Tue 8 Apr 2008
Posted by Meg under American Cities , Attractions
It’s not exactly beach weather in most parts of the country yet, but it is warming up and I know I get antsy to get away this time of year. It’s the perfect time for an educational getaway, where you don’t need rays of hot sun to get the most of your vacation.
My home state of Virginia, “The Mother of Presidents,” has a rich history, and I’m lucky that I don’t have to travel far for these getaways. One of my favorite attractions here in the Old Dominion is the historic Jamestown settlement. First of all, when you take a trip to Jamestown, you’re within spitting distance of several other attractions including Yorktown, Colonial Williamsburg, the College of William & Mary, and Busch Gardens Amusement Park. But we’re just going to focus on one thing at a time. We’ll get back to those others one day soon.
Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America in 1607. It’s where the story of John Smith and Pocahontas began — and it’s nothing like that Disney flick, so if you want the real story, you should come see for yourself. You can spend hours touring the new expanded museum at the settlement, and then take guided tours of the museum’s living history exhibits.
In these living history exhibits, historical interpreters show you how both the English settlers and the native Powhatans lived and interacted. At the Powhatan Village, you can step inside a Powhatan home and see what a day in the life of a 
Powhatan included, from food preparation to making tools and clothes, as well as entertainment. You can even play a game of corncob darts.
From here you can move on to the James Fort, which has all of the major buildings of the settlement. See inside homes, shops, the church, and watch demonstrations by the blacksmith, or see a live musket tutorial. If this isn’t the kids’ favorite stop, then the next part will be — help carve out a canoe at the Riverfront Discovery Area, then board the ships that brought the colonists to Virginia. If this area looks familiar, it’s because that Colin Farrell movie, The New World, was filmed here, using these very ships.
What makes Jamestown so great is that it’s not just a museum, but a hands-on experience. Kids don’t get bored here, and adults love it, too. After you’ve toured the settlement area, there’s just one more stop you’ve got to make, and it’s my favorite part of the visit. Just a short driving distance away from the main 
settlement area, you’ll find the Jamestown Glasshouse. Here you’ll find live glassblowing demonstrations using tools of the seventeenth century, and you can purchase the finished products as souvenirs. I could watch the glassblowers for hours, but each piece only takes a few minutes to complete. The process is mesmerizing.
Because of the area’s rich history and booming tourism, you’ll have no trouble finding a place to stay. I really enjoy Powhatan Plantation, a comfortable resort with a great activity center in Williamsburg.