To set expectations, Yorktown Battlefield, like many battlefields in the U.S., is essentially a…read morefield. There isn't much to see, BUT the signs located throughout are helpful. They also have cannons and other items to help bring it to life. For me, the beauty of this battlefield is in the little museum in the visitor's center and the Nelson and Moore Houses. The Nelson House is a historic home that was struck by cannons during the siege. The Moore House is where the end of the war was largely negotiated. Once you arrive at the visitor's center, pay $15 for a pass that's good for a few days. It also gives you access to Historic Jamestown. Staff will give you maps and more info on the self-driving tour.

We had an incredible time exploring the battlefield and driving from location to location. My…read morehusband is a veteran so we got free admission which pleasantly surprised us that I also qualified as his wife. The staff was so nice and explained everything. We took the map and went to each site, read the plaques and paid our respect to those lost. The weather was perfect and everything was clearly labeled and well taken care of. We had a great time learning all about the battle and touring the grounds.

Welcome to Ft. Nonsense!…read more I know, with a name like that it made me second guess myself also. But I recently and randomly happened upon this park on a trip to Tangier Island out of Reedville, VA. The park is as it states is a civil war era earthwork to prevent the Union invasion from the East. The fort has since been literally untouched for over 150 years and has not been restored but preserved as a monument to the determination of the citizens of Mathews to protect The Confederacy from attack. Though there was no battles fought during its time and the fort never used. A funny fact is all of the attacks in the area just so happened to be from the west of Gloucester and the fort was literally built and facing the wrong direction during the times of war in the area. The legend is that this caused a local citizen from the late 1860s to scratch his head and remark, "My what a piece of nonsense". And it's been called Fort Nonsense since. **Overall This is a really cool and small park to check out. They do also have a covered pavilion if you wish to have picnics there. I would defiantly bring some bug spray though if you do, as the skeeter's can be bad. Cheers!

Just a load of, well, nonsense? According to the men who built it back in the 1790s it was, but…read moretoday, it's a nice walk in the park when the sun is shining - a far cry from what it was actually built for, right? This fortified hilltop was built in 1777 by George Washington's Army, mainly to function as an observation and alarm post watching over Morristown and surrounding areas, it also doubled as a place of retreat for guards stationed in the town. The British never made an attack on Morristown... but it's 2018 and here I am - oh my gosh, i'm just kidding!!! The park is well kept, there's a great place to sit and have a bite to eat (just bring some food with you) and I should probably mention to watch out for the mozzies (mosquitos...) - oh they'll getcha good out here!

Being a historical buff, thanks Dad, this is a MUST See!~ The employees take it to the next level…read moreof education, which can be seen throughout the location! This includes amazing, informative presentations and exhibits! ~ You can tell that the employee's love is what they do with speaking to them and watching them present to the public, the history. Don't miss this exceptional place during your visit to Jamestown, VA!!!![Especially around the Native American artifacts and presentation!!!]

This confusing setup has a bunch of national park land adjoined to a privately owned historical…read moresite. Focusing only on the national park site, I found a visitor center with an introductory movie. While I was perusing the exhibitions right outside the theater, they managed to close it and lock it without letting me know the movie was starting. Which is a little irksome, but may have worked out for the best as I got to the outdoor site and managed to get a run of it and take some pictures just as a weather front was heading in. Some people had traveled from Michigan to tour the area, which I think was a good decision for them as you don't get this kind of history up there. The national park site has some ruins and signage after crossing a boardwalk over the swamp. While not huge in scope; I spent maybe an hour on the site in total, it gives you a feel for the challenges that settlers would have faced. The signage provides compelling information for visitors of all ages, and the views of the waterfront and nearby ferry are majestic as well. You'll get a sense of historical nuance with a lot of players in the area, and an aesthetic experience as well. There is a wildlife drive and this place does have a parkway running to Yorktown, albeit currently not fully open due to major construction. I did not have time for everything the area has to offer on this passing visit, but there is a lot regardless of how much time you have.

