Jamestown Settlement

I went to a wedding at the Settlement. Ceremony was on the pier with the three ships and the reception was on the grounds, in the enclosed settlement. MUST DO. This is a fantastic event space, the experience is amazing. We were able to climb aboard one of the ships and walk around, while waiting for the ceremony. Additionally, the reception was rather cozy, consider the size of the space. You can see stars everywhere, once you step away from the lighting of the area… and as a city girl… I couldn’t get enough of that! Staff is amazing, and quite helpful. They will golf cart you to/​from the area if you need it… buy why do that, when you can walk through the Indian village and check out the scene?

The Jamestown Settlement was a great place to visit to see a historic site! You can stroll at your leisure and there is a gorgeous view around. Definitely visit if you are in the area :)

This, along with the historic Jamestown, is the real jewel of the historic triangle.
There is enough to see but not be overwhelmed. The enactors were knowledgable, patient, and enthusiastic. They took time to answer questions in a thoughtful manner so even my 11 year old understood.
It was entertaining and educational.
Don’t forget to stop by the Glasshouse!

The Jamestown Settlement was a fascinating real-​life depiction of the Powhatan Indian life and the establishment of the first British Colony. There were live replicas in the water of the British ships. You could board the ship and walk through the vessel. People dressed in traditional Native American attire as well as British colonist attire were presenting live demos. There was also a great 25 minute introductory video and a gallery with all sorts of things to see. I learned a lot about Pocohontas!
I’m not one into history and I may not have gone to the Jamestown Settlement if my bf was not interested. I’m so glad we went. We both really enjoyed it. You need about 2 ½ to 3 hours to cover everything. And the ticket is only $ 17, which is relatively inexpensive considering all there is to see. Must see if in the area.

This is a fantastic historical field trip location. Living history displays with reenactors as well as an excellent «museum» exhibit hall with galleries and films.

Great place to go and so full of history. Beautiful walking trails and scenery. The staff is helpful and friendly. One tip is to time your visit when they are having reenactment or special events and you can get the most out of the experience.

Loved this place. Visited with our 1^st and 4^th grader. They loved talking to the settlers and the Powhatan tribe and learning about life back then. The best part is the boats. The people who work here are amazing and just a fountain of knowledge about life back in the time of Jamestown.
Definitely worth the visit.

We visited Jamestown Settlement on a Sunday morning, and it was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for exploring this living history museum.
When you pull into the parking lot for the visitors center, you’re greeted by a nice display of all the US state flags– very pretty.
I was struck by the size of the ships– expecting them to be much larger.
The fact that there was cannibalism among the colonists surprised me, but the extreme conditions and desperation they endured put that choice into perspective.

I was impressed by the huge fancy visitor center — the building just kept going and going. There were interesting exhibits, a short movie, and a special art exhibit about bird drawings to see. Then outside were re-​creations of the fort, a native village, and two out of three tallships. We were able to go on the medium sized ship and go down into the hold. Watching the blacksmiths was fun and we heard occasional cannon fire demos. It was the off season so it wasn’t very crowded, and we had beautiful weather. There’s a lot of walking but if you are interested in history at all it’s worth the price of admission.

Is $ 16.75 to get in, but they did a nice job with the place. Watch the movie first then see different rooms with items from the period. Then walk outside and to the James River, they three period boats you can walk on. Settler along the way doing native things, cooking, weaving, etc. Then go checkout out the Fort. This place gets a lot of negatives since it’s not the really Jamestown Settlement, which is very close and a National Park. I think there is room for both. The kids will be able to interact more here with people talking about the daily life. So for us we liked both for different reasons. This gives a more Disney like view of how things were like and Park gives shows you the real deal, but without the characters to explain everything.
Great for the kids.

