Starting our Journey to the Northeast

         We left Florida on March 12 and drove up to South Carolina for three nights.  I wanted to visit Charleston while we were in South Carolina, and I really liked it.  It is such a pretty, clean, and historic city with beautiful architecture.  

#CharlestonPhotoShoot

Rainbow Row 

        We then returned home to North Carolina, where we would be staying until April 3.  We had a couple of doctor's appointments to take care of, and we also visited friends and family.  It was good to see everybody again.  

We went to Old Salem one day and the weather was so nice. Old Salem is beautiful, and if you come during a time when they have a lot of demonstrations it is a great learning experience and a lot of fun. 

The post-sunset colors one night at our campground 

We went hiking on Pilot Mountain with my grandpa one Sunday, which was a very nostalgic experience since I used to hike there a lot when I lived in the town of Pilot Mountain 

PIlot Mountain is known for its "knob"

        We left NC on Monday, April 3, and drove to Williamsburg, Virginia.  We stayed there for a week and had such a fun time visiting Colonial Wiliamsburg (we got a three-day pass) and Jamestown Settlement.  Colonial Williamsburg is SO much fun; it's literally like you are back in the 1700-1800s.  If you walk over the bridge from the visitor's center to Colonial Williamsburg, it has plaques on the ground, with dates of important historical events in reverse order, giving the feeling of literally walking back through the timeline.  One of the things I loved about Colonial Williamsburg is that there is so much to see and do and you feel so immersed in your experience there.  There are shows, costumed interpretors, trade shops where you can learn how things like guns, dresses, and bricks were made; and characters like George Washington and Paul Revere that you can have a conversation with.  There were also tours of historic homes, such as the Randolph house, the Wythe house, and the Governor's Palace.  One of my personal favorite and most memorable experiences at Colonial Williamsburg was playing the part of a Court Justice in a reenactment of a colonial court trial.  Other visitors to Colonial Williamsburg played the parts of defendants and plaintiffs.  It was so much fun, and so interactive.  I would definitely recommend that Colonial Williamsburg be on everyone's travel list, even if you aren't a history buff like me. 😉

We time-travelled back to the eighteenth century!!

There were beautiful flowers gardens in Colonial Williamsburg

Justice Kate Sparks

The cooks for the Governor's Palace. This was one of Mia's favorite things we did. 

We got to watch the debut show of My Story My Voice, about Ann Ashby Jones, a free black woman. 

A very revised version of the 1747 play, Miss in Her Teens, was very funny and entertaining

The carpenter's shop (the guy in the back is making a type of desk)

The printer's shop where we watched them print a newspaper right before our eyes

The Capitol building

The public jail (spelled gael) where Blackbeard's pirates (captured in 1718) were kept until their hanging 

The church pew where James Madison used to sit  

George Washingotn's pew

The church that several famous historical figures attended 

One of Colonial Williamsburg's streets, early in the morning 

And of course, it wouldn't be a complete trip to Williamsburg without a photo shoot!

        We had a couple days of chilly weather, so we hung out at the camper and got some school done.  But when the weather warmed up, we went to Jamestown Settlement (which is different from Historic Jamestowne--Histroric Jamestowne is where the town of Jamestown was originally located. You can see the original Jamestown fort there.  Jamestown Settlement is just a reconstruction of what Jamestown would have looked like.)  Jamestown Settlement definitely doesn't require as much time as Colonial Williamsburg--you could get it done in one day versus three.  However, it is still worth a visit.  The Indian encampment reconstruction is really cool and the museum has a fabulous 4D film on Bacon's Rebellion.  And of course, the reconstructions of the three ships that brought the settlers to Jamestown--the Godspeed, the Discovery, and the Susan Constant--was very cool. You can actually board the largest of the three, the Susan Constant.

The Discovery and the Godspeed

One of the bunks aboard the Susan Constant

The main deck of the ship. Below are the passengers quarters and the cargo hold. 

At the Powhatan Indian encampment, one of the men was burning out a canoe. 

Inside one of the Powhatan-style houses, which is called a yehakin

There's a big museum about Jamestown, and this exhibit on England was made to look like one of the streets of London

        We really enjoyed our time in Williamsburg, but soon it was time to move on.  Our new campground was an hour and a half from Washington D.C., so we went there one day. We hit up the big attractions--the Washington Monument, the White House, and the Library of Congress, among other things.  We got to see the original Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, and Constitution in the National Archives Museum; but unfortunately, visitors aren't allowed to take pictures of these priceless documents.  

The ceiling of the Rotunda in the Capitol Building

The ceiling of the Library of Congress's main hall

The Reading Room in the Library of Congress

Flowers by a walkway in D.C. Disclaimer: These aren't cherry blossoms. We unfortunately were too late to catch them; they bloomed early due to the mild winter. 

Time for a pretzel snack!

We went to the Gem and Rock exhibit in the Smithsonian (my dad likes geology)  and there were lots of beautiful and sparkly gems and minerals

 

The White House

We passed this beautiful church when we were walking back to our truck

We made it back to the parking lot right at sunset--and it was a lovely one. 

        Another attraction, this one nearer to our campground, was Westmoreland State Park.  This state park has a store (with great stickers for your water bottles, laptops, or whatever else you love to sticker up!), campground, hiking trails, and access to the beach on the Potomac River.  We hiked the Laurel Point trail and the Big Meadow trail.  The Big Meadow trail is the park's most popular, and it leads to Fossil Beach, which borders the Potomac.  When we hiked Laurel Point trail, we brought our hammocks and hung them at the end of the trail to relax for a bit. 

At the end of Laurel Point trail, chilling in my hammock

Fossil Beach

        We went to George Washington's Birthplace National Monument on our last day in Virginia.  This was actually my dad's favorite thing we did at this campground. The National Monument wasn't very busy; but it had a fun photo spot and a walking trail beside a beautiful lawn shaded with trees and dotted with benches from which you could enjoy a view of Popes Creek.  There are also a couple of reconstructions, showing what sort of trades would have been done in George's time, but there were no costumed interpreters like in Williamsburg or Jamestown Settlement.  But if you are in the area, come visit this place for a picnic or a relaxing walk. 

        We left that campground on April 16 and went back to NC to have my wisdom teeth taken out.  I would just like to thank everyone who prayed for my surgery and a quick recovery, that was such a comfort.  You guys are great.❤

        That concludes our early northeastern adventures for this upcoming year; thanks so much for reading and be sure to leave a comment and stay tuned for my next blog, which will cover our adventures in Pennsylvania!