Who Knew We Were Virginians?

[dolphingirl47]

The grounds of the hotel are really amazing. I can understand that you were not very happy about everybody else being so slow. This would drive me crazy, too.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

The grounds of the hotel are really amazing. I can understand that you were not very happy about everybody else being so slow. This would drive me crazy, too.

Corinna

I swear I have the slowest family in the world.

 

[jenseib]

We made a stop outside the Visitor Center to check out a map of the property.





Walking in the first thing we see is the gift shop, so we stopped in there. My Dad was having a fit that we haven’t even done anything yet and were shopping ….but they had Clearance Racks…you have to stop and look.



And then we had to make a bathroom stop as well.

Yes, this was a productive day already. LOL.
We went to get in line to buy tickets and then noticed the kiosks to do it with a credit card. I stopped and said I would get mine there since there wasn’t a line and Mom said she would too. We each bought our 3 day tickets and I put mine in my lanyard I had brought with me. Amanda looked at it and asked where I got it. I told her I brought it from home and she wanted one too. They did provide free pouches with a clip, but she wanted a lanyard, and Mom did too, so back to the gift shop they went and bought some. I think Dad went with the clip pouch though.
At Colonial Williamsburg, you have to show you ticket for things like riding the bus or getting into many of the buildings to tour, so it is best to have some sort of lanyard to keep it out in easy reach.

So now you would think we would be on our way out to the city. NOPE! Dad saw that they had a movie to watch, and we had to stop and see that.
Actually it was probably a good thing. It has been over 25 years since I studied this era of American History and it was amazing how many things I forgot about it. This movie jarred some of the memories and throughout the touring it helped in placing the significance of different buildings.

Now it was time to head out to the City.



I quickly directed my family out the doors and bypassed the buses. I had read you must walk there at least once or you will miss some things. My family probably could’ve cared less, but I wanted to see as much as I could. About halfway there they commented on how far the walk was and that’s when I told them that they do have buses, but today we weren’t taking them. LOL



As we crossed the bridge we came to an area that was newer to CW. I forget what they actually called this area, but it was more of a rural area with a small plantation on it.









We looked around and listened to a few of the characters tell stories.



There was another family that had their picture taken in front of that thing. (Is it some type of wagon?) Anyways I jokingly said something like the boys should show their strength and pretend do pull it. And sure enough, Dad got in with them and they all lifted it and pretended to give it a pull.



One of the most important buildings on any property.



Claire was obsessed with it to. LOL



They had some farm animals around too.



And then we headed towards the city.







I can see it!

 

[jenseib]

Where were entered, which was the first …and last bus stop on the route (before heading back to the visitor center) is near the Governor’s Palace. It looked so beautiful, but we didn’t have time to look as a bathroom break was already needed by Claire.



We headed along the Palace, but I couldn’t stop because it was lunch time……and I get headaches and not so nice when I don’t eat, so food was the first thing I needed.

Of course I did still take pictures.









I found a building that was selling snacks and I got a cookie and water for Claire and I to share to tie us over. I asked for directions to find something more and she told us to go to Chowning’s tavern. So we headed that way.



The church was on the corner that we turned on and it was being refurbed on the outside.

A view of the Governors Palace from the other end of the street.



Another view of where we came from.





We found the Tavern and headed to the back Garden area where they were serving more of a fast food type of meal.

If you have followed me on other trip reports, you know Claire is kind of picky and this was not looking to be too great a meal for her. The choices were very limited. I ended up getting her a pulled chicken sandwich with chips and applesauce and I got a pulled pork with baked beans, chips, and coleslaw.



I took the chicken off the bun for her to eat and I tasted it and it was decent, but not great. She only took a few bites and did not like it. I tried my pulled pork and the first bite was good, but it had an after taste from the sauce and I only took a few bites and gave up on it and went and ate her chicken, which was slightly better.

Amanda got the chicken, but she liked it.

I think my parents got the pulled pork. And I think they liked it.





