The Historic Triangle Part 1

While my parents were visiting us in Virginia, the boys, and I had some day trips out with them. You can read about them here. Another trip we took with them was to the Historic Triangle; Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. We stayed two nights there, and spent all three days out on adventures. Thankfully, Daddy Nomad was able to join us this time.

We left the Shenandoah Valley on a Sunday morning, got to Williamsburg early afternoon, dropped our bags at the hotel, and headed to Virginia Beach. None of us had been to that beach before, so we were curious. The day was nice, but by the water the temps were much cooler, and it was extremely windy. We walked around a bit, grabbed some dinner, and headed back to Williamsburg to hit the hay. We had an early morning, and a big day planned at Colonial Williamsburg.

If you’re not familiar with the Historic Triangle, planning a trip can be confusing; it was for me, anyway. You have the town of Williamsburg, and within the historic district is Colonial Williamsburg. The other two parts that make up the Historic Triangle are Yorktown Battlefield, and Historic Jamestown (not to be mistaken for Jamestown Settlement). All connected by the Colonial Parkway.

Visiting Colonial Williamsburg is free. You can walk all around until your heart’s content for absolutely nothing. You can enjoy the restaurants, the buildings, the shops, all for free. What your purchase of a ticket grants you is the ability to enjoy the live performances, the guided tours, interaction with the townspeople, etc. A ticket here is going to run you over $40 for an adult one day admittance; you can make it multi day for only $10 more. We only had one day to spend here, so the one day ticket was what we got.

Entering through the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center, allows you to cross a bridge that is transporting you back to the 18th century. At the beginning of the bridge is a marker letting you know that you are leaving the 21st century. There are markers along the way telling you what you are “losing” as you head back in time. I thought this was pretty cool. If you opt for the free route from downtown, you will not see this bridge.

When we first entered we took a minute to take it all in. The Storming of the Palace was happening right as we entered. We watched that, toured the Governor’s Palace while we were there, and enjoyed the Palace’s gardens after the tour. At 3:00, Revolution in the Streets was to begin, kicking off with a reading of the Declaration of Independence. For a couple of hours, you are led around to see how the townspeople were being affected, the struggles, the arguments; all ending with a march to Yorktown. This march is where the kiddos can take part, and march the streets, as well as go on the battlefield. We knew we wanted to see that. So, we sort of moseyed around, enjoyed the grounds, grabbed some lunch, and then headed off to see the Revolution begin.

Visiting Colonial Williamsburg was a fun day out for us, and getting to visit it with my parents made it that much better. We didn’t get to do all that we would have liked, but we thoroughly enjoyed what we had time for. Watch for The Historic Triangle Part 2, and read about our visit to Yorktown, and Jamestown.