If you’re planning a family road trip through Virginia this year, make sure to include a visit to Historic Jamestowne. As a cornerstone of American history, it’s a must-see destination on your Virginia itinerary. Additionally, it’s conveniently located near other sites in the Historic Triangle, making it an essential stop on your Virginia historic tour. If your kids are studying US history this year, seeing the places that helped form America are the best history lessons they could ever learn (and my favorite!).
No Virginia road trip is complete without exploring the Historic Triangle: Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. Check out my comprehensive 7-day Virginia itinerary and let’s plan your Virginia road trip to include all the amazing historical places. Here’s everything you need to know to visit Jamestown and explore Virginia’s famous historical places.
Quick Jump to These Historic Jamestowne Topics
Jamestown Settlement vs Historic Jamestowne
What Will I See at Historic Jamestowne?
How Much Does It Cost to Visit Historic Jamestowne?
How Much Time Do I Need to Spend at Historic Jamestowne?
What is Near Jamestown?
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Why is Historic Jamestowne Important?
Is Historic Jamestowne worth visiting? Absolutely. Jamestown Colony was the first permanent English settlement in the New World after the disappearance of Roanoke. The original location of the Jamestown Fort was lost until rediscovery by archeologists in 1994, and more is actively being uncovered with archeologists still digging on the site today.
A family trip to Jamestown brings to life the stories they’ve heard about Pocahontas and John Rolfe – here you can learn the real story. These are the American history heroes that you usually only read about; combine this with a trip to nearby Williamsburg and Yorktown. It’s a full American history lesson.
Jamestown Settlement vs Historic Jamestowne
There are two Jamestown, Virginia locations, and they are confusing. We’ve been and I’ve written about both must-see Virginia experiences multiple times… and yet, I still had to relabel the included Jamestown photos only minutes ago. The two Jamestowns only five minutes ways from each other yet offer a completely different perspective on American history.
HISTORIC JAMESTOWNE is a US National Park at the original location of the 1607 Jamestown Settlement. Here you can take a guided tour of the site, visit with the archeologists, see the archeology museum, visit the glasshouse, and drive around the island. This historic Virginia site is the authentic, history-being-unearthed site that makes a great complement to your trip to Jamestown Settlement.
Historic Jamestowne is further divided into two tickets and two areas; as if visiting Jamestown isn’t complicated enough already. This Historic Jamestowne National Park Service site runs the area, visitor center, and bookstore. It is, however, run in conjunction with nonprofit Preservation Virginia which is in charge of the archeological digs and Archaearium museum. Entrance to the archeology museum is included in the park ticket.
JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT is a reconstruction of the fort away from the original historical site. The outdoor living museum has colonial interpreters who talk to you about their settlement while demonstrating their trades. Additionally, the Powhatan characters show you their village, canoes, and lifestyle. Outside are three rebuilt ships which came ashore more than 400 years ago. You are able to climb aboard the Susan Constant and explore sea life. Not to be overlooked is the state of the art Jamestown museum inside which also has two movies to view and is as amazing as its sister American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
~~~> Check out my other post about Jamestown Settlement for complete information about this additional stop on your road trip to Virginia.
What Will I See at Historic Jamestowne?
A visit to Historic Jamestowne covers a lot of areas. I suggest that you take a tour first and then tackle the areas based on what you were not shown previously. And go back to revisit what you missed. However, even if you can’t get a tour, you will see so much on a self-guided tour.
Historic Jamestowne Visitor Centre
Start your visit with the visitor center right off the parking lot. This is where you can start learning about Jamestown and buy tickets. You have to go through here to get to the bridge and cross over to the Jamestown site.
Archeology Dig Site
There may be multiple sites at a time depending on what area is currently being excavated; check out the list of active Jamestown digs here. There are archeologists on site daily working an active dig.Go take your family to see real life history; I love showing my kids awesome adults who love what they do. They are more than willing to answer your kids’ many questions, describe the process, and show you their current finds.
Take a Jamestown Nature Walk
Don’t rush from the Visitor Center to the Jamestown for area. Stroll slowly along the path across the bridge and stop to look for animals including otters, muskrat, turtles and birds. We watched an otter swim by when we were there. It’s a beautiful, peaceful area away from the business of towns.
