Virginia's Jamestown Settlement, the
Yorktown Battlefield, and the Preserved
Colonial village of Williamsburg are
located within Jamestown's Historic
Triangle and are within 20 miles of one
another in Virginia on Chesapeake Bay.
Williamsburg, Virginia
At the first Jamestown Settlement, Captain John Smith became leader of the expedition mounted by
the English prospectors. He had help from 12-year old Pocahontas (Mischievous One) who acted as
intermediary between her dad the Chief of the Powhatans and the English. She visited the fort several
times in 1608 bringing food for the starving English. She later married a successful tobacco
entrepreneur Englishman John Rolfe in 1614 and traveled to England to be introduced to royalty. She
later, in 1617, died in England of disease at 20 years of age.
A second group of prospectors arrived with the intent to harvest timber, mine gold, ship goods back to
England and search for a water route to the west. Not many survived but they eventually established a
colony and as more settlers arrived, they expanded from the island and built the settlement that would
later become Williamsburg, the Colonial capitol of Virginia.
Virginia, Jamestown, Yorktown,Williamsburg, USA Travel
At the site of the first fort established on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, just a few miles away from
the Jamestown settlement and Museum, archaeologists recently found the Jamestown fort's original post
holes within the Colonial National Historic Park. While they are excavating the walls and post holes of the
first settlement, they invite you to stand at the edge of the dig and watch as the ancient mud yields 17th
Century shards of glass and pottery.
Jamestown, Yorktown Virginia
Revolutionary War re-enactors demonstrate camp life,
military tactics, and weaponry of the Revolution in
demonstrations throughout the summer. In a tent camp
setting at the Yorktown Battle Site they stage competitions
in musket speed-loading and firing, fire-starting, and
period games.
To experience Continental Army life firsthand, visitors can
try on uniforms, drill with wooden muskets, and learn about
the soldiers’ provisions, sleeping quarters, medical
remedies, and they can watch flintlock musket and artillery
demonstrations.
Visitors can also join in a militia drill on a re-created 1780s
farm to learn about the role of citizen soldiers during the
war.
The Yorktown Battle site's historical interpreters re-create events in 1781 when George Washington
marched south from New York badly in need of a win for the colonial army. The British had won most of the
battles along the coast but when Britain's General Cornwallis put in to Yorktown, fifty miles inland from the
Chesapeake Bay on the shores of the James River, Washington seized the opportunity to corner the
British army and put an end to the long and bitter war.
At the battle site you will also see many men and women dressed as French soldiers because France had
come to Washington's aid with an army under Rochambeau and a fleet commanded by Comte de Grasse.
The addition of 8,000 French troops and a fleet of French warships bolstered Washington's army of 7,000
soldiers when they surrounded Cornwallis at Yorktown and fired cannons into the enemy fortifications for
nine days, forcing the British to surrender.
These events mark a battle in which America finally secured its freedom. The folks at the Yorktown Victory
Center and at the National Park Service's Colonial National Park would like you to come to Virginia and
enjoy all the action as you learn all about the history of the battle.
While you are visiting Yorktown you can also visit the Jamestown Settlement, a living museum with three
replica ships and the replica fort of the first permanent settlement by the British in the new world.
Yorktown is within walking distance of the National Park Service administered sprawling battle site and
earthworks built by the colonial soldiers as they rolled their cannon in place and started their nine-day
cannon barrage. An 11-mile loop road with parking turnouts and historical plaques makes the battle come
alive; dozens of cannon of all sizes are in place for visitors to gain a sense of that time and place.
The Moore House where the British signed the surrender document still stands and on a walking trail you
can follow the path of the cannon balls as they rained down on the town destroying nearly 70 per cent of the
houses. Nine antique homes still stand, however, some bearing the marks of cannon balls on the scarred
brick facades.
For additional information go to www.historyisfun.org, the site for the
The Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory Center, a State of Virginia run
agency, or call toll free 1-888-593-4682 or 757-253-4838.
