Historic Jamestowne is the original site of the Jamestown colony. Located on Jamestown Island at the western end of the Colonial Parkway, this unique site is administered by the National Park Service and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (on behalf of Preservation Virginia). Jamestown Settlement is a state-operated living-history museum adjacent to the original site. We invite you to visit both sites to fully experience the story of 17th-century Jamestown.
At Historic Jamestowne, you can watch the unearthing of America's foundations as archaeologists with Jamestown Rediscovery excavate the recently discovered site of the 1607 James Fort. In the Nathalie P. and Alan M. Voorhees Archaearium, featuring more than 1,000 artifacts from the archaeological site, guests can meet the conservation staff and learn about how they care for, conserve and research the unique assemblage of artifacts from James Fort. Children can take part in sorting through the smallest excavated material to find animal bones, shell and seeds for clues to the fort life in the 17th century.
The Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center offers exhibits, a multimedia theater and museum store. Visitors can join a park ranger to learn how John Smith and others established a foothold in unfamiliar surroundings, or meet a character from Jamestown's past for an eyewitness account of the colony's difficult early years. Guests can walk the property and view the remnants of the early settlement, including the only surviving above-ground structure, the 17th-century brick church tower as well as the archaeological remains of New Towne established in the 1620s. A memorial church, statues and monuments commemorate important personalities and events of Virginia’s first capital. At the Glasshouse, visitors can talk with costumed glassblowers as they demonstrate one of the first industries attempted in English North America. Enjoy lunch on the banks of the James River at the Dale House Café and take a trip along the Island Loop Drive, a five-mile, self-guided driving tour that explores the natural environment.
The Historic Triangle Shuttle, a free public transportation system connecting Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown, operates between March 11 and November 3, 2013. The shuttle departs every 30 minutes from the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center to Jamestown. Once arriving at Jamestown, additional shuttle services provide transportation between Historic Jamestowne, the Glasshouse and Jamestown Settlement.
