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colonial triangle

I keep meaning to post about the second day of our weekend trip to Virginia Beach at the end of April. That Sunday, our actual anniversary, we woke up early to catch what turned out to be a spectacular sunrise, then walked up the street for a (surprisingly good) breakfast at a Pocahontas-themed pancake house. Then we hit the road.

Our first stop was Cape Henry, home to two historic lighthouses and the site of the first Virginia landing by the settlers who eventually founded Jamestown. The site is on an Army reservation, Fort Story, so we had to show ID and have our car inspected at the base checkpoint before we could proceed.

From there, we continued the colonial theme with a drive-by past Yorktown, then down the Colonial Parkway (which, freakily, has no lane markings) to Williamsburg. We’d never been to Williamsburg before, but based on everything on their Web site, I got the impression that the downtown area was closed off like some kind of historic theme park and people had to pay for a $36 pass to be able to enter. Once we checked in at the visitor’s center, however, we learned that tickets are only required to enter the historic buildings, helpfully highlighted on our map. There was no charge just to wander around downtown and take in the scenery (and, of course, we were welcome to spend money at the shops and restaurants). Since we only had a few hours to spend in Williamsburg, that worked just perfectly for us. We headed into town feeling a bit like we’d gotten away with something.

Afterward, we tried to make our way to Jamestown, only to arrive just after the visitor’s center had closed. We settled for critiquing all the U.S. state seals arrayed outside the visitor’s center (our conclusion: simplest is best), then peering out across the James River, trying in vain to spot anything. We’ll have to come back at some point to actually explore the place.

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