FIVE HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS + ONE TICKET = AN ALL-AMERICAN VACATION
IN AMERICA’S HISTORIC TRIANGLE

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Experience four seasons of fun in America’s Historic Triangle, where a year-round vacation package allows visitors to take part in engaging living-history programs and special events and exhibitions that bring fresh perspectives to stories of the nation’s beginnings – the 1607 founding at Jamestown of the first permanent English colony, Revolutionary times in Williamsburg, and the securing of independence at Yorktown in 1781.

The America’s Historic Triangle vacation package features unlimited admission to three premier living-history museums – Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory Center – and two National Park sites – Historic Jamestowne and Yorktown Battlefield – and modern-day accommodations for up to seven days. Visitors can take a 23-mile journey along the scenic Colonial Parkway to reach all five historical attractions.

Historic Jamestowne, the site of America’s first permanent English settlement, offers a wealth of family activities on the island.  Witness archaeology-in-action at the 1607 James Fort excavation, watch costumed glassblowers demonstrate one of America’s first industries at the Glasshouse and visit the original 17th-century church tower.  Explore the Natalie P. and Alan M. Voorhees Archaearium, an archaeology museum filled with unique artifacts from the Fort James site and tour the remains of New Towne, the historic town site dating from the 1620s. The Visitor Center offers exhibits, a multimedia presentation and a museum store. The Dale House Café offers dining opportunities on the banks of the James River. Special living-history and archaeology programs are offered throughout the year including Jamestown Day, May 12; Archaeology Field Season Opening Day, April 7; Bacon’s Rebellion, September 22; Virginia Archaeology Day, October 6; and At Christmas Be Mery, December 19.

Jamestown Settlement is a living-history museum of 17th-century Virginia. Expansive exhibition galleries and an introductory film, “1607: A Nation Takes Root,” trace Jamestown’s beginnings in England and the first century of the Virginia colony and describe the Powhatan Indian, English and west central African cultures that converged in 17th-century Virginia. Outdoors, historical interpreters depict 1600s life at re-creations of the colonists’ fort, three 1607 ships and a Powhatan Indian village, and at a seasonal riverfront discovery area that explores waterway transportation and commercial activities. Daily year-round offerings are enhanced with “The 17th Century: Gateway to the Modern World” special exhibition through August 15 and special programs, including Military Through the Ages, March 17-18; Jamestown Day, May 12; Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia,  November 22-24; and A Colonial Christmas in December.

Guests to Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area and Art Museums become part of the story as they explore family-friendly sights, sounds and tastes of the 18th-century capital of Virginia in 2012. In Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area, reconstruction of the industrial site that helped forge the American Revolution is under way.  When complete, Anderson’s Blacksmith Shop and Public Armoury will reflect the complexity and urgency of mounting a war effort against the world’s most powerful 18th-century nation.  The highly acclaimed Revolutionary City® program allows visitors to discover the birthplace of a nation where patriots ignited the cause for freedom and laid the groundwork for the creation of a new nation during this dramatic, outdoor street theater program. “RevQuest: Sign of the Rhinoceros,” an alternate reality game that challenges participants to solve a mystery that could change the course of history in Revolutionary War-era Williamsburg, returns this spring with online/onsite activities and a new RevQuest Adventure storyline debuting this summer.  Colonial Williamsburg marks the Civil War sesquicentennial with the “Williamsburg Civil War Tour” that discusses the 18th-century capital of Virginia’s connection to the War Between the States, and a special weekend of programming May 5-6 to commemorate the Battle of Williamsburg. Guests also can enjoy historic trade demonstrations, dramatic vignettes, interactive programs and encounters with “People of the Past,” dine in an 18th-century taverns, and travel back in time in a carriage ride down Duke of Gloucester Street.
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The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg offer new exhibitions in 2012. On February 18, “Richard Newsham’s Fire Engine” explores fire and fire fighting in the 18th century with the display of an original fire engine built in the mid-18th century and on view for the first time. On April 7, “Tall Case Clocks” features more than 20 clocks from the Colonial Williamsburg collection. In May, “Quilts in the Baltimore Manner” explores how the designs of Baltimore influenced the wider community of quilters including areas beyond Baltimore, such as Northern Virginia. Guests also can tour Bassett Hall, the Williamsburg home of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, as well as its gardens.

In Yorktown, walk the ground where America’s independence was won in 1781 at Yorktown Battlefield.  At the site of the final major clash of the American Revolution, visitors can follow in the footsteps of General Washington and walk where this historic event took place, drive the battlefield and encampment tour roads, visit the Moore House where surrender negotiations took place, see the site of the British surrender, and watch “The Siege at Yorktown” film at the National Park Service Visitor Center, which displays artifacts from the siege, including tents used by General Washington. The 1781 American Revolutionary War victory is observed annually on October 19 with town-wide festivities, including patriotic ceremonies and a parade, and on October 20-21 at the Yorktown Victory Center history museum during its “Yorktown Victory Celebration” event.

The Yorktown Victory Center chronicles America’s struggle for independence from the beginnings of colonial unrest to the formation of a new nation.  A Declaration of Independence Gallery emphasizes the dramatic impact and relevance of this historic document and features a rare early broadside printing of the Declaration dating to July 1776, before a handwritten copy on parchment was signed by members of Congress. Exhibits also provide eyewitness accounts of the American Revolution and describe the convergence of forces on Yorktown in 1781 for the climactic military engagement of the Revolution. Outdoors, historical interpreters engage visitors in everyday life during the Revolutionary era. Visitors can learn about a soldier’s life in a re-created Continental Army encampment and, on a re-created 1780s farm, help with chores such as weeding the garden and processing flax. Daily year-round offerings are enhanced with special programs, including Liberty Celebration, July 3-4; Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia, November 22-24; and A Colonial Christmas in December.

The America’s Historic Triangle vacation package includes lodging at one of a variety of Williamsburg area accommodations and unlimited visits with free parking to all five attractions during the package stay for up to seven days. In 2012, packages start at $389 for two adults and two children, based on a double occupancy, with a minimum two-night stay. A separate America’s Historic Triangle attraction admission ticket is available at $81 for adults (ages 18 and older) and $35.50 for children (ages 6-17).

For more information about America’s Historic Triangle vacation package, visit www.historyisfun.org/americas-historic-triangle.htm or call 1-888-463-0206. For information about America’s Historic Triangle ticket, visit www.historyisfun.org/Vacation-Packages.htm.

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