What would be the perfect day in Jamestown?

I am very excited to see this new forum!!!

I have purchased tickets to both Jamestown Settlement and Historic Jamestowne for all eight of our family members. I understand that to do Jamestown justice we should plan on a full day to see them both. (Our sons are all over the place in age (5-22) and the older ones will not necessarily be staying with my husband and I every minute during the day so I will ask only for the perfect day plans for DH, myself and our two younger sons--ages 5 and 11) I would like to include lunch into the plans. I have read some shocking things about the costs of the lunches right in Jamestown. (I read a trip report where someone detailed the high cost of their very humble, unimpressive lunch) With six ';adults'; to feed (plus two ';kids';)we are not interested in fine dining. I suppose I would be willing to pack a picnic--but it would take some doing. Also, I think it will be hot, hot, hot and would guess we will be looking for air conditioning when we eat.:-)) I would be more interested, perhaps, in leaving around lunch time and going to a nearby town to eat. Can you tell me what the ';perfect'; day for our group would look like if you were planning it?

What would be the perfect day in Jamestown?

it%26#39;s not new - the forum has been here for years. as you can see, most visitors have chosen to sue the willimasburg forum. doesn%26#39;t matter where you post - you will get help. even the most ardent fans of jamestown have been using the williamsburg forum for years - someone just discovered this the other day.

of course the perfect day will vary by your tastes. do a search on the williamsburg forum or just read the first few pages for ideas - not much varies at jamestown. it is one of my favorite places, we like to ride the loop, take a picnic lunch, take the boat in - it%26#39;s serene and has a lot of meaning to our family - our namesakes were settlers.

If you don%26#39;t want to eat lunch at jamestown (only 1 choice) it%26#39;s easy to leave and go back. nice lunch within 5-15 minutes. also you can get lunch to go from a variety of places and picnic along the parkway if the weather suits you. for air conditioning do you want fast food or quick sit-down places? we mention plenty of places on the williamsburg forum - keep in mind jamestown is just a few miles from CW and plenty of locals places are within a few minutes - Chickahominy House, Sweet madeline%26#39;s, Shackelford%26#39;s all might work.

also Charly%26#39;s at the airport - watch the aircraft take off and land, home made pies - they are also a good place for take-out sandwiches.

my perfect day is spent at the dig - it%26#39;s fascinating. And the church. Lunch sitting on a bench overlooking the James. Your family will undoubtedly want to do ';both';. It%26#39;s a great day - or half if the kids get tired of it and want to do something else.

What would be the perfect day in Jamestown?

These are some very excellent suggestions. I hadn%26#39;t thought about how much my college aged sons will enjoy watching the dig--we all will, I think. I had wanted to eat Old Chickahominy--dinner there on the way back might be a good idea. If I think the weather will be pleasant I might just pick up a lunch to eat on a bench in front of the James River. For sure we will at least stop there to rest with a cold drink. Thank you for lending your expertise.

chcik%26#39;s not for dinner, breakfast %26amp; lunch only. it%26#39;s OK, not great.

i came back to suggest cities grill for lunch (or dinner) great food, about 10 minutes from jamestown and will be air conditioned. if i%26#39;m picking up a picnic it%26#39;s def from charly%26#39;s - i love the pie!

bridge,

What did you mean by ';ride the loop'; and ';take the boat in';?

Charly%26#39;s Airport sounds PERFECT for what I am looking for (read some reviews). I have printed off the map from mapquest and noted to be sure and get the pie.

I%26#39;d start early at Historic Jamestowne, the NPS site. I%26#39;d probably start at the Glasshouse, where the glassblowers demonstrate glass blowing as it was done in the 17th century. Moving on to the visitors center, I%26#39;d see the introductory film before walking to the monument. The church is a must-see, and so is the dig. To the left of the monument is the area with reconstructed foundations and ruins, which makes you realize that there was a real town here. There is also a viewing area where you can see via a screen what the various areas looked like. There are statues of Pocahontas (in wildly inaccurate Plains Indian dress) and of John Smith. The Archeararium houses a small fraction of the artifacts that have been unearthed by Dr. Kelso and the other archaeologists.

On Jamestown Island, there is a loop drive. One loop is 5 miles, or a shorter one can be taken that is 3 miles. The drives are used by pedestrians, bicyclists, and cars.

For lunch, you can look at the menu at the Dale House on the island. If that doesn%26#39;t suit, the Old Chickahominy House might be just the thing.

In the afternoon, visit Jamestown Settlement. The Powhatan village, the reconstructed ships, and the reconstructed fort will be both entertaining and educational - for all of you. Then visit the museum, where the air conditioning will provide a welcome respite from the heat of the afternoon. There is a film there, too.

You might want to read the traveler article about Historic Jamestown found here: tripadvisor.com/Travel-g58313-c104632/Willia鈥?/a>

Zoey,

This is a plan I believe we will follow. It is very well thought out. I like the idea of being in the museum section in the heat of the day. I will add it to my notes and use it as a tour plan.

It looks like there is also a cafe at the Jamestown Settlement (not just at Historic Jamestowne). Do you know anything about it? I saw a photo on the Jamestown/Yorktown website and it looked very nice--much nicer than the photo of the Dale House Cafe(?) at Jamestown Island. They give a phone number for restaurant question and I was thinking of calling them to ask the price range of their offerings. I think the negative review I had read a long time ago was for the Dale House--mostly that it was extraordinarily expensive for the plain sandwiches and drinks that were ordered.

There is dining at Jamestown Settlement. There is a variety of food offered there, but do call and ask. I remember it as being typical in pricing for a museum, that is, a bit pricey for what you get. It%26#39;s cafeteria style.

I meant to add, the ranger-led tours at Historic Jamestowne are one of the highlights, so if you see one that looks interesting, take it!

Zoey,

I wanted you to know I did call the cafe at Jamestown Settlement to get pricing. It is really high, IMO. I do believe we will go off-site to eat.

The types of meals are ';Cheeseburger/fry/drink, pizzas, salads, etc.--The nice lady said to expect $12-$13 for adults and $6.50 for kids meals if you get a drink for them. ($4 otherwise) That%26#39;s right...drinks are $2.50. Ouch!!! If I am going to spend $90 for my family of 8 to have lunch--it%26#39;s probably going to be at a place like Chili%26#39;s.

Glad you returned to this ';really hoppin'; forum, readaloud. Ha ha. Well, maybe someday it will be. I like the plans you have received here.

Oh, and bridgey, ';someone'; did not discover this forum just recently, if you were referring to me. I love the Williamsburg forum, but I think there is room for this one, and if they blend them both together, that%26#39;s fine with me also.