The coleslaw was ok, but I have had better and I am not a big fan of baked beans, but they were OK as well. The chips were the best part of the meal. But at least we had something in our bellies and my headache was going away.

Of course after you eat, you need to find a bathroom, right? Well when you are with Claire you do. I think we spent most of our time this day in bathrooms. LOL

Off we went to find one.





I really had a thing about taking pictures of the horses and carriages and you will see a ton of them throughout this report.





A bathroom was found and we all felt better. Let’s just say …the bathrooms are not the nicest things here at Colonial Williamsburg. They are small and not the cleanest.

We continued on then.



A resident of CW …who had several children trying to grab him.









Today we mostly just got our bearings and how things worked here. I was also amazed at how many private residences there were here.

I loved the people in character all over the place.



The houses were a little too close for comfort for this farm girl.

 

[dolphingirl47]

This looks amazing. I know when I first came to the USA, it really felt strange that there is so little history. Looks like I just looked in the wrong places.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

This looks amazing. I know when I first came to the USA, it really felt strange that there is so little history. Looks like I just looked in the wrong places.

Corinna

You are right. Many areas do not have in your face history here. You kind of have to know where to look for it. Of course our country is younger than many others too.

 

[jedijill]

This looks amazing. I know when I first came to the USA, it really felt strange that there is so little history. Looks like I just looked in the wrong places.

Corinna

We have lots of history...just not as much as Europe's.

Jill in CO

 

[tazdev3225]

You saw more of CW in that short time than I did in July all day. Of course my traveling companions took their time getting ready. Then we had to waste at least a half hour in the shops to decide what to buy later in the day. They ate at Chownings and complained the rest of the day about how awful the food was. Thankfully after they ate they were done for the day. We were only there for one day and they saw 2 buildings. I'm looking forward to more.

 

[jenseib]

We have lots of history...just not as much as Europe's.

Jill in CO

You saw more of CW in that short time than I did in July all day. Of course my traveling companions took their time getting ready. Then we had to waste at least a half hour in the shops to decide what to buy later in the day. They ate at Chownings and complained the rest of the day about how awful the food was. Thankfully after they ate they were done for the day. We were only there for one day and they saw 2 buildings. I'm looking forward to more.

Oh no! I hope you can get back and see much more. It really is very interesting and though I know it didn't completely thrill Claire, she was pretty darn good and being dragged around.

 

[jenseib]

We continued walking down the main street and just taking everything in.



My family decided to go in the coffee house. I hate coffee. I hate the taste and the smell, so I decided not to go in. Claire and I walked towards the capital.





A look back from where we came.



See the lady walking with the red jacket on? She ended up being our ghost tour guide the next night.



This is a freaky looking tree.





Claire and I decided to tour the Capital. I texted Amanda to let her know where we would be. I will say that phone connections were very spotty all over CW and the whole are in general. Sometimes texts took a lot time to send and other times they worked like a charm.



We had to sit on some benches to wait for the next tour group to start.









Our guide was great. She came out and talked to us and reminded us to put our phones on silence, etc. We were also allowed to take as many pictures as we liked.



Now I do not remember the names of each room we went in, but the first was kind of like a meeting room where the House of Burgesses met.



I had a blonde moment and thought “Oh My Gosh, this looks just like it did in the movie!” Well of course it did…where else did I think they actually filmed the movie? It certainly wasn’t done in the 1700’s. LOL



We all had a seat and our guide told us several interesting facts.

We then headed upstairs into some kind of meeting area that I think was more casual.



Again we got more info and facts.

Look who we spotted out the window.



Dad, Mom and Amanda were 2 groups behind us.

Now I learned something interesting while in this room. A gentleman asked what area Virginia actually covered during this time period. Our guide said it was often disputed and it would depend on what map you looked at, but basically Virginia stretched straight across to the Pacific Ocean and also include what is now known as Ohio (my state) and parts of Michigan and Wisconsin. Who knew we were Virginians?
She pointed out a map on the wall and it was really interesting to see how different it was compared to today.

