Having just returned from a trip to explore Virginia’s Historic Triangle, I thought I would post a Jamestown Settlement guide.
Jamestown Settlement
For those who are unaware, the first permanent English settlement in the US was at Jamestown in 1607. The Jamestown Settlement is a living history museum featuring three re-creations from that time period. Each area has several costumed historical interpreters for visitors to interact with and learn from. This is separate from but located beside the historical fort area.
The settlement can be broken down into four areas: the indoor museum, the Paspahegh Town, the James Fort, and the Ships. This guide will take a closer look at each of these areas.
Indoor Museum/Gallery
When you first arrive at the settlement, you go inside to purchase tickets. After purchasing tickets, you can stay indoors to look at the gallery and various exhibits. We actually headed outside first and then came back to look over things at the end of our visit here since the weather was questionable. It’s a lovely and very informative museum about colonial times. However, it’s probably a bit dry or boring for younger folks. There are things for children to interact with in the museum, but it’s also a text heavy area. Additionally, they had a sign posted about limiting photos here, so I didn’t take any.
Paspahegh Town
Once you leave the building and head outdoors, you encounter the Indigenous community re-creation or Paspahegh Town. The Paspahgeh were a tribe under the Powhatan chiefdom. Here you can explore what their community may have been like. You can enter their homes and learn about their way of life. There are several costumed historical interpreters here to tell you about different aspects of their lives. We saw someone burning out a canoe and my husband got to help scratch some of the burnt wood away. So, it’s also interactive here.
The Ships
Once you leave the town, you can head down to the water to visit the ships. These ships are re-creations of the three ships to bring the first permanent English settlers to this country: Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. My husband really liked this area as he found the ships to be really interesting. We were even able to board the Susan Constant! It was neat to imagine what life would have been like on the long voyage from England to America in 1607! There were a few costumed interpreters here as well to answers questions about daily life on the ships.
James Fort
Lastly, there’s a re-creation of the James Fort itself. Once again, there were several costumed historical interpreters available to showcase life in the early 1600’s. My husband was even able to learn about some of the recreational games they played. We also learned about various surgical equipment and saw some folks fixing food. It was especially interesting to see the difference between the governor’s home and a working class person’s home. It seemed like the activities available may vary from day to day, depending on an interpreter’s schedule.
Tips for Visiting Jamestown Settlement
- Eat breakfast before you arrive – We ate a lovely meal at the adorable Carrot Tree Kitchens and it fueled us for hours!
- Eat lunch at the Jamestown Cafe – We took a mid-day break to eat lunch at the on-site cafe. They had lots of options and everything was fresh. The prices weren’t too terrible considering it’s a museum.
- Plan to spend half to a full day here – We could have stayed all day here. We did about half a day, but could have stayed longer.
- Look for special events – We were lucky enough to be visiting on Indigenous Arts Day and got to witness some fantastic dancing! We also tried frybread from the Hungry Hungry Arrow food truck!
- Save on admission – We purchased Virginia resident annual passes good for here and the museum in Yorktown for the same price as a one day ticket. So, I recommend looking at all specials before buying a regular ticket.
- Be open minded and ask questions – A visit here goes best if you visit with an open and curious mind.
- Wear comfortable shoes and clothing – It will be a good bit of walking, so dress accordingly. Also, I recommend checking the weather before heading out.
- Stay in Williamsburg – It was a short and peaceful drive over from our Colonial Williamsburg tavern room.
So, have you ever visited the Jamestown Settlement? What was your favorite part?
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