Our original plan was to visit Williamsburg Virginia after staying in Hatteras and then a week in Chesapeake VA. Isaias forced us to detour to Williamsburg instead of the blissful week of sun and fun that we had planned in Hatteras.

Moonlight through the trees as American Heritage RV Campground in Williamsburg Virginia

American Heritage RV Campground

The beautiful pool at American Heritage RV Campground

Oh well, what can you do? So we headed to American Heritage, Hatteras Sands’ sister park in Williamsburg. The park was enormous and gorgeous! Surrounded by woods the park offered up the lovely chirps of birds by day and the clicking sound of cicadas by night. Each campsite was landscaped and had fire pits. We met lovely people at the pool an on our walks with Hershi. It was a beautiful setting and a very convenient location, close to shopping and attractions.

The Hampton Coliseum in Hampton Virginia

Duke of Gloucester Street in historic Williamsburg Virginia

Look who I found. My old friend John Hancock just sitting on a bench in historic Williamsburg Virginia

After a disappointing trip to Hampton to try to buy a cover for our grill we drove to historic Williamsburg to wander the streets. There were many little shops to wander through. They sold everything from cheese to wine to jewelry to dolls and souvenirs. Unfortunately many of the historic buildings were not open for touring due to the pandemic. But that didn’t really matter to us since we had visited Williamsburg back in 2006 when we first fell in love with RVing.

DoG Street Pub

DoG Street Pub in Williamsburg Virginia

After all that shopping we had worked up quite the appetite so we looked for a place to have a late lunch. The first place we went only had sandwiches to go which you could take outside and eat. But it was really hot and threatening to rain. So we actually opted for air conditioning and chose DoG (Duke of Gloucester) Street Pub for our sustenance . It has been extremely rare for us to dine indoors during this pandemic. But we decided to brave it because we could see that the pub management was taking extreme measures to keep everyone safe. They were seating people about 15 feet apart.

Yummy lunch

In true Williamsburg style DoG Street Pub made us feel like we had stepped back in time. But the menu offered both dishes from days of yore as well as items popular in this century. Steve and I decided to order two different things and share which, as you know, is pretty common for us. So after salivating over the many delicious sounding menu items we chose and order of Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce and Fried Calamari with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli.

Our abundant plate of Chicken Wings at DoG Street Pub

Our mountain of Fried Calamari at DoG Street Pub

Oddly, they were out of the Buffalo sauce for the wings, so I just added some hot sauce myself. I’m not really sure why they couldn’t have just melted some butter and mixed it with hot sauce. I guess we were spared some calories by not having the butter. And the wings were really delicious and plentiful. The Calamari was also listed as an appetizer but the portion was HUGE!!! Plus the calamari itself was tender and the coating nice and crunchy. We were very pleased with our selections.

Jamestown Settlement

The Importance of Jamestown

A beautiful view of the Powhatan River at Jamestown Settlement

Glass blowing demo at Jamestown Settlement

These wonderful sculptures were part of the Marine Art exhibit at Jamestown Settlement

The next day we decided to visit the Jamestown Settlement. We watched as men, dressed in period costumes, blew glass objects. It was fascinating to watch them turn molten glass into pitchers, vases and drinking vessels. From there we went to an indoor area that housed galleries and a theater. We watched a wonderful film all about the history of the area. And then we enjoyed a fantastic exhibit of marine art that was very well curated.

My Traveling Locavore husband at the entry fountain of Jamestown Settlement Welcome Center

One of three ships that sailed to Virginia in 1607 to establish America’s first permanent English colony.

Aboard one of the 1607 sailing ships at Jamestown Settlement

The Powhatan Indian Village at Jamestown Settlement

But we saved the best for last. The 1607 ships, James Fort, and Powhatan Indian Village. We felt like we had entered a time capsule and were transported back to the 1600s. An Powhatan Indian girl was tending her vegetable garden. The tent homes were quite large and dome shaped. This recreation is based on the town of Paspahegh and depicts the reed covered houses, ceremonial circle and crop fields.

James Fort

The kitchen area of a home at James Fort at Jamestown Settlement

Kegs of gunpowder at the James Fort armory

The Church at James Fort

A stroll a bit further took us to James Fort with its thatched roof houses, storehouses, court of guard and church inside a triangular palisade. Here there were many people going about there business as if it was still 1610-1614. We watch a gentleman making a holster for a long pistol that would be placed over the back of a horse. Another man gave us a demo of loading his rifle and shooting it. What a loud bang!!! But the process was quite time consuming so it took a large regiment to be effective against the enemy.

A friendly rooster roaming free in the Powhatan Indian Village

Our visit to Williamsburg Virginia was wonderful and so rich in history. It may have been a detour, but it was a happy one for sure.