Williamsburg

Back in Atlanta, we listened to the Hamilton Sound Track (Broadway musical) which is amazing so please go listen to it right now if you haven't! Since then, those songs pop into my head all the time and now that we have made it to Virginia, I feel like everything reminds me of the soundtrack.

We are staying with friends in Williamsburg which at one point was the capitol of Colonial Virginia...I did not know that. Neighboring cities are Jamestown and Yorktown. Surprised by that? I was! I had no clue that 3 major cities with deep history were all so close together...I thought I knew my American history. This trip has proved otherwise.

Commentary by Z: Cool to think that the city that started British rule and in turn led to America (Jamestown) and the city where America effectively won its independence (Yorktown) are a 10 minute drive from each other.
Yesterday we went to Colonial Williamsburg. What I thought was going to be an old street with homes turned out to be an entire restored city with shops, gardens, churches, houses, and even restaurants. We had the option to pay for some of the museums and other activities, but we decided to explore the city instead - which was free in case you were wondering. They have actors dressed in colonial attire and horse drawn carriage tours which not only adds to the charm but _almost_ placed us back in time ha.

Lunch was at The Cheese Shop. They have really good sandwiches, a small area for other random things (spreads, jerky..that sort of thing) and cheese - hence the name! definitely check it out if/when you go.


Jamestown was next on our list! There are two sections to Jamestown - one is where they have recreated the town and even the ships that sailed across the sea. The other is where the colonists landed. Both are separate costs, so we chose to see where the colonists actually set up camp! They had a few monuments and a recreation of the what the fort looked like. The grounds were beautiful buuuut I can see why the colony struggled. There are marshes everywhere and lucky for us, we had bridges for convenience. They did not,  which would have made it a muddy mess to get anywhere beyond the initial fortress and grounds...rough.

Commentary by Z: My fav part of history here is that John Smith was unpopular because he made the colonists farm for 4 hours a day (boo hoo), established trade with the Native Americans, created order... and as soon as he left for a year nobody worked and everyone starved and the colony was nearly wiped out. Not that 9/10 of the colonists dying is funny, but I can just imagine them being like finally John Smith is gone! I'm just gonna take a break from farming for awhile... where'd all the food go?











Yorktown - The Battlefield shows remnants of where the British surrendered in the the American Revolution. It's kinda crazy to see how and where American and French forces gained ground on British troops. The trenches still stand...but instead of mounds of dirt, they are now grassy hills. We did the self guided driving tour that led us throughout key points in the battle which made it nice because we could stay and read about the area for as long as we liked. One of my favorite stops was Redoubt 9 and 10 where Alexander Hamilton and his men seized it from British Troops. I won't give you all the details (it's worth looking up - also listen to Yorktown in the Hamilton Soundtrack) but basically, him and his men went in the cover of darkness and claimed these posts and they didn't even load their weapons in fear of ruining their cover...so it was pretty much hand to hand combat and the use of their bayonets! So crazy and gruesome!

These three cities are worth seeing if you love history! They are all so close together that you would only need a day or two to see them all. After today, I have a greater appreciation for America and those who fought for freedom. It makes me look at my own life and consider what I should be fighting for.