Virginia - Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Monticello

Virginia - Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Monticello

We spent about three days exploring Williamsburg and Jamestown.  Williamsburg has a spy adventure that they've integrated into the park, so it's a bit like a treasure hunt, you have to find clues, solve riddle,s and find things within the town to unlock the mysteries.  After you de-code the clue you text the answer to your handler and they give  you a missing link you need.  The boys really enjoyed that and it did keep them busy running around the town discovering things. 

Alan and I were particularly awed at being in the same buildings as Thomas Jefferson and his associates of the day and imagining how they accomplished their treasonous activity of rallying the countryside into rebellion and helping to come up with our Constitution and Bill of Rights.  Of course the boys didn't feel as awed as we did, but I'm sure that in the future they will remember this place.  We learned so many more details of the characters of the day and their influence during the time of the revolution.  It was really a remarkable experience.  

The kids participated in a  re-enactment of a scene where young fellows were conscripted and put into service.  We ate in the taverns on the grounds and really enjoyed the experience.

The boys and I with our spy gear on in the gardens of the 'Governor'.

Here is a view of some of the grounds.

Aaron and Ryan getting ready to sign up.

Some of the actors...

The boys march off to join up with the continental army.

This is how much smoke is produced from two canon firings.  We were told that the muskets they used were not accurate at all and that it didn't matter because you couldn't see what you were shooting at anyway.  

I don't have very good pictures of our visit to Jamestown or Monticello.  We went to the archeological site at Jamestown and walked around the old fort that's been dug up.  We were so history-fatigued that by the time we reached Monticello we decided to do a drive-by and just took a picture out front.  Reminiscent of the Griswalds from the movie Vacation. 

Here we are outside Monticello...