Getting Oriented

The 301 acres of modern-day Colonial Williamsburg contain re-created and restored structures peopled with costumed interpreters. Everything from momentous political events to blacksmithing is portrayed. Completing the "Historic Triangle," is Yorktown, 14 miles away from Williamsburg, the site of the battle that ended the war for independence from England. Several 18th- and 19th-century plantations lie west of Williamsburg, along the James River. South of Yorktown are Newport News, the shipbuilding capital of Virginia, and Hampton. To see the rest of this waterfront area of Virginia, you can cross the James River at Hampton and visit Norfolk, Portsmouth, and, to the east, the Virginia Beach resort area.

The Historic Triangle. There is probably no better place in America to study this country's prerevolutionary war history than the Historic Triangle. Between Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown, visitors get a full picture of life in Colonial times. The lessons are multisensory: museums, battlefields, restorations, and reenactments appeal to history buffs of every age.

Hampton Roads Area. The channel where the James, Elizabeth, and Nansemond Rivers meet is surrounded by both small and larger towns that include the historic settlements of Hampton and Portsmouth, and today's cities Newport News and Norfolk. Linked to the Hampton Roads area by the unusual Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is Virginia's "other coastline," the quiet, largely untrafficked Eastern Shore.

Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Separated from the rest of Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay, this 70-mile-long stretch of the Delmarva Peninsula is a world apart. The way of life here hasn’t changed substantially in hundreds of years, delighting history buffs and nature lovers. Fill relaxing days with strolling through quaint villages, seeing the famous wild ponies on Chincoteague and Assateague, visiting a NASA research center, and especially boating, birding, and fishing.