Summer Trip ~ Jamestown to Mount Vernon

 Replica of the Jamestown Settlement

With the long lapse of time between posts, you have probably forgotten that I was actually trying to map out our summer vacation to the east coast and had made it as far as Williamsburg, Virginia.  My daughters and I started in Raleigh, North Carolina, drove to Corolla where we spent a week with my sisters and their families at a beach house, and then drove our rental car up to Williamsburg.

We enjoyed an afternoon exploring historic Williamsburg and by evening welcomed the air conditioned comforts of our hotel there.  The next morning we got up early and went down the road to Jamestown.  There is the "real" Jamestown, which we saw briefly.  The real Jamestown is referred to as "Jamestown Rediscovery Archaeological Project" which is where they are excavating artifacts from the original 1607 James Fort.  However, we spent most of our time at the "Jamestown Settlement Victory Center."   There you will find an interesting (thankfully air conditioned) museum and re-created colonists' fort, Powhatan village, and replicas of the three ships that sailed from England to Jamestown in 1607.  As I stood looking out over the water front, I couldn't help but marvel at the courage of those who actually sailed in the real ships across the mighty ocean and saw this land for the first time.

 Replica of one of the three ships that sailed.

Colonists' Gardens

Craftsman at Work

I've heard of a turkey-in-the-straw, but not a rooster-in-the-bed.

Powhatan Village Dwellings

I was astounded by the amount of history surrounding us, wishing I could bring that sense of time and place to the west coast for our schools to impress upon the hearts of our students.  Williamsburg and Jamestown are definitely worth seeing!

Suitcases in the trunk, we said goodbye to Jamestown and headed north to Mount Vernon.  History buffs that we are, we were eager to continue our historical trek.  We arrived at Washington's home in the late afternoon, again greeted by a fabulous museum.

Mount Vernon - Washington's Home

The Gardens surrounding Mount Vernon

Statues of Washington's Family Greet Guests in the Museum.

A stained glass mural depicts scenes from Washington's life.

A young George Washington.

George Washington becomes our first president.

After a full day of sightseeing, we drove the last few miles to Washington D.C., turned in our car rental and took a cab to to our hotel where we would stay for the next few days, taking in the sights of our nation's capitol!  Stay tuned for the last leg of the trip.