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Jamestown Settlement Guide with Tips for Visiting

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Having just returned from a trip to explore Virginia’s Historic Triangle, I thought I would post a Jamestown Settlement guide.

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?

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food and Wine Festival Guide

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My husband and I just returned from a trip wherein we got to experience the Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food and Wine Festival for the first time! So, I thought I would do a little guide to help others plan their visit.

Williamsburg Food and Wine

Williamsburg Food and Wine

Every spring, the theme park hosts this annual festival. It claims to be the largest spring food and wine festival in the state of Virginia! I have no idea if that’s actually true, but this year it features 18 booths with 150 samples to try! Plus, they have special entertainment around the park! So, it certainly sounds impressive to me.

Similar to the Dollywood Seasonal Events, you can save money on food and beverages by purchasing a sampler card. However, since this one includes alcohol it’s a good bit more expensive. There’s the 10 item sampler for $70 and a 15 sampler for $85. You can use it over the course of multiple trips, but only on festival offerings. Upon seeing menus and prices, we opted to simply pay out of pocket for our items. We only purchased food and non-alcohol drinks, so it didn’t make sense to pay extra for the pass. Additionally, passholders receive a discount on food and beverages that made it even cheaper to pay out of pocket.

The Food and Drinks

I will start by saying that everything we tried at the festival was good. We purchased food from two booths: South Korea and Virginia. At the South Korea booth we got the Chicken Bulgogi, Korea BBQ Pork Ribs, and Dalgona Korean Coffee. I found the chicken to have a good flavor and was juicy. The pork rib was dry. The coffee was a disappointment. It tasted like a regular iced coffee to me. There was very little foam on top. It wasn’t bad, just not much different from a simple iced coffee.

At the Virginia booth, we got the Chesapeake Style Crab Cake Slider, Bacon & Cheddar Hushpuppies, and Strawberry Lemonades. I used the free festival item coupon passholders receive for each day of the festival for the crab cake slider. While it was a great use of the coupon, I would have been disappointed if we had spent $10 on it. It was tasty but really small.

The hushpuppies were really good. The bacon and cheddar gave them a unique taste. The addition of the honey butter elevated the dish. The hushpuppies were our favorite item of the festival. The strawberry lemonade was tart and refreshing. It was a moderately warm day, so it was a much appreciated cool beverage. Although, after several sips I tired of the bitterness. My husband ended up finishing mine as he really enjoyed it.

The Entertainment

The park also brings in some local artists to perform during the festival. It makes for a nice touch to walk around and enjoy some food while listening to music. I wish there were some big names as well or perhaps more entertainers spread throughout the park. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to enjoy the entertainment as they performed only a few times a day. I wish the park would bring in more entertainment options and spread the times out.

Is the Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food and Wine Festival worth it?

I think the food and drinks at the festival are good. I think it definitely adds something to your park day. The food made our visit to the park worth the trip over from Colonial Williamsburg. I appreciated the addition of non-alcoholic beverages to several of the menus as well.

Have you ever experienced this festival?

Winter in Colonial Williamsburg Guide

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Last year, my husband and I took a last minute trip to experience winter in Colonial Williamsburg. For the purposes of this post, I am going to define winter as the months of January, February, and March. So, if you are looking to take a trip during the first quarter of the year, then this post is for you!

Winter in Colonial Williamsburg

Winter in Colonial Williamsburg

My husband and I visited Colonial Williamsburg in March last year, which is technically considered late winter here. They seem to begin their spring activities in early April. I didn’t realize when we initially planned our trip that it being March would have much of an impact on the trip. Nonetheless, I am glad we went and I was happy with the results.

Pros

  • Fewer people – We never encountered crowds on this trip. Coming from the theme parks, this was a breath of fresh air! We loved being able to walk around and see everything without feeling rushed by other people. It was also nice to just take a walk down the street as a couple without running into anyone. It made for a peaceful and romantic getaway.
  • Cheaper accommodations – I didn’t realize it when we booked this trip, but we actually got a pretty good deal on the tavern room we stayed in. However, when I looked at busier times of the year, the room looks to be more expensive. I can’t blame them as that’s exactly what other places do now. However, it is a nice perk of going during less crowded times.
  • Special events – They will host some additional events for Presidents Day, Black History Month (February) and Women’s History Month (March). They also have some special homeschool days during the winter (and a few in September). It looks like they might also host some special Valentine’s Day meals at the taverns.

