Wow! Jamestown is 400 years old already? Time does fly. On May 14, 1607, folks from the Virginia Company stepped off their ships onto Jamestown Island. And so it began. The Virginia colony was established here at the banks of the James River with the idea they’d find gold for England and a way to keep heading east to Asia. The Algonquin Indians weren’t too tickled with the intruders so there was a bit of fighting which prompted the building of a fort.
Jamestown Settlement and Historic Jamestowne are established tourist spots where history has stepped out of a textbook for some interactive learning. At the recreated village, Jamestown Settlement, people dress in period costumes and demonstrate what life was like way back when. Next door, at Historic Jamestowne, archeologists excavate the original site. Replicas of the ships are also part of the things to see package.
For the 400th birthday, there’s a weekend of activities, May, 11-13 and tickets are still available. You can buy tickets on-line. Here’s a list of what’s going on for the celebration weekend. The variety and scope are impressive. For a video about the voyage from the Jamestown Web site, click here.