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Monday, July 11, 2005 - Darby, Grayson, and I arrived in Suffolk, Virginia at Kellie and Phil’s place (my sister’s house) last night. After a good night sleep, Kellie, Caitlyn, and Luke piled in with us for a day of history, as we set out for the Jamestown Settlement (www.historyisfun.org). It was a very hot day. We
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decided to cross the water via car ferry as we had never done that before. The ferry from Suffolk drops off right by the Jamestown Settlement. We started in the Visitors Center with a brief movie about the origins of Jamestown. From there we headed out back to the Powhatan Indian Village (www.historyisfun.org/jamestown/powhatan.cfm). We saw replicas of wigwams and actors dressed as Indians showing how crops were grown, tools made, and canoes built. There were a number of hands on activities the kids could try. We continued on the pathway down to see the life size replicas of the three ships that landed in Jamestown; the Susan Constant, the Discovery, and the Godspeed (www.historyisfun.org/jamestown/ships.cfm). The kids had the opportunity to climb aboard and learn from the guides how the journey progressed aboard the three ships. It was getting hotter by the minute but we headed from there into the walled settlement of James Fort. Inside the triangular fort, the structures are topped with thatched roofs depict dwellings and a church, guardhouse, storehouse, and governor’s house during the period 1610-1614. Everything is an actual replica of the original settlement. The original settlement is down the road a bit from where the Jamestown Settlement resides. The kids donned armor that would have been used during that time period, played games that would have been played by the settlers, got a peek at the church they would’ve worshipped in, and saw how tradesmen, including blacksmiths accomplished their work. After exploring the settlement, we went inside and toured the museum which contained very interesting exhibits. Although we could have stayed longer, we decided to move on before the kids melted and lost interest.
Philadelphia • Williamsburg • Jamestown • New York City • Washington DC
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