Yorktown, Virginia: The Revolutionary Experiment

Yorktown, Virginia--well, it can be a little overlooked.  Part of America's Historic Triangle, it previously hadn't seen the "updates" to visitor spaces and museums of nearby Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown.  However, a major renovation resulted in the newly-revitalized American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.  Not to be confused with a similarly-named museum in Philadelphia, this site updates the museum space that contextualizes the last battle of the American Revolutionary War.

The museum does do a bit of "dazzing" as indicated in its promo materials--there's a video with multi-dimension effects, multiple exhibits that make use of touch screens to provide different perspectives and data, and kid-oriented hands-on components that intrigue younger and older visitors alike.  The changing exhibit space is large and currently contains AfterWARd, an exhibit about what happened to various revolutionary figures after the war (and yes, it includes Alexander Hamilton). There's also an outdoor living history area where one can visit a small Virginia farm and see artillery demonstrations.  There are not, however, a ton of artifacts on display in the museum; this space is designed in a more open, less busy contemporary style.  However, we Haltermans missed more artifacts and more related signage--that is still something we enjoy.  We will still recommend your visit, forgiving some points of weaker interpretation in favor of the overall importance of Yorktown.  While visiting the museum, your experience will be enriched if you pay close attention to the photographs--there are some common individuals that figure in several exhibits if you are paying attention.

The nearby National Parks Service Yorktown Battlefield Park is worth your time as well--and the nominal entry fee.  In the visitor's center, check out George Washington's actual tents from the Revolutionary War, as well as the kid-famous walk-through "boat."  On the battlefield, the cannons are unique.  And in the town?  Visit the Thomas Nelson House and Grace Episcopal Church.  We passed by a guided tour, which appeared to be quite well-interpreted.  Engage the staff in chatting about the role of the Nelson House(s) and Cornwallis Cave--like many historic sites, Yorktown has its share of real history and myth.  There's even a ghost tour we'll have to take in someday.  For more on our previous adventures in this park, including the Moore House, click here.

If you go, know that the American Revolution Museum as well as the nearby National Park Service site provide ample free parking.  There are walking paths between the sites that are reasonably easy to access and that also connect you to Riverwalk Landing and the Yorktown Waterfront.  The living history area at the American Revolution Museum is gated, making it a great place for a trip with kids. In the busy and hot summer, consider starting your visit early in the day and making the museum area your air conditioned destination for last.  A family could easily make a day of Yorktown, especially with a picnic.  There are restaurants on the waterfront that are lovely--but there are not a ton of super-casual, hot-day, just-grab-a-bite family options.

Several friends have asked us about our lodging on this trip--we stayed in Colonial Williamsburg at the Colonial Houses.  This was a great experience that was paradoxically both quaint and luxurious, an excellent choice for a couples weekend.  We secured a nice rate on Hotels.com.  Do ask questions upon reservation, especially if you are looking for particular accessibility features.  Staying in the Houses comes with nice perks associated with the Inn at Colonial Williamsburg and affords you the opportunity to say you've stayed at an Historic Hotels of America property.

A New Visit to Old Salem, NC: Easy Day Trip

For Memorial Day weekend, we wanted a calm outing that nonetheless got us out of town. Brainstorming places we had not been, we decided to head to Old Salem Museum and Gardens, a living history museum of a Moravian village from the late 1700s and early 1800s.  Smaller than Colonial Williamsburg but with similar charm, Old Salem is easily visited in a day or so.  We purchased tickets that allowed us one day, "all stops" access--but there are options for memberships that are reasonably priced if you are visiting for multiple days or across the year.  Like Williamsburg, you can walk the street for free--but you will need tickets to enter buildings.

The walk through town is delightful on a temperate day--you'll begin by leaving the visitors' center across a covered bridge built in 1998 but that nonetheless sets an historic tone.  You "land" in Old Salem right at MESDA, a small decorative arts museum that will make you feel like you are living in a particularly classy episode of Antiques Roadshow.  We stopped off to see the interior of the tavern for non-Moravian visitors and the Single Brothers' House, both of which provided pretty fascinating glimpses into Moravian life of the time and associated trades.  The Single Brothers' House is particularly interesting: it's where single boys and men, aged 14 - at least upper 70s, lived in community and completed work until they were earning enough money to support a family and marry if they chose.  Keep walking out to God's Acre, an active Moravian Cemetery that is simple in tone and a beautiful reminder of the design of the Moravian community.  One strange aside you can find--a marker for the site of the first Krispy Kreme (it's gone), right in the middle of this historic district. You can also see Salem College.

If you go with kids (as we did), consider going on a day when Old Salem is having a special event. The special events, which range from seasonal visits with Santa to small-scale performances, add a little something extra to visits with children.  We visited on History Meets Horsepower day, so with the price of our tickets, the kids also got to try out a M & M NASCAR racing simulator, and we all got a free covered wagon ride.  There are many of this type of event on their calendar of events feature on their website--click links for more detailed information than you will receive if you navigate to special events in other ways.  Check these details to see what will be included in your ticket price.  In our case, the special event did not add substantively to crowds. For food, it would be easy to pack a picnic and eat on the grass in the town square, or you can eat at The Tavern in Old Salem or gorge on sweets and breads at Winkler Bakery where you can see a wood-fired oven in action for cooking cakes.  Be prepared for walking on hills and uneven sidewalks, expect stroller parking to be outside of historic buildings, and check operating hours--if they say they close at 4:30, they mean 4:29. If you are staying in the area overnight, Marbles children's museum is not too far away.