Archearium
The Jamestown archeology museum houses on-site artifacts including armor, household objects, coins and skeletons. You should visit here after talking to the archeologists. Let the kids see where the excavated treasures end up. Plan for at least 45 minutes to explore.
The James Fort and Jane’s Cellar
A quick look at this map will show you all the areas of the 1600 fort. It’s here that you will see graves, look inside the (cannibal!) cellar, and hear the stories of the settlers. Pay attention to the wooden spikes defining the area of the fort, and you can see how the land has eroded over time.
The Jamestown Glasshouse
Visit the Jamestowne Glasshouse where America first began manufacturing products for England through glassblowing. The site of the original is under a protected building, but the current operation allows for you to watch glassblowing using traditional techniques. There is also a small gift shop if you need some special souvenirs.
Jamestown Island Drive
When we arrived, it was several hours until the first tour, so we took this opportunity to drive around Jamestown Island. Choosing from the 3-mile or 5-mile one-direction driving loops, explore the land as the colonists would have seen when they landed. Along the way, there are pull outs to read historical markers, see the landscape, and even park to get out and walk to the water. Be on the lookout for wildlife and look up for the bald eagles. We saw a pair as we were crossing over the bridge to get to the island.
I really feel that I understood the story of Jamestown better when seeing the island and how the land looked before it was settled. It’s an area most visitors don’t explore, so it’s quiet. See the drives on the Jamestown island map here.
How Much Does It Cost to Visit Historic Jamestowne?
Tickets to Historic Jamestowne are confusing because they include both the National Park Service area as well as the Preservation Virginia Property. This is a good website that explains in detail. Remember, this is different than the Jamestown Settlement site. Historic Jamestown tickets are not part of the shared ticket with the American Revolution Museum in Yorktown. You cannot walk around Jamestown for free.
Historic JamestownE National Park area requires a Historic Jamestowne entrance pass to pass through the visitor center. With this alone, you can see the Jamestown NP visitor center, cross the footbridge to the tour the townsite, see the island, and visit the glasshouse. Entrance is also included if you have your receipt from visiting Yorktown Battlefield as they are both part of the Colonial National Historic Park. If you have more US National Parks planned for the year, consider getting the NPS annual pass or sign up your 4th grader for an Every Kid Outdoors for NPS entrance for the whole family for a year.
Historic Jamestowne Preservation Virginia tickets will give you entrance to the rest of the Historic Jamestowne Settlement called “Jamestown Rediscovery”. This ticket will get you into the 1607 James Fort, the archeological dig area, the church, and the archeology museum. This ticket is $15 adults (16+) and $5 kids.
Should I Visit the Both Areas of Historic Jamestowne?
Are you now more confused than ever about how to spend your day at Historic Jamestowne? Yes! This homeschool mom travelers recommends that yes, you see both areas. The part of the park that myself and the kids most enjoyed was seeing the archeologists in action and seeing the fort as it lays today still being uncovered. If your kids are super young, maybe skip this and the museum; we really liked it.
How Much Time Do I Need to Spend at Historic Jamestowne?
During our Virginia family trip, we spent about half a day exploring Historic Jamestowne. For my kids ages and interest levels, I feel that was plenty. We did spend about an hour of that driving the road around the island and just wandering near the beach. It was a good way to get out kid wiggles! If you have younger kids, a couple of hours is probably sufficient.
The Historic Jamestowne areas are 9 AM to 5 PM in most areas. However, the Island Loop Drive is open until sunset; this would be a great way to see some nature after a busy afternoon visit. There will be some driving involved to get to the glasshouse and to take the island drive. Otherwise, park at the visitor center and walk everywhere.
Make sure you check out this map of Historic Jamestowne. I suggest you screenshot this map as signal on the island may be spotty.
Should I Take a Tour at Historic Jamestowne?
On the day of our visit, we participated in an excellent hour-long archeology tour led by one of the resident archeologists. She gave us a brief history of the area but focused on the archeological finds of the site, previous and current. We discussed the church, burials, Jane’s cellar, and the fort.
