Jamestown, VA

Jamestown is the first known permanent settlement of British in North America, originally settled in 1607. Visitors to the area have a choice of two attractions, and I recommend a stop at both.

Start at Historic Jamestowne, operated by the U.S National Park Service. This is the archaeological site of Jamestown with ongoing excavation and research. Many of the building sites have been re-buried following excavation and the foundations reconstructed for tourists to explore (see photos). You can explore their well-designed archaeological museum and see many interesting 400-year-old tidbits that were unearthed on the site. Otherwise, you can walk along the river and imagine the view of America's first English settlers. It is a peaceful place.

Move on to the Jamestown Settlement, managed by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. This is a recreation of the original Jamestown settlement (using much of the research conducted by the archaeologists at the other site, I suspect). The visitor's center houses an impressive museum filled with dioramas and video moving the visitor from regional pre-history to the present day -- with a heavy emphasis (of course) on the rise and fall of the Jamestown settlement. After walking through the maze-like museum, visitors land outdoors on a walking path to living-history exhibits of a Powhatan village, the settlers' fort, and the three ships that delivered the settlers from England. From the web site:

Today at Jamestown Settlement, the story of the people who founded Jamestown and of the Virginia Indians they encountered is told through film, gallery exhibits and living history. New gallery exhibits and a new introductory film trace Jamestown's beginnings in England and the first century of the Virginia colony and describe the cultures of the Powhatan Indians, Europeans and Africans who converged in 1600s Virginia. Outdoors, visitors can board replicas of the three ships that sailed from England to Virginia in 1607, explore life-size re-creations of the colonists' fort and a Powhatan village, and tour a riverfront discovery area to learn about European, Powhatan and African economic activities associated with water. In the outdoor areas, costumed historical interpreters describe and demonstrate daily life in the early 17th century.

(Photos)

I didn't make it to the nearby Yorktown site that makes up America's Historical Triangle, but when I return to the area I'll plan for a full week -- at least. I really enjoyed my stay in historic Virginia.