What To Do In Williamsburg, Jamestown & Yorktown
Stand on the spot where English settlers landed in 1607 at Historic Jamestowne (1368 Colonial Pkwy.), a working archeological site and window to history.
Walk through the re-created fort at Jamestown Settlement (2110 Jamestown Rd.) and talk with costumed historical interpreters about the challenges of 17th-century life in Virginia.
Stroll the streets of the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area —the country's largest living-history museum—and enter the world of early settlers, statesmen, slaves and patriots.
Buy a ticket for Revolutionary City, a 2-hour outdoor theater experience taking place most afternoons at the east end of the Williamsburg historic area. You might meet Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry or a Revolutionary soldier in this dramatic streetscape presentation.
Visit Williamsburg's world-class art museums, including The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum (326 W. Francis St.) and The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum . Later, take a guided tour of the restored Governor's Palace (300 Palace Green St.), built in 1722.
Visit the elegant plantations along the James River, including Shirley Plantation (501 Shirley Plantation Rd.), Berkeley Plantation (12602 Harrison Landing Rd.), Edgewood Plantation (4800 John Tyler Memorial Hwy.), North Bend Plantation (12200 Weyanoke Rd.) and Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation (16920 Southall Plantation Ln.).
Follow George Washington's battle plan at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown (200 Water St.) and Yorktown Battlefield (1000 Colonial Pkwy.), site of the decisive victory of the American Revolution.
Sample a Colonial meal at one of these local restaurants: Old Chickahominy House (1211 Jamestown Rd.), King's Arms Tavern (416 E. Duke of Gloucester St.) or Christiana Campbell's Tavern (120 S. Waller St.), where you can try George's favorite recipe for oyster fritters.
Believe it or not, theme parks can be historical too: Busch Gardens Williamsburg (1 Busch Gardens Blvd.) celebrates the cultures of England, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy and Ireland. Don't worry—you'll also find plenty of screaming thrill rides.