The Trail of Two Rivers Itinerary

3 Day / 2 Night Sample Itinerary

The two rivers of the James and the York hold many secrets, stories and stardom. The New World was settled on a single peninsula between Virginia’s James and York rivers. America’s colonial history began at Jamestown in 1607; colonial America came to an end with the Siege of Yorktown 174 years later; and a new nation began. The New World movie was filmed in the woods and rivers along this magnificent land and this tour highlights where some of the footage took place, and the history that abounds.

Day One: 

Tour Historic Jamestown, the original site of the Jamestown colony. Share in the moment of discovery and witness archaeology-in-action at the 1607 James Fort excavation. See where parts of the movie The New World were filmed. Tour the original 17th-century church, watch costumed glassblowers at the Glass House. Exhibits, introductory film and museum store are available at the Visitor Information Station.

History comes alive when your tour begins at Jamestown Settlement, a museum of 17th-century Virginia that evokes the world of America’s first permanent English colony through documentary film, indoor gallery exhibits and outdoor living history in re-creations of a Powhatan Indian village, a colonial fort and the three ships – Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery – that dropped anchor with a band of 104 men and boys in 1607. Visitors are invited to try their hand at grinding corn, scraping out a canoe, playing games, wearing armor, and other actives that make the 17th century come alive.

Enjoy lunch in the Jamestown Settlement Café, offering a varied menu. Allow time to visit the Jamestown Settlement gift shops.

The Jamestown-Scotland ferry will be taking your group across the majestic James River and providing a glimpse of some of the New World film locations. Waves lap the hull and seabirds follow as you sail with the ghosts of John Smith, Christopher Newport and Pocahontas. Your group will then visit Bacon’s Castle. The name of the house is derived from an event in 1676 when Nathaniel Bacon and his men led an uprising against the Colonial government. After burning Jamestown to the ground, Bacon’s men established a stronghold in Arthur Allen’s home and occupied it for four months.

Historic St. Luke’s Church, circa 1632, is the oldest Gothic church of English foundation in America. It also houses the nation’s oldest, intact organ. Tour the grounds and see the cemetery that was once used as an encampment by  Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.

Fine southern hospitality and good old fashion comfort food await your group for dinner at the Surrey House Restaurant. Pork and peanuts have been part of the James River story for nearly four centuries. Experience it all right here.

Day Two:

Your group will visit Berkeley Plantation, where in 1619 settlers observed the first official Thanksgiving in America. Berkeley is the birthplace of Benjamin Harrison V, signer of the Declaration of Independence and the birthplace of William Henry Harrison, ninth president of the United States. This plantation sits proudly along the James River.

Another beautiful estate along the James River is Shirley Plantation, where history has been a guest for eleven generations. Shirley is the oldest plantation in Virginia (1613) and the oldest family-owned business in North America (1638). The mother of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, Anne Hill Carter was born here and married in the mansion’s parlor.

A savory menu awaits you for lunch at the Charles City Tavern. This old farmhouse is an out-of-the way gem surrounded by beautiful gardens in the middle of the breath-taking bottomland fields and forests of Charles City County.

Sample a taste of Colonial Williamsburg by walking back in history and experiencing access to the Historic Area exhibition buildings. Join in the creation of a new nation, and be swept up in the daily life of a busy 18th-century city. Experience colonial fare for dinner at a colonial tavern.

Just because the day is over doesn’t mean the fun is over. Tonight, journey by candlelight through the streets of Colonial Williamsburg on a Hauntings of Williamsburg tour. A gifted storyteller will share ghostly tales of the legends that haunt the colonial capital.

Day Three:

The York River sets a backdrop on a driving tour of the Yorktown National Battlefield as you drive along the encampment roads to view the site of the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War. Not only will you see the site of the British surrender, the monument to Victory and Alliance, and the Nelson House, you’ll see actual sites of where the “New World” movie footage was shot.

Visit the Yorktown Victory Center, a museum of the American Revolution that chronicles America’s struggle for independence from the beginnings of colonial unrest to the formation of the new nation. Visitors can muster with troops in a re-created Continental Army encampment to experience a soldier’s life and, on a re-created 1780s farm, help with cooking.

Lunch will be served at the Carrot Tree Kitchen. It is located in the Cole Digges house, built in 1720 in Historic Yorktown on Main Street. Save room for the famous carrot cake!

After lunch, stroll the village of Yorktown and Riverwalk Landing on the York River, offering specialty distinctive shops, restaurants and a riverfront beach with spectacular views. During the season you may even want to take a cruise on the Schooner Alliance.