On we went and I took some more pictures.





Back downstairs.

 

[dolphingirl47]

The buildings are really beautiful. The tour sounds interesting, too. I had no idea that the map of the USA has changed so radically over the years.

Corinna

 

[tazdev3225]

I have been to Williamsburg before when my kids were younger and it was a favorite place to visit, just hadn't been there in about 15 years. My DD actually is talking about taking my grandkids next year and wants my DH and I to go too so I will be back.

I will say that when my traveling companions and DH left I stayed ehind and got a personal tour of the Capital Building. I loved it because I was able to compare some of the history and the rooms with here in Philadelphia. We have some of the same paintings in one of our historic buildings.

 

[jenseib]

The buildings are really beautiful. The tour sounds interesting, too. I had no idea that the map of the USA has changed so radically over the years.

Corinna

It has changed A LOT! We had parts that were Mexico and parts that were Canada and lots of territories. Even after the revolution it still took a few years for the Colonies to become official states.
There is a show on how the states got their shape and many have changed "shape" in the last 100 -150 years.

I have been to Williamsburg before when my kids were younger and it was a favorite place to visit, just hadn't been there in about 15 years. My DD actually is talking about taking my grandkids next year and wants my DH and I to go too so I will be back.

I will say that when my traveling companions and DH left I stayed ehind and got a personal tour of the Capital Building. I loved it because I was able to compare some of the history and the rooms with here in Philadelphia. We have some of the same paintings in one of our historic buildings.

That will be a fun trip.
I would love to make a stop in Philly too!

 

[goodfood4ursoul]

...Now I learned something interesting while in this room. A gentleman asked what area Virginia actually covered during this time period. Our guide said it was often disputed and it would depend on what map you looked at, but basically Virginia stretched straight across to the Pacific Ocean and also include what is now known as Ohio (my state) and parts of Michigan and Wisconsin. Who knew we were Virginians?
She pointed out a map on the wall and it was really interesting to see how different it was compared to today.

On we went and I took some more pictures.

"To be a Virginian either by Birth, Marriage, Adoption, or even on one's Mother's side
is an Introduction to any State in the Union, a Passport to any Foreign Country, and a Benediction from Above."
Glad you had a good trip.

A couple of notes on Busch Gardens- the Festhaus has some good German food, but not so much the pizza as you discovered.

There used to be a wonderful real burgermeister (Robert Bauman) and Oompah band and dancers- in fact the same man was burgermeister for over 30 years but he died in 2009 at age 95. http://www.timesdispatch.com/entertainment-life/article_018f690a-4a03-5e7c-b8ae-189237f94c72.html

The dancers would teach the kids to dance and there was lots of singing and it was rather something back in the day. For the record, Busch Gardens was built in 1975 before Epcot's World Showcase came to be.

I guess there is much to be said for perspective. I find the world showcase to be a larger number of countries but I find that BG, while having less countries, has more shops and real estate dedicated to each country, and by being more spread out, feels more authentic.
Neither one is truly "authentic" but both are enjoyable.

Again, that is just my perspective- I have been visiting BG since it opened, 38 years ago.
So I also know where to find the best food in the park- the Trapper's Smokehouse in New France.
You can purchase a dining plan and get a better deal than what you paid for sure. Just like going to WDW, visiting BG requires doing your homework if you are going to get the most out of it.

LOL on not riding the coasters!
We rarely watch the shows unless we need a break from the heat mid day.
BG is all about the coasters, baby
Gryffon- the 90 degree drop almost 300 feet- awesome view of the James River from the top and what a rush when you drop~
DH and I have ridden Gryffon 6 times in one day but hope to beat that record next year.

I rode the Loch Ness Monster (Nessie) when I was 7 years old and it was brand new. It's sort of a family tradition to ride that one first.

I love BG and I love WDW, but I don't go to WDW to ride coasters, that's for sure- they are pretty tame.

I am looking forward to seeing the rest of your report on CW.
Looks like you got a good start.
I have always wanted to rent a colonial dress to wear for the day- have seen lots of kids doing that.
And I can't wait to see which plantations you visited.

