Virginia is for… History Nerds

Our little Gracie is a history buff.  She is the kid that gets SUPER excited when she hears about a field trip to a history museum.  When it’s her day to choose something for the family to do together, she will pick a tour of a historic home.  When we asked her what she would like to do for a weekend getaway, she immediately requested visiting Jamestown.  She studied Pocahontas in 2nd grade, and has wanted to see it ever since.  We explored both the Jamestown Settlement, where replicas of the fort and the ships the carried the colonists have been built. They have also created a replica of a Powhatan village for us to explore and a beautiful museum.  We did a guided tour and then went back and did more roaming on our own.  Grace even picked up a deer hoof and used it to help clean the fur off a deer hide that will be worn by guides. I couldn’t believe she picked that thing up, because there was no way I was going near it.

After exploring, we had a picnic in the outdoor eating area, and then headed over to the Historic Jamestown Settlement operated by the National Parks Service.  This was Hubs’ favorite part of the day.  Getting to walk around the perimeter of the original fort was pretty cool.  The archeological sites are amazing, and seeing what historians have been able to excavate from the site is incredible.  The foundations of some of the original buildings are still there, and cross mark the burial sites of some of the original settlers.  To think that we were in the place where the first Europeans stepped foot in the New World was pretty amazing, and pretty sobering to think about how their arrival must have appeared to the people who where already here.

Grace’s favorite part of the day was visiting the original glass house and the demonstrations.  We watched the craftsman create onion-shaped wine bottles, and even brought one home as a souvenir.  We finished the day walking along the James River and dipping our feet in the chilly water.  All-in-all it was a perfect day. Beautiful weather, fun exploring, and all done on a budget.