Cons

  • Fewer places open – Since there are fewer people visiting during this time of the year, there are fewer places open. For instance, not all of the taverns were open to eat at during our trip. Additionally, I don’t think all of the houses were options to stay in during our trip. There also seemed to be activities that weren’t available during this trip. We are planning to go back when it’s warmer so we can do the ghost tour, which isn’t offered during the colder months.
  • Weather – This was one of the colder trips I’ve taken. We stayed bundled up most of the time and were glad to enter the buildings to hear the people talk. If you plan to go this time of the year, I recommend taking a warm coat, gloves, scarves, and hats.

We enjoyed our trip to Colonial Williamsburg during the wintertime. Have you ever gone then? What was your experience like?

Tips for Visiting Colonial Williamsburg Virginia

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Since it’s been a few months since my trip, I thought I would do a tips for visiting Colonial Williamsburg post. As a reminder, I visited during a slower time of the year (March). So, my experience may be different than yours.

Visiting Colonial Williamsburg

Tips for Visiting Colonial Williamsburg

My husband and I spent the better part of a weekend exploring this living history museum. So, here are the things I think you should know before visiting.

  • Visit for at least one full day. My husband and I visited Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. Even then, we didn’t see everything. Of course, we are two childfree adults who enjoy history. Nonetheless, I think you can plan a full day here or more, depending on your group’s interests.
  • Stay close by. I can’t stress how nice it was to stay in a Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Room where we could come and go as we pleased during our stay. It was so convenient to just walk to breakfast or dinner!
  • Make dinner reservations in advance. Even though it was a less busy time, the dinner reservations were booked up. Thankfully, there were reservations the week of our arrival. However, I’m not sure if that’s normal or not. So, I would recommend booking dinner reservations as soon as you know where you want to eat and when. You can see my Colonial Williamsburg Food Guide for help in choosing where to eat! You couldn’t make breakfast or lunch reservations when we went, fyi.
  • Wear comfortable shoes. There’s a fair bit of walking here as you walk everywhere. Also, check the weather before you go. It was colder than I thought it would be. I ended up packing warmer clothes at the last minute and was very happy that I did so.
  • Stop and ask questions. There are tons of people practicing various skills around the town. Stop and watch them work. You are also free to ask questions. My husband really enjoyed watching the craftsmen and hearing about their work during the colonial times.
  • Have a rough idea of what you want to see. We consulted the events calendar in advance and had a list of things we wanted to see when we arrived. We managed to see the things most important to us. Then, we spent the rest of the time just walking around and entering buildings with a flag outside (which signals you can enter). Note: not every place is open every day.

Other Trip Ideas

I wish we had planned a longer trip to the area to explore Jamestown or Yorktown. Beyond that, I think visiting Colonial Williamsburg is a fun, interesting, and unique experience! Do you have any tips for visiting?

Colonial Williamsburg Food Guide

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One of my favorite parts of a trip is eating! So, here’s my guide to Colonial Williamsburg food! I will provide you with a look at where you should dine and what you should order!

Colonial Williamsburg Food

Colonial Williamsburg Food

Having visited Williamsburg twice now, I’ve been able to enjoy some tasty meals. So, I thought I would share them here as a guide and I will update this post after any future trips. I have to say, I was very impressed with Colonial Williamsburg food and I would go back just to eat there again. Without further ado, here’s my list of places you should eat when you visit!

King’s Arms Tavern

My husband and I had an amazing dinner at King’s Arms Tavern the first night of our trip. We ate by candlelight near a window. It was romantic and had great ambiance. There was even live colonial music being played. Then, we received our delicious food!

The meal starts with some bread and relishes. The ham relish reminded me of a ham salad and was tasty. The corn relish was pretty much just corn. However, they were all a unique way to begin our meal. I had heard many good things about the peanut soup here, so I had to try it. I’m happy to report that it lived up to the hype! It was so good! It was almost like drinking peanuts, but in the best way possible!

For our entrees, I ordered the hunter’s game pie and was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted. The crust was perfection! The jam added a bit of sweetness to the dish. The different meats went together well. My husband got the smoked golden yard bird, which had a tasty raspberry mustard sauce. My husband really liked it, but he’s a huge fan of mustard sauces. I thought the chicken was juicy and the mustard was tart but not too tart.

We finished dinner with desserts! I got the Jefferson bread pudding with a bourbon custard sauce. It was a really dense piece of bread covered in a creamy sauce! My husband got a slice of the southern pecan pie. I imagine it was more akin to what they had back in colonial times as it wasn’t overly sweet, like most pecan pies. It was more of a spicy pecan pie with a bit of a cinnamon like flavor. It was neat.

Overall, this was a delightful meal and a great way to begin our trip.

