Mt. Vernon, Yorktown and Jamestown Virginia

Beautiful Mt. Vernon
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After going to a local Kaiser to get our flu shots we headed south toward Yorktown, Virginia. It was tough to leave DC since we both loved it there. On the way we stopped for a short visit to Mt. Vernon, George Washington’s Estate on the Potomac. George acquired Mt. Vernon in 1754 and over the next 45 years he expanded the home. The interior has been meticulously restored. The grounds are expansive and beautiful. George and Martha are both buried on the estate. He was supposed to be entombed under the rotunda of the capitol building but insisted on Mt. Vernon. The views of the Potomac are beautiful from the grounds. The museum located there covering George Washington’s life is very well done – one of the best we’ve seen. After our visit we continued driving south and ended up at a park near Williamsburg.

George and Martha's view of the Potomic
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On Thursday we visited the Yorktown Victory Center which is a living history museum that brings the American Revolution to life. It contains several Gallery’s and two movie theaters. Outside there is a Continental Army encampment which recreates a soldier’s life during the Siege of Yorktown (the final battle of the Revolutionary War). Costumed interpreters offer a glimpse of camp life. There is also a 1780’s farm depicting the post Revolution life. Both were very informative and interesting. We visited the Yorktown Battleground on our last trip so we skipped it this time and drove to Jamestown – the first permanent English settlement in North America. Jamestown began in 1607 when 104 English men and boys landed there. It ended and began again at Yorktown in 1781 when America became a free land. The site is continually being dug by archaeologists and new artifacts are discovered on a regular basis. We truly enjoyed walking the historic town and trying to imagine what life must have been like. The Colonial Parkway connects Yorktown, Historic Williamsburg and Jamestown and it is a beautiful ride with amazing colors and beautiful scenes. It’s 23 miles long and is maintained by the National Park Service. We visited Williamsburg on our previous visit here and decided to pass this time, although it is a great historical spot