U.S. Destinations : Virginia : Tidewater / Hampton Roads : Colonial History
Virginia
Tidewater / Hampton Roads
Colonial History

Experience Colonial Williamsburg
PO Box 1776
Williamsburg,  Virginia  23187
Toll-Free: 800-HISTORY
Official Site

What would your life have been like had you lived 250 years ago? Are you a patriot or a loyalist? Native or foreign-born? Farmer or tradesperson? A commoner or royalty? These questions and more are raised as America's past comes alive in Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area. In the 1770s, Williamsburg was the political, cultural, and educational center of the largest, most populous, and most influential of the American colonies. Today, Colonial Williamsburg offers guests a unique opportunity to step back in time to experience the ideas and dreams of people-both famous and everyday-in the days leading up to the American Revolution. Log onto www.ColonialWilliamsburg.com to plan your journey today.


Boykin's Tavern
17130 Monument Circle
Isle of Wight,  Virginia  23397
Phone: (757) 357-5182
Toll-Free: (800) 365-9339

Named after Francis Boykin, who served as a lieutenant with Patrick Henry and later camped with George Washington at Valley Forge. He inherited this land in 1780, as well as the house that had stood there since 1762. A smart businessman, he donated land for the Isle of Wight Courthouse of 1800 and even helped pay for the original courthouse, which is still standing and being used today, as well as the new jail. This way his tavern was conveniently located right next door for meals and refreshments needed by court officers and personnel, curious observers and travelers.

Colonial Williamsburg
1 Visitor Center Drive
Williamsburg,  Virginia  23185
Toll-Free: (800) HIS-TORY

Colonial Williamsburg, the nation's largest living history museum, consists of 301 acres encompassing 88 original buildings and hundreds of other homes, shops and public buildings. Colonial Williamsburg operates the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and Bassett Hall. Visitors can enjoy 18th-century style dining Colonial Williamsburg's four dining taverns -- Chowning's, Christiana Campbell's, Shields and King's Arms Tavern. Guest accommodations are available in Colonial Williamsburg's Hotels -- the world-class Williamsburg Inn, the Colonial Houses, the Williamsburg Lodge and Woodlands Hotel & Suites and the Governor's Inn. Call for a copy of our Vacation Planner.

Hampton History Museum
120 Old Hampton Lane
Hampton,  Virginia  23669
Phone: (757) 727-1610

Experience the historical excitement of "four centuries on the bay - from the seas to the starts." From Native Americans and the early colonists, a bustling port, the infamous Blackbeard, "contrabands" and the Civil War, the rise of "Crabtown USA", to modern Hampton. Guided tours provided through ten galleries of permanent and changing exhibits.

Historic Jamestowne
Western end of Colonial Parkway
Jamestown,  Virginia  23081
Phone: (757) 229-1733

Historic Jamestowne offers a wealth of activities for exploring the first permanent English settlement in North America. Visitors can share the moment of discovery with archeologists at the 1607 James Fort excavation; tour the original 17th-century church tower and reconstructed Jamestown Memorial Church; take a walking tour with a Park Ranger through the original settlement along the James River; watch glassblowing at the Glasshouse; and see an exhibit of artifacts in the Dale House. Museum stores are available at the Visitor Contact Station & at the Dale House. Driving tours explore the natural setting where exhibits explain how the settlers harnessed the wilderness & visitors regularly see bald eagles, heron, deer & other wildlife. Historic Jamestowne is jointly administered by APVA Preservation Virginia & the National Park Service.

Historic St Luke's Church
14477 Benn's Church Blvd.
Smithfield,  Virginia  23430
Phone: (757) 357-3367

Historic St Luke's Church, c.1632, is the oldest surviving church of English foundation in the USA. It is also the only surviving original Gothic church in the USA. The "Old Brick Church", as it was called until the early 19th century, was one of the early "crossroads churches".
Historic St Luke's today is an National Landmark and Historic Shrine. It is open for tours Tuesday - Saturday from 9:30 to 4 pm and Sunday from 1 to 4 pm. The church is closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and January. Admission is free, donations are appreciated.We are available for Weddings and have a Gift Shop.

