Jamestown Settlement

We've lived in Williamsburg for 6 years now (excluding the 4 years Chris and I were in school here) and have never been to Jamestown Settlement - which is free for residents! The Settlement is operated by the state whereas the Island and original settlement are operated by the national parks (which we have been to). One random weekend that we had nothing else going on (and before the twins were born!), we decided it was time to check it out and it was great! We will definitely have to go back as the girls get older.

There is an indoor museum that has a lot of great information and cool displays which appealed to Chris but was less appealing to E&J. He walked through while the girls and I ate a snack. The outdoor portion of the museum is much more interactive and the girls loved it. First we walked through a native american settlement. They had traditional style huts and pelts and we were able to grind our own corn.

We also walked down to see the ships, which we had actually been on once before the girls were born when they had sailed down to Yorktown for the day. Inside were captains quarters, bunks for sailors, traditional games they played, and a lot more.

We also happened to walk off the ships just in time for Eleanor to participate as a sailor, raising the sail.

We also walked through a traditional English settlement with blacksmiths, chickens running around everywhere, armories, and all sorts of displays happening. There was a lot more to see, but as usual, I had underestimated how much there was to do and see and we weren't prepared to stay as long as we should have been! We will surely come back and spend a bit more time next time we go.