Chowning’s Tavern

Technically, we ate this meal at King’s Arms Tavern. However, during the slower season, lunch at King’s Arms is from Chowning’s. This was an equally good meal, albeit a little cheaper with a little less colonial ambiance due to the lack of candle light and music. However, the meal was just as good!

I ordered the onion pie as my entrée here. I wasn’t sure what to expect from it, but I was very pleasantly surprised as it was tasty! The combination of onions, potatoes, and apples made for a slightly sweet meal. The addition of the egg and flaky crust kept it from getting boring.

My husband got the Virginia pork BBQ. Being from southwestern Virginia, we’ve had lots of pork BBQ. This was similar to others we’ve had, but it was still really good. He was happy with his decision and I would consider getting it next time.

Thankfully, after all of that we still had room for dessert! My husband ordered the American Heritage Chocolate Cobbler and it was fantastic! It was sort of like an underbaked brownie. Very chocolatey yet not overly sweet. It was a real treat. However, the main star of this meal for me was the peanut butter pie! I loved the addition of a chocolate ganache and berries on top! I sometimes find myself thinking about this pie and wanting it again. That’s how good it is! I highly recommend trying a piece if you get the chance.

Obviously, this was a fantastic meal. You can see pictures of our food in my Instagram post below.

Christiana Campbell’s Tavern

On a return visit in 2024, my husband and I enjoyed a dinner at Christiana Campbell’s Tavern. Similar to King’s Arms, there’s live colonial music here as well. You also eat by candlelight and it’s very nice. Here, we splurged and started the meal with a bowl of fruit punch. It was tasty. They also brought us a basket of mini sweet potato muffins that were warm and soft. We also got to try spoon bread, which was ok.

Continuing with my pie theme at CW, I ordered more pie here! For my entree, I selected the seafood pie. I was a touch disappointed to discover that they are now taking the shortcut of simply placing a circle of puff pastry on top of things and calling it pie! While it was tasty, I don’t think it qualifies as pie. My husband selected the fried fish and was surprised to discover that it was not de-boned. So, be careful if you pick this one.

For dessert, I got the apple pie. Again, a puff pastry is simply placed on top of the filling. It was an interesting pie as they added something tart to the mix and it’s not a typical apple pie. I preferred and ended up swapping with my husband for his dessert – the trifle of the season.

Overall, this was a very expensive meal. The history and ambiance of the meal made it special. I don’t think I would order the same items again if I were to return. In fact, I think we preferred King’s Arms to this one. That’s not to say it’s bad, the other one just suits our tastes better.

Breakfast

The taverns aren’t open for breakfast. However, if you stay in the area, I recommend walking over to the Williamsburg Inn for a fancy meal at the Terrace and Goodwin’s Rooms. They serve a three course breakfast as well as a Sunday brunch. On the day we dined here in 2023, they had a divine banana smoothie for the amuse-bouche. On a return visit in 2024, they served mini bread puddings for the amuse-bouche.

For the starter course, I selected the bacon and corn griddle cakes. It was a sweet and savory start to the meal. It was unlike any other griddle cakes I’ve ever had. My husband went with the seasonal fruit and was served a variety of berries, grapes, and apple slices.

For the main course, we both ordered the special of the day: biscuits and gravy! The gravy was made with an amazing sausage that provided a unique flavor to the gravy. Again, this was unlike any other breakfast I’ve eaten, but in a good way. Everything was fresh and tasted great!

This was an amazing way to start the day and I wish we had eaten here both mornings of our trip! We tried the breakfast buffet at Traditions at Williamsburg Lodge the other morning of our trip. While it was a more grown-up or classy breakfast buffet, it was still a pretty typical spread of breakfast fare. I don’t even have pictures to share of it. If you are staying at the Lodge, it’s a really convenient option. Otherwise, I recommend going over to the Inn for a much better and unique meal.

2024 Update: My mom and I visited Traditions for breakfast in December 2024, but ordered from the menu this time. I was much more impressed with these items. The pumpkin swirl pancakes were tasty! I also appreciated the option of chicken sausage. I recommend ordering breakfast from the menu here and skipping the buffet.

Colonial Williamsburg Snacks

We stopped at the Raleigh Tavern Bakery one day to see what kind of food the colonists ate. It’s a very quaint, dimly-lit place with plenty of muffins and some grab and go options. We tried the queen’s cake as we had seen it being made at the palace. It was a very dense, dry bread with some currants. We also tried two muffins. They were tasty but not overly sweet or exciting. It was a neat way to feel old-fashioned but not necessarily the best thing we ate there.

Conclusion

Most of the Colonial Williamsburg food we had was amazing! If you are curious about where to stay when visiting, I recommend staying in a colonial house or tavern room to be as close to the good food as possible!