Jamestown Settlement
State Route 31 South
Williamsburg,  Virginia  23187
Phone: (757) 253-4838
Toll-Free: (888) 593-4682

Jamestown Settlement, a museum of 17th-century colonial Virginia, explores the world of America’s first permanent English colony. A film and gallery exhibits trace Jamestown’s beginnings in England, the first century of the Virginia colony and describe cultures of Powhatan Indians, Europeans and Africans who converged in 1600s Virginia. Outdoors, in re-creations of the colonists’ fort, their three ships and a Powhatan village, and a riverfront discovery area, historical interpreters depict life of the period. Visitors are invited to try their hand and grinding corn, scraping out a canoe, playing games, wearing armor, and other activities that make the 17th-century come alive.

The Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
325 Francis Street
Williamsburg,  Virginia  23185
Phone: (757) 220-7724

The Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, which include the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, allows each entity to keep its identity. The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum houses the foundation's renowned collection of English and American decorative arts dating from 1600 through 1830. The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, the nation’s leading center for the research, preservation and exhibition of American folk art, will maintain folk art presence at the Wallace Museum with the exhibitions: “Outside In: Folk Sculpture for the American Landscape,” “Treasures of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum" and “Principles of Freedom.” Construction of a new, expanded folk art museum began in late 2004 and will be completed in mid-2006.

U.S. Army Transportation Museum
Building 300, Besson Hall, Fort Eustis Army Base
Newport News,  Virginia  23604
Phone: (757) 878-1182

More than 200 years of Army transportation history is depicted through models, dioramas, and life-size displays. Outdoor display area contains actual vehicles, aircrafts, trains, and marine craft. The transportation modes featured are land, air, sea, rail, and a few surprises.

Watermen's Museum and History
309 Water Street
Yorktown,  Virginia  23690
Phone: (757) 887-8872

Watermen harvest seafood from the rivers and tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay and have played an important part in the economy, history, and ecology of coastal Virginia for over 400 years. This museum preserves and interprets their material culture with exhibits that feature paintings, photographs, tools, and equipment, full sized boats and models. Located on the York River, the museum hosts the Heritage Festival in July, with work boat races, seafood, crafts, and demonstrations. Polular education programs based on Virginia SOLs, designed for kindergarten through third grade, are offered in spring and fall. Programs for scouts, older students, and adults may also be arranged. Sightseeing and fishing cruises depart regularly from the museum's pier. The museum shop features a unique selection of work by local artists and nautical gifts.

York County Historical Museum
301 Main Street
Yorktown,  Virginia  23690
Phone: (757) 890-4490

Spanning three centuries of York County history. The Chiskiack Watch Archaeological collection covers our past from Native Americans to 1989 when the dig began. Also exhibits of devastating storms that hit our County, Celebrations and more. Located in York Hall, seasonal hours.

Yorktown Battlefield
Yorktown,  Virginia  23690
Phone: (757) 898-2410

Yorktown Battlefield is site of the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War. A visit begins at the National Park Service Visitor Center, where a 16-minute film, "Siege at Yorktown," and a museum of artifacts from the battle, including George Washington's field tent, provide orientation and background to the climactic Siege of Yorktown. The National Park Service areas include the field where Cornwallis's surrender took place, the encampment areas, much of the town, and the surrounding siege lines. Guided and self-guided tours include the siege lines, the Moore House, Surrender Field and the Town of York. The Monument to Victory and Alliance, the Nelson House and many other historic sites are located within the town. An audio tour is available in the museum store for a self-guided driving tour of the battlefield.

Yorktown Victory Center
Yorktown,  Virginia  23690
Phone: (757) 253-4838
Toll-Free: (888) 593-4682

Through gallery exhibits and living history, the Yorktown Victory Center portrays America’s struggle for independence from the beginnings of colonial unrest to the formation of a new nation. Exhibits provide eyewitness accounts of the American Revolution, explore the story of the Betsy and other British ships lost in the York River during the 1781 Siege of Yorktown, describe Yorktown’s role as an 18th-century port and chronicle the development of a new government with the Constitution and Bill of Rights. In a re-created Continental Army encampment, visitors can join a cannon crew and learn about 18th-century medical care. A farm complete with buildings and gardens re-creates rural life of the 1780s.


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