Multiple tours are available during the day on different topics. A history tour was available later the day we visited led by a costumed guide. The Jamestowne tour schedule varies by day so check on their website.
Word of Caution
Historic Jamestowne is an archeological site, so expect lots of talk of skeletons and burials which have been unearthed. The famous Jamestown cannibalism is discussed in tours of Jane’s Cellar, and Jane is the name given to the girl whose bones were found in the cellar. The skull was found to have tooth marks from the starving time desperation of the Jamestown population. Additionally, the actual artifacts are in the archeology museum as well as two articulated skeletons.
Family Learning About Jamestown
Jamestown Rediscovery: Historic Jamestown, Dig Deeper – Amazing videos by the resident archeologists talking about their work and current discoveries
This educational section of the Historic Jamestowne website has downloadable activities that would make the visit more memorable if you had already done some at home. They even have a section for teachers and people just learning at home.
Junior Rangers
Grab your Jamestowne Junior Ranger packet at the Visitor Center! As a self-guided booklet for them to complete during their visit to Jamestown, Junior Ranger packets are a great way to lead the kids through further learning. As a disclaimer, I don’t expect some of my kids to do these anymore as they seem to actually keep them from reading and moving through even more material at educational opportunities. It doesn’t make you a bad travel mom if your kids don’t have a giant collection of Junior Ranger badges from around the United States.
Kid books
Check out the list of Jamestown books on my Jamestown Settlement post, but also take this opportunity to learn about archeology. However, I’m still working on finding some great books about archeology that aren’t just about digging up dinosaurs! Let me know if you find some.
Deep Dives into Jamestowne History
Historic Jamestowne was my favorite site during our family vacation and Virginia road trip. American history comes alive at this historic site, so take the time to lead the kids into further discussion. Homeschool moms, this is an excellent addition to your Classical Conversations Cycle 3 history studies or a focused-study about American history. There is a ton of information to continue reading about Jamestowne at home; go to the website.
- What is the significance of the James River? Trace it on the map.
- Why would this land have made this a good site for the settlers to land?
- Have you visited other types of archeological sites?
- How do you become an archeologist?
- What kind of history can you learn about the area where you live?
- Which artifacts would people find of our life in 300 years?
- What could have caused the erosion of the land to make the fort extend into the water currently?
- Why was this area good for the first glassblowing site? What materials did they need?
What Should I Visit Near Jamestown?
If you’re struggling to figure out the must-see stops in Virginia during your family trip, steal this “Ultimate Road Trip to Virginia: 7 Days in American History” to add extras like Monticello and Norfolk, Virginia to your trip. Or save these ideas for your next trip to Virginia!
Virginia’s Historic Triangle is only 2.5 hours to Washington DC and a perfect way to continue to history trip in American history. If you’re headed north to DC from Virginia, make sure you read “DC’s Hidden Gems: 10 Must-See Spots Your Kids will Love” and “6 Practical Tips to Make Your D.C. Trip Easier“.
- Jamestown Settlement – Now that you’ve seen the ruins rediscovered, go see the full picture of what it might have looked like when colonized. Learn about more of the history in the Jamestown Settlement museum.
- Ride the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry. It’s free. See the land from the James River as the settlers would have crossed.
- Drive only three hours south, and visit the site of the Lost Colony of Roanoke at Fort Raleigh Historic Park in North Carolina. Not far away in NC is the Wright Brothers’ Kitty Hawk – see “How to Visit Kitty Hawk”.
- Driving west, jump forward in American history with a short road trip to Monticello, the home of President Jefferson
I hope you enjoy your trip to this most special place. If you want to see archeology in action, this is the place to make history come alive. It should be at the top of everyone’s list!
Thanks for stopping by my little corner! Here’s to your next adventure.
I’m Bobbie. As transplants from Texas, my family of six is on a mission to discover all of Georgia’s amazing places, experience amazing road trips across the United States, and create a homeschool life along the way.
Want to adventure like me? Reach out! I’d love to chat. Stop by my Instagram or Pinterest page to discover more of our adventures.
Want to work with me? I’d love to work with your destination and tourism board to help other family travelers see all you have to offer.
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