The area that we are currently in is known as the Historical Triangle. Located within the Virginia Peninsula the area which composes the Historic Triangle includes the colonial communities of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown. 
Joining these three historic areas of Virginia is the Colonial Parkway. The Parkway is a lovely driving path through a heavily wooded area which is designed to shield visitors from the trappings of modern life…like the Naval Weapons Station at Yorktown with its two loading piers which often are occupied with US warships. However, putting aside all thoughts of modern day, it is very easy to sit back and appreciate nature while traveling along the Parkway. We saw lots of water foul and the marshlands as they must have looked to the colonists upon arrival in the early 1600’s. 
Having already visited Colonial Williamsburg and Yorktown, we headed to Jamestown. We spent the entire morning walking among the archeological digs that are ongoing at Jamestown and taking a guided tour of the colony. The afternoon was spent at the Jamestown Museum on the colony grounds which house an unusually large and extremely interesting collection of artifacts that have been excavated from within the colony grounds. 
It is amazing to see what nature had preserved underground these past four hundred years. We literally ran out of day before we finished viewing all there was to see. It is our hope to travel up the James River to see Jamestown from the water when we return in the spring. 
We could not leave the area without a trip to the Williamsburg Winery. We opted to take the hour tour to see first hand the workings of a local winery. An interesting note that we discovered during the winery tour was that each colonist family in Virginia was mandated by law to plant a vineyard upon arrival from England in the hopes that Virginia would provide vineyards like the south France. While the grapes flourished, the quality of the wine was never even remotely near that of France, so the farmers of Virginia turned to tobacco as the cash crop of choice. 
We drove into the Norfolk/Portmouth area to see the warships up close and personal. We were able to tour the USS Wisconsin which is part of the Nauticus Museum in Norfolk. 
It was both humbling and exciting to board the USS Wisconsin to feel what it must be like to live aboard what is such a huge ship while at the same time experience the teeny tiny living quarters of the crew. The Natuicus Museum contains an excellent collection of nautical memorbilia unique to the waters and history of the Chesapeake. It was certainly an afternoon well spent. 
Before leaving the area, we took a walking tour of the Portsmouth area. We spent several hours walking the area which is full of old homes which are being restored and maintained.
No comments:
Post a Comment