Route 5 between Williamsburg and Richmond is one of the oldest, most storied roads in the country- the cradle of Virginia civilization, as it were.

Many of those families inter-married and from these families come a virtual Who's Who in American History:
Thomas Jefferson, Chief Justice John Marshall, Robert E. Lee, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Booker T. Washington, William Faulkner, Willa Cather and many more.

Looking forward to the rest of your report

 

[Woth2982]

Definitely enjoying this report. I have always wanted to go to CW. Problem is none of my friends are history geeks like me, and would be bored there/have zero desire to ever go there. The first photos of the log type cabins remind me a lot of Plymouth Plantation up here in MA. Looks just like the hoses where the Pilgrims lived. The rest looks a lot more "modern". Pretty sure the Pilgrims landed about 100 years before Colonial times.

 

[goodfood4ursoul]

Definitely enjoying this report. I have always wanted to go to CW. Problem is none of my friends are history geeks like me, and would be bored there/have zero desire to ever go there. The first photos of the log type cabins remind me a lot of Plymouth Plantation up here in MA. Looks just like the hoses where the Pilgrims lived. The rest looks a lot more "modern". Pretty sure the Pilgrims landed about 100 years before Colonial times.

By definition, the American Colonial period is colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared themselves independent in 1776.

So I would think that the Pilgrims would be among the first European immigrants of the colonial period. Early colonial for sure
Certainly the first what we now call New England?

Since you want to come and haven't yet, you might enjoy this list of the original buildings in Williamsburg: http://www.history.org/Foundation/newsroom/2012PressKit/releases/2012 Original Buildings-ALPHA.pdf
with links in blue to details about the homes and the history.
History geeks have to stick together

One of these days I'm going to bite the north east traffic bullet and travel to MA and CT to see my colonial roots...
I'm told there's tons of history to see but like you, I haven't made it there yet...

 

[tazdev3225]

That will be a fun trip.
I would love to make a stop in Philly too!

I think it will be fun with the grandkids. I'm looking forward to it.

If you ever come to Philly let me know. I'd love to show you some of the sights.

 

[Woth2982]

By definition, the American Colonial period is colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared themselves independent in 1776.

So I would think that the Pilgrims would be among the first European immigrants of the colonial period. Early colonial for sure
Certainly the first what we now call New England?

Since you want to come and haven't yet, you might enjoy this list of the original buildings in Williamsburg: http://www.history.org/Foundation/newsroom/2012PressKit/releases/2012 Original Buildings-ALPHA.pdf
with links in blue to details about the homes and the history.
History geeks have to stick together

One of these days I'm going to bite the north east traffic bullet and travel to MA and CT to see my colonial roots...
I'm told there's tons of history to see but like you, I haven't made it there yet...

Good to know about the Colonial period! I always thought it was the late 1700s. I need to brush up on my history!

Thank you for this info! I am bed bound all weekend (having severe back spasms) so this will be fun to look through!

We do have lots of good history stuff up North. All of Boston is a real life history book! The best time to come really is the week of the 4th of July. We have this thing called Harbor Fest, they have period type actors giving tours of the freedom trail, and all sorts of great stuff.....not to mention the best fireworks ever!

 

[jenseib]

"To be a Virginian either by Birth, Marriage, Adoption, or even on one's Mother's side
is an Introduction to any State in the Union, a Passport to any Foreign Country, and a Benediction from Above."
Glad you had a good trip.

A couple of notes on Busch Gardens- the Festhaus has some good German food, but not so much the pizza as you discovered.

There used to be a wonderful real burgermeister (Robert Bauman) and Oompah band and dancers- in fact the same man was burgermeister for over 30 years but he died in 2009 at age 95. http://www.timesdispatch.com/entertainment-life/article_018f690a-4a03-5e7c-b8ae-189237f94c72.html

The dancers would teach the kids to dance and there was lots of singing and it was rather something back in the day. For the record, Busch Gardens was built in 1975 before Epcot's World Showcase came to be.