Combination tickets for both locations, The Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Battle Site, about
twenty miles apart on the James River, cost $17. for an Adult and $8.25 for a child 6-12 years of age.
For detailed information about the people who dress as Continental soldiers and stage the mock
battles at Yorktown in October go to WWW. continentalline.org
Many other attractions are located close by in Yorktown, Jamestown, and Williamsburg:




Virgina, Jamestown,
Yorktown
Museums at the Jamestown
settlement and the Yorktown
Battle site celebrate the first
continuous settlement in the
country and the pivotal battle in
the Revolutionary War.
Costumed guides re-enact the
event at the museums and battle
site.
At Yorktown, the costumed
historical re-enactors stage mock
battles and conduct hands-on
events and performances as they
celebrate the surrender of the
British army of Cornwallis on
October 19, 1781 and the end of
the War of Independence.
Virginia, Mid-April, Colonial Williamsburg
At Virginia's Jamestown Settlement, nearby, historic interpreters demonstrate the
trades brought to the shores of Chesapeake from England in 1607
Virginia,Jamestown, Yorktown, Williamsburg,USA Travel
Virginia's Jamestown Settlement
|
Virginia's
Jamestown
Settlement,
replica ships of
Captain John Smith
and the first settlers
who arrived in 1607
intending only to
search for exploitable
resources and a water
passage to the Pacific,
but stayed on to found
the Nation.
There is a lot more than history going on in the area so you don't worry about keeping everyone in the
family entertained. Nearby the Bush Gardens offers a European Renaissance themed park with
exciting rides and exotic European-style food while just down the road, Water Country USA runs the
mid-Atlantic's largest water them park. The family might also enjoy a trip to the upscale outlet malls, a tour
of the ceramic factory, and a Williamsburg Winery tour for a glimpse into the automated bottling room and
a walk through the 50-acre vineyard.
Colonial Williamsburg, a completely preserved and restored colonial town has 80 original
homes and buildings, 50 restored on original foundations, and 200 period rooms displaying 60,000
authentic antiques of British and Colonial American manufacture. Costumed re-enactors and
interpreters of history will involve you in hands-on activities of the era just before the Revolutionary
War.




The Colonial National Park, near the original Jamestown Settlement, has a re-created glass blowing operation that originally started in 1608 as Americas first industry. Operated by the National Park Service and the Association of Virginia Antiquities, the park includes the site of the first permanent English settlement in North America.
Virginia Attractions Near Jamestown, Yorktown, Williamsburg
- Route 5, the scenic byway where plantations line the James River including the Shirley
Plantation settled in 1613, the Berkeley Plantation, site of a 1726 mansion and home of President William Henry Harrison, and Sherwood Forest, home of our 10th President John Tyler.
- The US Army Transportation Museum, from steam locomotives to experimental flying
saucers, helicopters to tugboats: 200 years of Army transportation history.
- The Virginia Living Museum: Virginia wildlife, botanical gardens, and planetarium.
Colonial Williamsburg Golden Horseshoe Golf Club, a Robert Trent Jones Jr. Design is one of five courses in the area.
- Go Karts Plus, an 8-acre family park where you race go-karts and simulated NASA racers on a
banked oval track.
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Virginia's Colonial Williamsburg
|
Battle of Yorktown: pivotal battle in the
Revolutionary War
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How to reach Jamestown:
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF) is a half hour's drive away and has five rental car
companies operating from the airport.
Norfolk International Airport (NIA) is forty miles south ( seven rental car companies)
Richmond International Airport (RIC) is 45 miles north with eight rental car companies...
The Jamestown Settlement, The Yorktown Battlefield, and the Preserved Colonial Village of Williamsburg are
within 20 miles of one another in the Jamestown Virginia area.
Virginia, Jamestown, Yorktown,Williamsburg, USA Travel
Virginia's Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg are just 20
miles apart in Virginia and make a great place for a vacation with
theme parks and museums.