Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Jamestown
On May 14, 1607, a group of 104 English men and boys settled on this swampy island
with a charter from the Virginia Company of London to search for gold and other riches.
Instead, they found starvation and disease. By January of 1608, only about 40 colonists
were still alive, and these had resorted to cannibalism to survive. The colony survived the
'Starving Time' with the leadership of Captain James Smith and help from Powhatan, a
local king. In 1619 the elected House of Burgesses convened, forming the first democrat-
ic government in the Americas.
Historic Jamestowne
( 757-856-1200;
www.historicjamestowne.org
;
1368 Colonial Pkwy;
adult/child $14/free; 8:30am-4:30pm)
, run by the NPS, is the original Jamestown site.
Start your visit at the on-site museum and check out the statues of John Smith and
Pocahontas. The original Jamestown ruins were rediscovered in 1994; visitors can watch
the ongoing archaeological work at the site.
More child-friendly, the state-run
Jamestown Settlement
( 757-253-4838;
www.historyisfun.org
; 2110 Jamestown Rd; adult/child $16/7.50, incl Yorktown Victory Center
$20.50/10.25; 9am-5pm; )
reconstructs the 1607 James Fort, a Native American
village and full-scale replicas of the first ships that brought the settlers to Jamestown,
along with multimedia exhibits and costumed interpreters portraying life in the 17th cen-
tury.
Yorktown
On October 19, 1781, British General Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington
here, effectively ending the American Revolution. Overpowered by massive American
guns on land and cut off from the sea by the French, the British were in a hopeless posi-
tion. Although Washington anticipated a much longer siege, the devastating barrage
quickly overwhelmed Cornwallis, who surrendered within days.
Yorktown Battlefield
( 757-898-3400; 1000 Colonial Pkwy; incl Historic Jamestowne adult/
child $10/free; 9am-5pm; )
, run by the NPS, is the site of the last major battle
of the American Revolution. Start your tour at the visitor center and check out the orient-
ation film and the display of Washington's original tent. The 7-mile Battlefield Rd Tour
takes you past the major highlights. Don't miss a walk through the last British defensive
sites, Redoubts 9 and 10.
St; adult/child $9.75/5.50; 9am-5pm; )
is an interactive, living-history museum
that focuses on reconstruction, reenactment and the Revolution's impact on the people