I guess there is much to be said for perspective. I find the world showcase to be a larger number of countries but I find that BG, while having less countries, has more shops and real estate dedicated to each country, and by being more spread out, feels more authentic.
Neither one is truly "authentic" but both are enjoyable.

Again, that is just my perspective- I have been visiting BG since it opened, 38 years ago.
So I also know where to find the best food in the park- the Trapper's Smokehouse in New France.
You can purchase a dining plan and get a better deal than what you paid for sure. Just like going to WDW, visiting BG requires doing your homework if you are going to get the most out of it.

LOL on not riding the coasters!
We rarely watch the shows unless we need a break from the heat mid day.
BG is all about the coasters, baby
Gryffon- the 90 degree drop almost 300 feet- awesome view of the James River from the top and what a rush when you drop~
DH and I have ridden Gryffon 6 times in one day but hope to beat that record next year.

I rode the Loch Ness Monster (Nessie) when I was 7 years old and it was brand new. It's sort of a family tradition to ride that one first.

I love BG and I love WDW, but I don't go to WDW to ride coasters, that's for sure- they are pretty tame.

I am looking forward to seeing the rest of your report on CW.
Looks like you got a good start.
I have always wanted to rent a colonial dress to wear for the day- have seen lots of kids doing that.
And I can't wait to see which plantations you visited.

Route 5 between Williamsburg and Richmond is one of the oldest, most storied roads in the country- the cradle of Virginia civilization, as it were.

Many of those families inter-married and from these families come a virtual Who's Who in American History:
Thomas Jefferson, Chief Justice John Marshall, Robert E. Lee, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Booker T. Washington, William Faulkner, Willa Cather and many more.

Looking forward to the rest of your report

Interesting stuff!
I did know that BG had been open for many years, but I thought it had been revamped, but I really didn't have much time to research it too much before going. And anything I did research, Amanda complained about too much planning. LOL

Definitely enjoying this report. I have always wanted to go to CW. Problem is none of my friends are history geeks like me, and would be bored there/have zero desire to ever go there. The first photos of the log type cabins remind me a lot of Plymouth Plantation up here in MA. Looks just like the hoses where the Pilgrims lived. The rest looks a lot more "modern". Pretty sure the Pilgrims landed about 100 years before Colonial times.

I hope you can go there some day. It really is a neat area. I wish I had more time to explore the whole area.

By definition, the American Colonial period is colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared themselves independent in 1776.

So I would think that the Pilgrims would be among the first European immigrants of the colonial period. Early colonial for sure
Certainly the first what we now call New England?

Since you want to come and haven't yet, you might enjoy this list of the original buildings in Williamsburg: http://www.history.org/Foundation/newsroom/2012PressKit/releases/2012 Original Buildings-ALPHA.pdf
with links in blue to details about the homes and the history.
History geeks have to stick together

One of these days I'm going to bite the north east traffic bullet and travel to MA and CT to see my colonial roots...
I'm told there's tons of history to see but like you, I haven't made it there yet...

More interesting stuff!!!

I think it will be fun with the grandkids. I'm looking forward to it.

If you ever come to Philly let me know. I'd love to show you some of the sights.

I sure will. A guide is always helpful!

Good to know about the Colonial period! I always thought it was the late 1700s. I need to brush up on my history!

Thank you for this info! I am bed bound all weekend (having severe back spasms) so this will be fun to look through!

We do have lots of good history stuff up North. All of Boston is a real life history book! The best time to come really is the week of the 4th of July. We have this thing called Harbor Fest, they have period type actors giving tours of the freedom trail, and all sorts of great stuff.....not to mention the best fireworks ever!

Now I want to go there too! I really would love to go to Salem! This time of year is busy I am sure, but o so neat sounding.

 

[scottny]

I don’t think I would have the patience to wait for people. LOL.
LOL about the walk and buses.
What a pretty cat.
The tour sounds great and I love the furniture.