Dive into the history of this country even further! This was where the first permanent colonial settlement by the English in America happened. In 1607, three ships docked on the shores of Jamestown and began life there. With many hardships, sickness, battles, deaths there were triumphs and successes. Here we are in present day able to learn from what was left behind and now there is a landmark available for us to see living history. Upon arrival, buy tickets, watch the video, visit the indoor museum, the Indian village, the 3 ships and the colonial settlement. We got to see a musket demonstration and there were several historical interpreters always willing to answer questions. For those who are Pocahontas fans, you will find a statue of her, husband John Rolfe and their baby with some history about them. The museum houses some original items. This is a great place to take the kiddos — a lot of area to run around and some hands-​on activities for them. I was impressed that the 3 ships were very close replicas to the originals. Please make sure to put Historical Jamestown on your list and take note of close times. Unfortunately, we missed it and it just closed as we drove up (it is gated, when closed). Historians suggested seeing both. There is also another part of the historical triangle we have not seen — Yorktown (battlefields). Make your way up to Colonial Williamsburg to experience in the 18^th century.

Four visits here. Doesn’t seem to be updated very much. During low-​days it is nearly empty and sort of bizarre/​depressing. There are staff in costume at times, but without a large visitor group, it seems out of place and awkward.
There is a tiny native teepee area, a fort, and a ship that you can board. I think overall it is a bit small and more of a «one and done» type deal.
I can confidently say that this area is not recommended if you have to make an important phone call, as a real canon is fired at random somewhere in the fort.

What a wonderful place to visit. Being a history buff, I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the Jamestown Settlement. Lots of history to see.

I’m going to start with saying I’m very disappointed there weren’t any authentic Native American gifts in any of the gift shops. They all say «Made in China» or «Not made by real Native Americans». Is it that difficult to support such a huge part of our history?
Overall was an informative and interesting experience, updated my review to 4 stars.

It was probably one of the best places i’ve visited I think kids would enjoy this place because there are many places you can go to and interact with to kids it might seem boring like I thought this place was boring but it was pretty exciting

This place is impeccably kept up and maintained! If ever there is a question or an issue, there is always someone nearby to assist you! We loved hearing from those in period piece outfits of what it was like in Jamestown, which really brought it to life in a more real and tangible way for the kids!
The re-​creations of the Indian village and the Jamestown fort was incredible! The kids had so much fun exploring every nook and cranny, and being able to board the three ships made it that much more of an adventure! It was such a unique experience to be able to step back in time and hear what it was like both for the Settlers and the Indians. They did a great job with presenting the most detailed picture they could to bring you to a better understanding of what it must have been like in Jamestown during that time period.
The indoor museum of artifacts was amazing! They had such a large variety of things to see firsthand as well as a theater to see a video about Jamestown and have a nice AC’d moment to sit quietly and relax! We didn’t stop by the souvenir shop or the café, but both looked inviting and I am sure is a welcome site for many who want to take a way a little token of remembrance and a possible snack break to boot :)
All in all, a pretty amazing day out filled with so much learning and adventure :)

My boyfriend and I had such a lovely time at the Jamestown Settlement. We got a multi-​day pass to the Historic Triangle so we got a lot of history from a lot of different time periods and even threw in Gettysburg and Fredericksburg to boot!
Jamestown was really interesting. Everyone there was so incredibly friendly and knowledgeable and everyone stayed in character. What amazed me most was that you could ask these folks a question (seemingly so random — and believe me, we threw out some random ones) and they could talk for 10 minutes about how the poop deck was so named (seriously).
The museum is absolutely beautiful, but where we had the most fun was interacting with everyone outside. I think that we should have done a tour, but we just listened in on some of the tours that were going on and did our own thing and then stopped and asked questions to these great people along the way. I still can’t get over how much these people knew and how into it they were. We only encountered one dopey guy that didn’t really seem to want to be there… but otherwise, we were impressed!
We talked to the folks on the ships for a very long time, also finding out why we «go to the head» (my BF’s questions, not mine :) We learned about the horrible conditions on the ships and what happened when the reached the Carribean and then what happened when they got to Virginia. We also learned what little was known about the «bride ships.» Very neat!
The story of the Powhatan Indians was SO interesting. The making of the canoes and ultimately how the colonials wanted the canoes. How the men in the tribes knew how to do all of the women’s jobs and all of the women knew how to do all of the men’s jobs so if something needed to get done, it got done.
We met the Blacksmith who educated us about the Guilds and told really interesting stories about what it might have been like to live in Colonial times. There was a guy who had a musket shooting demonstration and talked all about the musket and the set up of the troops in battle and why it was effective.
All in all, it was really cool. I know that there are a few reviews saying the place is not «authentic» or it «falls short.» Falls short of what? Falls short of me falling asleep in my social studies class and not remembering a thing? Lighten up, Francis! (Points if you knew what movie that was from). I came back a heck of a lot more knowledgable and much more interested in what I learned there in a few hours and I had a lot of fun doing it! And it’s definitely a place that I would love to take my nieces and my nephew (especially my 8-​year-​old nephew who is interested in learning about history.)