The largest living museum in the world is Colonial Williamsburg. Original 18th century homes and…read morebuildings (and many reconstructed) line blocks and blocks. There are taverns, a blacksmith, the governor's mansion, and more. With the tours and performances, you can spend the entire day here. You do need a ticket to go inside most of the buildings with the exception of the Bray School and a few others. However, it is free to wander through!

Walking around we came across this & figured why not check it out…read more U can grab tickets through their official site which is easier for the tours inside the building. This was nice, Informative it was a decent way to spend some time learning & checking out the history of this place.

One of the eighty-eight originals structures in Colonial Williamsburg. The tavern was used for…read moreeating meals, different types of entertainment as well as educational talks. Of course it also served as a place to bed down for the night. The circa 1750 home was both the home and business of Henry Wetherburn, his family & slaves. It was one of the most successful taverns in town and catered to the wealthiest clientele. There are outbuildings in the rear which are also original. It is open for guided tours on selected days, but does not operate as a colonial tavern. Recommend!

Such a cool place. I mean, who's ever heard of a Sunken Garden before!? Great place to meet…read morefriends for a game of soccer or frisbee. My kids LOVED coming here on a visit so they could work their way into a game with students. It's also just beautiful, surrounded by boxwood and stately brick buildings.

At the heart of the College of William and Mary's old campus lies this gorgeous lawn. A remaining…read moreproject from the work relief programs from the Great Depression it lies several feet lower than the campus around it. Free for anyone to visit it is intended for students and community members to come and relax. It exists to beautify the campus and remind those who visit of the strength our country had coming out of the Great Depression, it serves both of these purposes well. Having visited earlier this week I could not imagine giving the Gardens any lower of a rating. It ties the campus together and is an integral part of the William and Mary that exists today.

How many times have you heard of a barrel, bucket, or cask being made by hand. Well it's just not…read moredone much anymore, but at CW the spirit of doing it the 18th Century way is kept alive. Located off the side street of Nicholoson across the street from the cabinetmaker. There are no demonstrations given, they are doing real work, with real orders. There are no formal tours, but the Cooper will stop what he is doing and show you some work that they are currently doing. They work done by the Cooper is Cooperage. The word itself for the trade of bucket/barrel making derives from the Middle Dutch, or Middle Low German meaning Kopper, or copper from kupe cask, in turn from Latin cupa tun. The gentlemen James I talked with had over 35+!yrs experience at the art of Barrel, bucket, cask and other items making. He was super friendly and led our group through the process woods used etc. Is this a lost art, close to it. Very few shops in the world produce hand made work. The local Craft Beer maker Hardywood took delivery of some CW barrels recently. As in all of the CW trades I have a lot of respect for the skill it takes to continue this old world tradition of making things by hand.

Well, I figured for review #1000 I needed to pick somewhere special and for me that is the cooper's…read moreshop at Colonial Williamsburg. While my reviews for CW will attest to the fact that I'm very down on how the place is run as a whole, I am 100% fascinated by what goes on at this shop. The art (and to me it is an art) of cooperage has more or less not changed in centuries and to me something about that is uniquely awesome because while cardboard boxes and metal containers have replaced wooden casks, if you for example need a cask made, the old school way of making it is still the best way. The one fallacy that you hear is that some people refer to coopers as barrel makers but that's not the full story as a barrel is only one size of cask. If you're lucky enough to visit at a time when James is in he'll be more than happy to talk with you about a barrel, a rundlet or a hogshead just like the difference between wet coopering and dry coopering plus a whole lot more than I can remember. Getting back to James, he's been coopering at CW since the early 70's and before that he got his start in England in a shop that dated back to 1742. He's the real deal in every way about the process and is always extremely generous with his time to answer no doubt the same question a thousand times a day or even questions where in his head he's probably rolling his eyes yet his answer is always gracious. My favorite quote of his which I've heard him say two or three times when asked what he or any of the coopers do is that they make circles. That I suppose while true, is a huge understatement of how difficult the trade actually is. (Only a small handful of people have completed a cooper apprenticeship at CW over the last forty plus years.) For me personally what it boils down to is that watching what the coopers do here is history in its most pure form. You have a trade being done the same way it was done three hundred years ago being taught by people who learned from the prior generation who learned from the prior generation, etc. Those experiences are what make coming to CW worthwhile and they're at the core of what makes the cooper's shop at CW 100% authentic.

