorktown. It is a good base to have as you travel to the other locations and there are the most places to eat and things to see in Williamsburg out of the three places. It is a 20 minute drive from Williamsburg to Yorktown and 15 minutes from Williamsburg to Jamestown. Roads are well marked with signs to each destination and you will find thorough visitor centers at each place.
The destinations of the Historic Triangle are about one hour south of Richmond and a little over an hour north from Norfolk and Virginia Beach. If you’re coming from the west, you can take the Jamestown ferry with your car. It is an easy, fast, and fun way to cross the James river and land right in Jamestown!
When visiting the Historic Triangle, there are many different types of combo tickets that you can purchase to help make the most out of your trip. Before you go, make sure to do your research on which tickets are the best for you. We ended up getting the combo ticket for the Jamestown and Yorktown museums.
Jamestown
Both Jamestown and Yorktown have incredible not to be missed museums that I can’t recommend enough. Life size exhibits and centuries old artifacts line the walls while stunning 4D short films are available to watch in the museum theaters. Allow an hour or two for the museum at the Jamestown settlement. After you’ve learned all you can from the air-conditioned museum, step into the heat and humidity (it adds to the overall Jamestown experience) to walk around the Jamestown settlement itself. You’ll find thatch-roofed houses full of animal skins and furs and all sorts of homemade tools the settlers would make and use. Actors walking around the grounds in authentic costumes are happy to answer any questions you might have about what it was like for the settlers to live at Jamestown. You will learn so much, like what plants they grew, how they kept cool in the summer, and how they protected themselves from threats and possible invaders.
When you make your way down to the James River, you can step onto replicas of the ships that brought the English colonists to Jamestown in the 15th century. A short drive from the settlement is the Jamestown National Historic Site. There are many archaeological ruins here from back in the day, as well as monuments like the statues of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith.
Williamsburg
The colonial old town of Williamsburg is so fun to walk around. Old bakeries, taverns, bookstores, wig shops and beautiful gardens line the main road from the old Capitol Building to the College of William and Mary. Horse drawn carriages take people around town and there is always something fun going on in the Old Market Square! Before you reach the College, you’ll be surrounded by restaurants, retail stores, ice cream shops and more! It’s a very lively part of town and such a fun place to grab a coffee and people watch or shop for some Williamsburg swag 🙂
For dinner I highly recommend splurging and making a reservation at the King’s Arms Tavern right in the old town. The food was delicious and the service was top notch. Our very kind waiter wore authentic colonial attire and explained to us why we had the most enormous cloth napkin I had ever seen. He showed us how to fold it properly and wrap it around our neck to use as a napkin just like men used to do. It was a very authentic experience!
Yorktown
When you visit Yorktown you’ll get a chance to step onto the battlefield where soldiers watched as the British surrendered and the Revolutionary War came to an end. As you walk around the grounds, you will also find the Yorktown Victory Monument. Yorktown is such a pretty place to enjoy a nice walk along the waterfront and take in all of the historical significance you are in the middle of. My favorite part of Yorktown was spending hours at the American Revolution Museum, truly one of the best museums I have ever been to. The layout, exhibits, and short films were exceptional. There was so much emotion that rolled over me walking through it, it was so meaningful to be learning more about our history right in the very heart of where it took place. It was such an engaging museum we ended up going back for a second day.
Part of the American Revolution Museum is the Yorktown settlement. You can walk through the houses and gardens of those that would have lived there and see replicas of the camps that soldiers were housed at. Several times a day, there is also a live cannon firing, a fun (and loud) show to watch!
Visiting the Historic Triangle is a must for those who love early American history as much as I do. Even for those who may not, it is still a fun experience getting to step back in time to what it was like centuries ago in our country. I was sad to say goodbye to Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, but I am happy to think that I will be back someday. Until then, I cherish the time that I got to spend actively learning so much more than I thought I knew about the early days of the US.