The Historic Triangle

Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown

My boys and I have been lucky enough to visit The Historic Triangle in Virginia two times, once during spring break and once at Christmastime. Being history enthusiasts, we really enjoyed both visits, but our winter experience was the absolute best!

What is The Historic Triangle?

Essentially, The Historic Triangle is three separate communities in coastal Virginia which are significant in our county’s history. These communities are now living history museums that represent early life in America, before our country was even a country. These three historical sites are very close to one another, which make it great for a weekend visit!

Colonial Williamsburg

When we visited the area we stayed in Colonial Williamsburg, at Bluegreen Patrick Henry Square. We loved our accommodations and the location was ideal for walking to Colonial Williamsburg’s historic district. Since it was Christmastime, there was magic in the air. I really enjoyed the holiday décor, which was indicative to the time-period. The homes and storefronts were adorned with holiday wreaths and candles were lit in the windows. The weather was also wonderful, although we were hoping for a little snow! We spent a full day here enjoying the history and time period. We also came back most nights for dinner since we stayed in the area.

One of our favorite activities was a guided Colonial Ghost Tour throughout the historic district. If you follow along on our travels, you already know that we do this in most of the places we visit! I guess it’s kinda our thing ha. We learned a lot of history about different homes and the church, and even more about the people that lived there! While we didn’t see any ghosts, we really enjoyed ourselves and did have several hits on the magnetic field detector that was provided in the tour (at an additional charge).

More Colonial Williamsburg Information:

· First, check out the Colonial Williamsburg website for more information on ticket pricing. Adult tickets are $42, children ages 6-12 are $25 and kids 5 and under are free.

· But also note that you can walk along the streets of Colonial Williamsburg for FREE. While you’re there you will literally feel like you’re in a different time period. You will see actors playing the part and they are wonderful! Ask them to pose for a quick picture, they will be happy to. You’ll see old Colonial homes, storefronts, gardens, and people riding in horse drawn carriages. If you do not purchase tickets, you will not be allowed entrance into any of the homes or stores. We did NOT purchase tickets, we got there really late and wanted to walk around to explore the streets before we made the decision to buy tickets. I mean let’s be honest, I am not really sure our kiddos (ages ranging from 5-9) would’ve really cared about going inside homes and listening to re-enactments. BUT they absolutely loved being out of the car, exploring the streets, and getting to walk around and see the sights. If I was there with just adults, I probably would’ve purchased tickets for the day. But if you don’t want to spend the money you will still have a wonderful experience just walking down the streets of the town. And you can look inside the windows of the houses and stores, so you can see what’s inside!

· There are also several restaurants along the streets so you can plan to eat when you’re in the area. Click here for a list of the top 10 best restaurants in Colonial Williamsburg!

· One full day spent in Colonial Williamsburg was plenty of time to see the sights! We spent our other days there visiting Yorktown and Jamestown – these three sites are about a 15 minute scenic drive apart.

· There are signs everywhere telling you how to get to different places, which we found very helpful!

Jamestown

Jamestown is my favorite historical site of the three! There are actually two parts to Jamestown, the original site and the living history museum. Think John Smith and Pocahontas! I cannot believe I got to see where these famous historical figures lived and walked in person.

Historic Jamestowne is the first permanent English Settlement in North America and you can explore ruins and artifacts left behind. There is also an archaeology museum on site, along with statues and monuments for Pocahontas and John Smith. This site was actually closed during our winter visit due to Covid, so be sure to check the website to see if it has re-opened.

Jamestown Settlement is the living history museum and here you are able to get a glimpse of life in the early 1600s in a Powhatan Indian Village, behind the English fort, and on the ships of the English settlers. There is also a large museum on site with different artifacts. We spent the majority of our time here! The docents are amazing and really get into their role of early life. Talk to them, ask them questions! They are full of knowledge and are there for that reason!

Yorktown

Yorktown was the site of the last battle of the Revolutionary War, where Gen. Cornwallis surrendered to Gen. George Washington! This waterfront town has museums, shopping, and restaurants. We visited the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, which is another living history museum with docents and it also has a large array of artifacts inside the gallery. Here we were able to see life as a soldier at the Continental Army encampment, as well as, life on a revolution-era farm.

Once we left this museum, we walked along the beach, played a little football with our boys, and then had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Yorktown, The Yorktown Pub. The weather was a little chillier on this day, so I enjoyed warming up with their delicious clam chowder!

We really had an amazing winter visit to Virginia! I absolutely love this state. If you are in the area, be sure to check out The Ruins of Presidents Park that are located in Williamsburg. This was a bucket list adventure of mine and I am so thrilled that we were able to experience all of these amazing activities during our trip!