Yorktown Battlefield, Jamestowne, and Colonial Williamsburg (and Pyramids)

Our last full day in Norfolk we visited the Colonial National Historical Park. We started with the Yorktown Battlefield which is the site of the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. This park is super extensive, encompassing camps and redoubts (small forts) of the British, French, and Americans.

Townes manning the cannons!

One of the last two British holdouts/redoubts.

The other of the last two British holdouts/redoubts.

The French captured one and the Americans the other within 30 minutes of each other, 

forcing Cornwallis to surrender. 

The Moore House where the terms of surrender were signed.

A ship toilet! This is part of the exhibit at the visitors center in Yorktown.

After Yorktown we drove a little ways to Historic Jamestowne, the first permanent English settlement in America. 104 men and boys arrived in 1607 at this site.

The walls you see are believed to be where the original church was - the one where Pocahontas 

and John Rolfe were married. 

The James River is enormous.

In front of a statue of John Smith, who helped colonize Jamestown.

In front of the church that was built just next to the original one and is currently being restored.

There is a cool cemetery behind the church.

Standing in front of the site of the first landing.

They still blow glass the old fashioned way at the Glasshouse. (A four-year apprenticeship is required before you can work here blowing glass!)

We decided to grab dinner (and some candy) in Colonial Williamsburg. It is a beautiful town and looks more like a movie set than a real place. We didn’t get to see a lot of it but did walk across the street to take photos at William and Mary College because it was just so pretty.

Turns out this is known as the Wren Building!