George Washington Birthplace National Monument

Location: 1732 Popes Creek Road, Colonial Beach, VA 22443
Phone: (804) 224-1732 x227
Website: https://www.nps.gov/gewa/index.htm
Hours: The park is open seven days a week from 9:00-5:00. The park will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Ticket Price: Free
Homeschool discount? N/A
Visited: Friday, 2/3/17, 11:45 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

The George Washington Birthplace National Monument is in Westmoreland County on Popes Creek, just off the Potomac River. It isn't far from Westmoreland State Park.

The site was originally established in the 17th century as a colonial plantation by John Washington, George Washington's great-grandfather. George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 and lived there until age three, returning later to live there as a teenager. The grounds are now maintained and operated by the National Park Service.

When driving in, we came upon a roundabout with a one tenth scale replica of the Washington Monument (55 feet tall vs 550 feet tall). Turn to the right to go to the Visitor’s Center and historic area.

We started in the Visitor’s Center and grabbed a copy of the Junior Ranger Handbook for this site. It’s filled with on-site activities for ages 5 – 12. At the end of your visit, if all the activities have been completed, your child will be “sworn in” as a Junior Ranger and will receive a super cool patch and pin.

The Visitor’s Center also has a 14-minute movie that provides some background for the site.
We then walked to the historic area. Most of the tour is self-led, but the Memorial House has guided tours.

We visited on a slower day and tours were offered each hour on the hour. In the historic area, we were able to visit pigs, horses, and sheep, who were all surprisingly friendly.

The sheep were out roaming the grounds and most kept their distance, but the resident ram came up to us and let us pet him and touch his horns.

These sheep are Hog Island Sheep, a breed that is preserved by various organizations because of its relevance to American history and its resemblance to historical American sheep.

There were many lambs and their moms roaming, and the little lambs were very playful and enjoyed jumping around a couple of mulch piles.

The site has been set up as a mid-sized working tobacco plantation would have been in Colonial Virginia.

The workshop, barn, weaving room, and memorial house have all been placed where they might have been located when George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, but the colonial kitchen building was built in its original place.

Two artifacts original to the Washington family can be found in the Memorial House – a glass wine bottle and a tea table.

The actual home where Washington was born burned on Christmas Day, 1779. The Memorial House was built in 1931 and represents a typical upper-class colonial house. However, it’s probably larger and finer than the actual house in which he was born.

In 1936, the original home’s foundation was excavated and outlined with oyster shells. The outline is visible today so that visitors can see where the actual house was located. Washington lived at this site until he was nearly 4, but he still spent periods of time there throughout his life.

A short drive from the visitor’s center will take you to the Washington family graveyard. 32 burials have been found there, including Washington’s half-brother, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Adjacent to that you’ll find a sandy beach on the Potomac River.

In the distance you can see the Potomac River bridge for Route 301. You can occasionally see shark’s teeth on the beach, but it’s illegal to collect them from National Park Service property.

Colonial Williamsburg

Location: 310 S England St, Williamsburg, VA 23185

Phone:  (800) 228-8878

Website: www.colonialwilliamsburg.com

Hours: 8:45 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Ticket Price: Adult: $40.99, Youth: $20.49

Homeschool discount? No, but Homeschool Days are usually held in September

We Visited: Saturday, November 12, 2016

Colonial Williamsburg is set up to represent Virginia in the 18^th century (1700’s). Williamsburg served as the capital of Virginia during that time (beginning in 1698 – when it was known as Middle Plantation – the name was changed to Williamsburg to honor King William III in 1699).

It’s filled with over 50 sites, trades, taverns, and shops from that period. Many costumed interpreters fill the streets and buildings and add a theatrical touch. They speak about events that occurred there during the 18^th century as well as other events that were shaping the new world (ie: the Boston Tea Party). They also reenact many events that took place there, allowing visitors to become a part of the historical event.

We entered through the Visitor’s Center, bought tickets, and were given a map and daily schedule. From there, visitors can take the free (included with a paid ticket) shuttle to a stop near different attractions within the historic area, or they can walk over to the historic town. We exited the back of the Visitor’s Center and walked the path to the main area. Along the way, you’ll cross a bridge that treats you to major events that happened between the present day and the late 1700’s. They appear in reverse order, so as you cross the bridge, you’re walking back in time.