One of three markers in this spot, I think that the most important is the one noting the Battle of…read moreSpencer's Ordinary. The "Ordinary" is a tavern not far away. The marker reads: On this road, four miles south, the action of Spencer's Ordinary was fought, June 24, 1781, between detachments from Lafayette and Cornwallis's armies. The Wikipedia entry has more information: The Battle of Spencer's Ordinary was an inconclusive skirmish that took place on 26 June 1781, late in the American Revolutionary War. British forces under Lieutenant Colonel John Graves Simcoe and American forces under Colonel Richard Butler, light detachments from the armies of General Lord Cornwallis and the Marquis de Lafayette respectively, clashed near a tavern (the "ordinary") at a road intersection not far from Williamsburg, Virginia. Lafayette had been shadowing Cornwallis as he moved his army toward Williamsburg from central Virginia. Aware that Simcoe had become separated from Cornwallis, he sent Butler out in an attempt to cut Simcoe off. Both sides, concerned that the other might be reinforced by its main army, eventually broke off the battle. There are two other markers. The Six-Mile Ordinary, which denotes a resolution not to import British goods in 1774 and to declare their support for independence two years later. The Green Spring notes the home of Governor Berkeley and that it was a base for British General Cornwallis, attacked by French forces under General Lafayette that were loyal to the Colonists. Never forget!

We arrived, and noticed several cars in the lot. Parking was plentiful. We have a lifetime National…read moreParks Pass so we did not pay for parking. We read the sign about the Glass House, and saw the path to it and demonstrations. We weren't hopeful about the demos. We walked the path to the original glass house, with Pot Kiln, Annealing Furnace/Fritting Furnace, and Working Furnace behind glass. The walk there was flat and easy to walk. We continued on and saw a Plaque about this replica Glass House in front of us: "erected on May 8, 1976, by the Glass Packaging Institute to commemorate America's first industry." A National Parks volunteer and glass artisans were working today. We enjoyed listening to the volunteer answering questions, and watching the artisans making glass objects that would be finished and sold in a display area on the side. All sales go towards this park exhibit. We're glad we stopped here. It was remarkable!

A wonderful, warm and fascinating place to see an operating glass house…read moreThe Jamestowne Glasshouse is located near the original Jamestown settlement in Virginia. It has good signage and a dedicated parking lot. Once parked you have to traverse a walkway to the building. It is a short path to the building. There are doors on every corner. The entrance closest to the walkway is well marked and is the best one to enter as it brings you to the shop that has the beautiful finished works of the artisans working by the large oven behind it in the center of the barn. This place offers a fascinating glimpse into one of America's first industries. Established in 1608 by English colonists, the glassblowing operation was an early attempt at creating a profitable export for the struggling settlement. Today, visitors can watch skilled artisans recreate this historic craft using traditional techniques in a working studio. The artisans shape molten glass into bottles, vases, and ornaments, just as early settlers did over 400 years ago. Watching glassblowers work their craft is mesmerizing, and the connection to history adds depth to the experience. The artists were in period costume, extremely knowledgeable, and worked continuously making objects the entire time that I visited. Once completed the pieces were placed in smaller annealing ovens closer to the display shop. Once you're done stop by the shop and pick up something to remind you of your visit. I did. If you're visiting Historic Jamestown, the Glasshouse is a must-see stop that blends history, craftsmanship, and artistry.