Trenches and Earthworks: Pamplin Historical Park, NPS Petersburg National Battlefield

For Labor Day weekend, we decided to visit a Civil War site we'd never seen right here in Virginia.  Kim had bought tickets to Pamplin Historical Park for Justin for Christmas, and we set out to use them.  What a treat--the Petersburg area features multiple sites connected to the activities just before the surrender, and there are amazingly well-preserved trenches and earthworks that illustrate the story.

At Pamplin Historical Park, we explored the property first with Elijah particularly enjoying the trails from site to site.  There's a reconstructed encampment, period buildings, and a simulated trench, all near a pretty spectacular piece of architecture designed to look like earthworks themselves that houses a small museum explaining the events at Petersburg.  Best of all, however, there are earthworks from the war that survive and help visitors envision the "break" in the fortifications at Petersburg, the event precipitating the fall of Richmond and the surrender.  Neither Justin nor Kim could understand how such an important area was overlooked prior to the generosity of the Pamplin family in the 1990s.  There are brief and inexpensive books related to the site's preservation in the gift shop, another bonus.

Admission to Pamplin includes a sophisticated audio tour via MP3.  Your player provides interesting insights outside; in the included National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, the player is indispensible.  The Museum of the Civil War Soldier is a more general museum about camp life, and we recommend taking it in after touring the grounds.  The audio here is highly interactive, including a system that tracks your movement through the galleries and provides insights automatically as well as through your customized requests.  This programming helps make the relatively-small museum more robust.  Don't miss the Trial by Fire gallery, a multi-sensory battle simulation. 

After Pamplin, we were a touch worried we'd be disappointed by Petersburg National Battlefield--how misplaced!  The battlefield features additional authentic earthworks.  The Dictator Trail is a short walk through field and forest that allows one to "climb" up and down some earthworks via stairs.  Most significantly, the trail leads to the dictator cannon--a very large, unique cannon that was used to blast Petersburg city.  We saw a tortoise and some lizards while walking, too.  Driving trails are included with your small entry fee as well, so don't miss the Crater, the site of the infamous, disasterous Battle of the Crater.  The park service has done a fine job interpreting the site, including a replica of the tunnel.  There are few monuments, so you really get the sense of being on the battlefield.  Elijah recommends pushing all the audio buttons on selected, solar-powered placards. 

Petersburg has become one of our most-recommended Civil War trips for people of all interest levels.  We'll be back to check out Blandford Church and Cemetery, as well as the City of Petersburg Museums.  If you go in the summer, be prepared for muggy Virginia weather.  For fast food slightly beyond the norm in the area, we recommend the Petersburg What-a-Burger about two miles from Pamplin (apparently not affiliated with the Deep South What-a-Burger chain).  It would be easy to extend this trip to Tidewater historic sites--the way the birds fly, you are about 45 miles from Yorktown when in Petersburg. 

Ship bound!

Justin and Elijah took in Jamestown Settlement (formerly Jamestown Festival Park) this summer.  They tell me, their humble blogger, that they really enjoyed the ships, exploring every inch of them.  The festival park is the site of Jamestown's living history exhibition and includes reconstructions of the ships and dwellings of settlers and Native American Indian constructions.  Our son wanted to be sure he visited each of the Powhatan homes furnished with furs and turtle shells.  At the fort, expect artillery demonstrations with cannon fire, and you'll have an opportunity to try on armor from the time period.  Don't be one of the folks there that says, "So this is where the Pilgrims landed?"  That's a different place, plus you'll view an immersive museum on your way in that should contextualize Jamestown nicely.  Do ask questions (or read more) about Jamestown history, which has been fairly sanitized here. 

If you haven't been to the park (or haven't been in a while), know it was remodeled for the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement in 2007. The center now welcomes you with flags from all 50 states, a large lobby/ticketing area, and a pretty comprehensive gift shop. The food in the food court/cafeteria is perfectly acceptable for families and student groups.  They sell some unusual "local" foods including peanut soup and bread pudding, as well as classic tourist food like pizza.  It's good food, but the ordering environment can be confusing and the food's a bit pricey.  If it is going to be a hot day, go early and do the outside exhibits first, returning to the museum.

If you have more time, drive out to Historic Jamestowne, a site that incorporates a great deal of information on historic preservation and archeology because it is the site of the original settlement.  It's typically the Jamestown we hit--we really like the walk it affords across a small marsh on a nice wooden bridge, not to mention the walk along the water to the Archaearium (museum of archeology).  And if you know us personally and are headed here (or anywhere in the area), you simply must talk with Justin.  He'll give you great tips.  Also very nearby?  Jamestown Glasshouse, a free live demonstration of glass blowing with an attractive gift shop selling glass creations and souvenirs.

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