Jamestown Settlement, USA

Historical guides at Jamestown Settlement will make your visit more interesting by bringing the past to life. Watch as they show you how to hunt, fish, and gather food in the usual way in Paspahegh Town. Learn how to make pots and how to work with animal skins. Watch the live examples of how to build dugout canoes and clothes out of feathers. At James Fort, interpreters craft wood and leather products with tools from the 17th century.

You can learn a lot about colonial life in the halls inside Jamestown Settlement. There are more than 500 items on show, such as furniture, toys, and a map of Virginia made by Captain John Smith in 1612. Check out the tribute to Pocahontas, which includes a German ceramic jug that Queen Anne is said to have given to her. Explore the military exhibit to find a rare jack of plates. This is an iron-plated vest made to protect residents from arrows, similar to a modern bulletproof vest. The exhibit called "Africa to Virginia" shows how hard life was for Africans in the settlement and how rich their culture was.

Watching films at Jamestown Settlement will help you learn more about its past and importance. Start with 1607: A Nation Takes Root, which is shown in the museum theatre every half hour. This movie tells the whole story of how Jamestown came to be and its early years. Next, watch Bacon's Rebellion, which comes on every 20 minutes. This 4-D, multisensory experience brings the armed uprising against the governor in 1676 to life and gives your visit more meaning. 

At Jamestown Settlement's yearly Military Through the Ages event, hundreds of re-enactors show off military gear, weapons, and tactics from 500 B.C.E. to the present day. Watch the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps perform, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter fly over, and examples of how to fire artillery. Make sure you don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate 40 years of military history in March.