The Jamestown Settlement is a living history museum. There are exhibits indoors and outside are recreations with actors and everything. They had models of the ships that brought over those first settlers. They were surprisingly tiny for such a large number of passengers and long voyage.
One of the actors was building a boat that will actually be used there to work on the larger boats. It was a strange mix of old and new. He used an old fashioned screw driver, but brand new screws. Very knowledgeable man.
A view of the fort. They fired a cannon once or twice and it was incredibly loud!!
This is where we stayed. Not literally. This is the remains of what was once a huge plantation. I assume they grew corn or tobacco there way back when. Now they grow condos and tourists. Our condo was beautiful and it was nice to have a real "home base". We all would recommend staying at Powhatan Plantation if you plan on visiting that area of Virginia.
Jared and I explored the grounds and stopped at the gazebo over the lake after doing battle with thousands of Canadian Geese. (Slight artistic liscence taken with description of events.)
Historic Jamestowne is the actual site where the village was built when people arrived in 1607. There's not much left, but archaeological digs are on-going and they continue to find more things. It was cool to walk around figuratively, though very hot and muggy literally. This was Jared's favorite. There's the little family walking through history...
This was at the Yorktown Victory Center; my favorite site. They had a lot of really cool recreations and people who were incredibly knowledgeable and willing to talk and answer questions. They fired off one of the old cannons in honor of Memorial Day. SO LOUD! It was really neat though.
So there's a cute little city center outside of historic Williamsburg where the speed limit is, no this picture is not doctored, 18 miles per hour. Oh those crazy Virginians. Guess they don't round down there.
Jared at Williamsburg trying on one of the tri-cornered hats. Isn't he handsome? The hat looks a bit small though, eh?
Williamsburg, we all thought, was like a strip mall where the employees have to wear costumes. It's free to get into things where you can buy crap, but to see even one cool site you have to pay almost $50 per person. So we had lunch at a historic tavern, which was pretty cool, and walked around then split. Jared saw a resemblance to Cuba's communism because every store sold the exact same crap and it was all way over-priced. Needless to say, not our favorite site, but the peanut soup at the tavern was pretty good I hear.
Also in Williamsburg is the College of William and Mary. It's really high on Jared's list of grad schools (and coincidentally is also high on my little sister's list of undergraduate institutions). We stopped to walk through campus while Jared met with a graduate professor. We all LOVED campus and, while Jared's disappointed Dr. Axtell will no longer be there, he still plans on applying.
The Hardestys headed for the National Mariner's Museum, but I was a bit museum-ed out so I went for a hike on the nearby Noland Trail. What a great hike!! I bit longer (5 miles) and hotter (89 degrees) than I had planned on, but the wildlife and scenery were unbeatable. Like the blue heron I saw on the lake. Very cool!
Virginia Beach had a great aquarium that we visited as well. The sea turtles are so big and cute. It made me want to go watch Finding Nemo. 
There was even an exhibit where you could pet a sting ray. They were soft and slimy at the same time. Not at all what I had expected, but they're actually pretty majestic creatures, the way they seem to fly around the water instead of really swim.
Friday we left to visit Richmond, VA for the historical society and make a side trip to Monticello. The entire property is amazing, set on a hilltop with beautiful gardens. Here's a shot of the house and the flower beds.
Foxglove looking pretty in the sunshine. My camera loved the gardens. My allergies... not so much.
The vegetable gardens, vineyard, and orchard with a view of mountains beyond. I see why Jefferson retired here... I wouldn't mind retiring to a similar estate.
And now I'm back in Ada to start working on Monday. That's probably the last post until my next vacation in July. Jared and I are going to visit his Uncle Jerry in Boston, Massachusetts! It will be my first trip to the city and I'm hoping for some fireworks. I'm sure Jared's hoping for more history and some brewery tours!
Have a great June everyone!
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