I have been to The Jamestown Settlement, Island and exhibits many times. Always a great experience for all ages. If you haven’t been to the island, it’s a great place to walk or ride a bike.
In response to the recent comment someone made about safety, I am sorry to hear that your child was injured. I have been there many times with children (chaperoning field trips) and I assure you this is not common.

Jamestown Settlement ist die Rekonstruktion von Jamestown, der ersten dauerhaften englische Siedlung in Nordamerika. Jamestown wurde 1607 als Fort gegründet und ist seit 1934 ein Teil des Colonial National Historic Parks unter der Verwaltung des National Park Services. 1994 begannen hier Ausgrabungen, bei denen die Grundmauern der ersten Siedlung freigelegt wurden.
Am Eingang dient ein großes modernes Gebäude als Museum, in dem man sich über die wechselhafte Geschichte dieses Platzes informieren kann. Wie meist in den Staaten ist dies auf beeindruckende und sehr informative Weise gelungen. Ein Rundgang hier lohnt allemal, bevor man sich Richtung Wasser bewegt und in eine andere Zeit eintaucht.
Jamestown Settlement besteht aus drei Rekonstruktionen: ein Indianerdorf, so wie es früher ausgesehen hat, das ehemalige Fort Jamestown mit seinen Holzmauern zum Schutz vor den Indianern und im Hafen die Nachbauten von drei damaligen Schiffen, mit denen die Siedler nach Nordamerika kamen. Alle drei jetzigen Schiffe sind seetüchtig, also mehr als nur Museumsstücke.
An allen Plätzen kann man nicht nur die Bauten und ihre Ausstattungen besichtigen, sondern auch das damalige Leben nachvollziehen. Mitarbeiter in Originalkostümen demonstrieren das Leben im 17. Jahrhundert und sind gern bereit, Auskünfte zu erteilen und «Fachgespräche» mit interessierten Besuchern zu führen. Das macht richtig Spaß und vor allem Kinder sind begeistert.
Für uns hat sich der Besuch gelohnt, wir hatten viel Spaß insbesondere in Gesprächen mit den Mitarbeitern, haben mehr über die Anfänge der amerikansichen Besiedelung gelernt und können einen Besuch empfehlen. Zu dem man jedoch ausreichend Zeit mitbringen sollte.

Ce parc est vraiment ludique et instructif. Il est vraiment adapté pour une visite avec des enfants même avec une poussette (les chemins sont bétonnés)
Il comprend des reconstitutions de campemts avec un village indien, un fort de colons et trois bateaux grandeurs nature avec canons.
Le plus important, les enfants peuvent toucher et participer aux demonstrations (avec des mousquets en bois et des canons non chargés évidemment).
Les démonstrations vont de comment les indiens tannaient le cuire, leurs stratégies de combats au maniement du mousquet ou du canon.
Pour ceux qui souhaitent approfondir le sujet, il y a l’exposition intérieure.
Nous avons passé une journée en tout avec Jamestow historic ce qui est suffisant avec des enfants, mais une journée de plus sera surement nécessaire si vous voulez vraiment prendre le temps de lire et découvrir.

Jamestown Settlement can be part of your Historic Triangle Pass. You get to check out America’s first permanent English colony that was founded in 1607. There are gallery exhibits and introductory film at the Visitor Center, and you can check out the board replicas of the 3 ships that sailed from England to Virginia. The life-​size re-​creations of the colonists’ fort and the Powhatan Village are also neat to see. I especially liked the latter as you learn about how the Powhatans grew and prepared the food, how they processed animal hides, made tools and pottery, and how they wove natural fibers into cordage. You can try grinding corn as well as play a game of corncob darts! :D Cool place to check out if you’re in the area!
+Powhatan Village
+corncob darts

It is a great place to go to live history.
Reading history from a book can be fun, but being able to walk around a see what it looked like during the 1600 is priceless. The people working there are very knowledgable and will answer any question you may have.