Activity Overview
Visit the living history museum at the Jamestown Settlement in the Commonwealth of Virginia and see history come alive. Jamestown was the first successful colonial settlement in North America and was founded in 1607. The Jamestown Settlement is a recreation of the fort itself and features indoor and outdoor exhibits and replicas of the historic ships from that time period.
As a family you will enjoy this step back in time as the docents are dressed in colonial attire with enthusiasm and little stories and anecdotes to add during your walking tour. You will also find plenty of hands on activities to keep the younger crowd enthralled as they learn about this piece of history.
Things to Do
- Start your visit with a 30 minutes informative historical film about the history of Jamestown in the museum theater. Also, view the Gallery exhibits which bolster the history presented in the fil with artifacts from that time period.
- Step back in time at the Powhatan Indian Village which is a re-creation of the original village. Learn how the Powhatan Indians lived by viewing their homes, how they grew food, how they process animal hides and make tools and pottery
- While in the Powhatan Village, you can have a try at grinding your own corn, gardening or playing corncob darts.
- Tour the three replica historic ships and explore the way of life of the colonial settlers. For hands on activities you can climb into a sailor's bunk or try your hand at steering.
- Inside the re-creation of the fort you will find workers in the blacksmith shop forging tools. Guests can try on armor and play some of the games that were played in colonial times.
Jamestown Settlement Insider Tips
- There is a Cafe and Gift Shop on site. A museum ticket is not necessary to visit the Gift Shop or Cafe on site.
- Make note that Historic Jamestown and Jamestown Settlement are two different places. I say this so that you don't miss either one.