As you walk the path, the first thing you come to is a separate area known as Great Hopes Plantation. It’s only open Tuesday and Thursday – Saturday, but it’s a treat that gives you an idea of what life would be like outside the main city. About 90% of the colonial population lived and worked in rural, agricultural places such as this.

The area is a working farm consisting of two gardens, crop fields, a slave house, corn house, smokehouse, kitchen, and tobacco house. A Planter’s house is proposed but has not yet been built. Costumed interpreters are available throughout the plantation to discuss how their lived would have been back in the 18^th century.

We didn’t linger in the Plantation area very long, because we were anxious to see the re-enactment of the Dissolving of the House of Burgesses on the street in front of the Capitol building. There, Governor Dunmore dissolves the legislative body. Many costumed Williamsburg citizens were mixed into the crowd of visitors, adding an authentic air to the event.

We visited several shops, all staffed by interpreters in period attire. Most interesting to us was the Milliner and Mantua Maker shop which was filled with several ladies working on clothing from that time. One woman was busy embroidering linen, which was used for most clothing then. 

The interpreter answered many questions from the visitors, including how pregnant ladies dressed during that time, questions about undergarments (they weren’t considered taboo at that time – a pregnant lady could feel free to walk down the main street in an unlaced corset in her third trimester if that was how she was most comfortable - and no one would have given it a second thought! Also, the interpreters pointed out that women worked just as hard as man during the colonial period.

As we strolled through the streets, we noticed horse-drawn carriages throughout the day. They are available for tours (not included in the ticket).

We walked to the Indian Camp area for the next program – History of a People. 

There, a Cherokee man told us three different stories from the Cherokee. He was originally from Cherokee, NC, and said that there wouldn’t have normally been Cherokee in that area of Virginia – those were Powhatan Indians. But, it was interesting to hear the Cherokee stories about the earth’s creation as well as other things, and also hear how the stories had been passed down from generation to generation (Native Americans did not have a written language).

We stopped into the Courthouse, where visitors can participate in a court session and see 18^th century justice in action. 

We visited in between sessions, but were greeted by a costumed interpreter who told us all about the Courthouse as well as gave us a tour.

We ate lunch at Chowning’s Tavern that included Brunswick Stew, patsies, hot buttered rum, and apple pie. Everything was simply delicious and very filling! It was a bit on the pricey side, but well worth it, for both the experience and the tasty lunch. Be sure to get your name on the list early - the wait list is long, especially on busier days.

The wait staff wore period clothing, and costumed musicians entertained us as we dined.

We then toured the Governor’s Palace – the grand home of Governor Dunmore before the collapse of the royal government in Virginia. 

The maze out back was a lot of fun - be sure to check it out! Also, I'm sure the gardens are lovely when they're in bloom. 

We then toured the church (not completely part of Colonial Williamsburg) before touring the Capitol building (downstairs and upstairs).

We also visited the Gaol (jail) which once held the pirate Blackbeard’s crew.

We then took the shuttle back to the Visitor’s Center. It was odd that the shuttle circled the entire area, and returned to our original stop before going back to the Visitor’s Center. The map does not have a shuttle stop symbol on the Visitor Center, so we first feared that it didn’t actually go back to the Visitor’s Center and we were riding in vain. The Colonial Williamsburg app didn’t have the shuttle routes built into it, either.

We didn’t stay for the evening events - all but one required an additional ticket purchase. The ghost tours (these may be seasonal?) sounded very interesting, though, and may be worth revisiting.

Colonial Williamsburg felt as much like a theme park as it did an historical site. While it was fun to visit, and we learned a good deal about daily life in the 1700’s, we missed having some sort of walk through sequence of historical events – some sort of timeline to help bring it all together and fit it into history. Also, it’s worth going multiple days in order to see more attractions. We were only able to scratch the surface during our one-day visit. Many of the shops and attractions are only open certain days, so visiting more than once would be beneficial.

It was fun, but very expensive, and more like a history theme park than an historical site. It's owned and run by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Tip: Before you go, download the free Colonial Williamsburg Explorer mobile app for easy access to the map, interactive event information, and fun stuff like photo frames.