Saturday, July 24, 2010

History Alive; Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, VA

















As a history teacher, I love reenactments.  In fact, my friends and I got a grant one summer just to trail the civil war throughout the south.  We didn't get in one reenactment!  Perhaps it was my early experiences with Plimoth Plantation.  Maybe it was 7th grade when we got to reenact the trial of the Boston Massacre.  I got to be the lead bad guy, how cool. I think we may wait a little on that one for the boys though. In the meantime, we eased them in with Lexington and Concord this winter.   We were ready for the show.


I had always planned a trip to Colonial Williamsburg, but just never hooked east from Richmond.  On our trip south to North Carolina, the chance presented itself.  Sure it was 95 and humid as all get out, but we were ready.   We slid past the plantation (boy is slavery tough to explain) and started toward the shady gardens by the Governor's palace.  The kids loved the run through the intricately carved bushes.


We were pouring sweat and desperate for lunch (daddy, lunch!  Daddy, Lunch!)  Our options were the Tavern and…. The Tavern, so we picked Chowning's.  I wasn’t sure how we would introduce terms such as grog and wenches to our young kiddos.  Thankfully besides the dress and the décor we were given the choice of modern conveniences such as turkey sandwich and bbq pork sandwich.  But, the highlight of the trip was the reenactment.  FINALLY!  Sydney literally chased the pied pipers down the street as they paraded from the beautifully restored brick capitol building to the end of town.  Hot, sticky and a bit over their heads?  Perhaps.  An educational destination for their teen years sandwiched betwixt a stop at Water Country and Busch Gardens down the road?  For sure.

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