The RV campground we stayed at was really lovely and quiet overnight, and Sheila enjoyed running through the thick patches of autumn leaves on the ground, sloshing her way across in the morning. We took advantage of the 2pm check out time, leaving after lunch, although Lisette could have used the entire day to catch up on work and errands!
But we were also keen to explore, and went hunting for The Presidents Heads, which dozens of 20 foot tall busts of nearly every US president, which were sculpted by Houston artist David Adickes, who was inspired to create these after visiting Mount Rushmore and being disappointed that he couldn't see their eyes. Adickes made the size of each bust according to how well the presidents did in office (great, average, fail).
The busts were moved to an open air museum called Presidents Park, but it went bankrupt and closed permanently. The giant heads now sit on a farm, that's private property, but we thought we'd still be able to take a sneak peek from the road, since there are so many and they're so big! But alas, the farm was obstructed from a long road leading up to it and lots of trees, so we didn't even get a glimpse--and while we were tempted to go up the road, the website was very clear that people can only go during scheduled tours and events (when it warns you in bold font that visiting outside of this will be considered trespassing, you know they're serious)! Fortunately, we have seen David Adickes' work already when we were in Houston, checking out the American Statemanship Park which included sculptures of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and other historic figures.
Historic Williamsburg
We didn't know much about Williamsburg before this trip, but this historic little town is adorable! Williamsburg played a significant role in the American Revolution, forming the “Historic Triangle” together with Jamestown and Yorktown. Williamsburg was the capital of the Colony and Commonwealth of Virginia from 1699 to 1780 and became the center of political events in Virginia leading to the American Revolution, while the College of William & Mary, established in 1693, is the second-oldest higher education institution in the country, and one of 9 colonial colleges.
It took a while to find a parking spot and we almost gave up, but eventually parked near the College, where it was a short stroll to the heart of Colonial Williamsburg, which was like stepping back into time, walking into the center of town with its cute shops and cobblestone streets, historic buildings, actors dressed in costume from the Colonial era, and even horses & carriages where people were doing tours around the vicinity. One striking building included the Governor's Palace, which was the official residence of the royal governors--including Thomas Jefferson--when it was the Colony of Virginia, until the capital moved to Richmond in 1780. The gardens in the Palace looked immaculate (from what we could see stepping onto a bench behind the tall brick fence surrounding it), but to enter the Palace tickets are needed, as well as to check out other historic buildings and attractions.
Historic Jamestowne
After a stroll around Williamsburg, we drove to historic Jamestown, which was the first permanent English settlement in North America, established all the way back in 1607! It was the capital of the colony from 1616 until 1699, while in 1619, the first recorded slaves from Africa (from present-day Angola) arrived near the Jamestown colony, on a British privateer ship flying a Dutch flag.
Because we were here during the US government shutdown, the visitor center was closed, but we could walk around some trails from the parking lot that led to Historic Jamestown, which includes James fort, (located on Jamestown Island, it's paid entry but we could see some of the remains of the fort from outside of it), as well as a statue of John Smith (truly, the most classic English name ever), an English explorer and one of the colony's early governors.
It was getting late in the day, and with the sun soon setting, we drove until we made it to...yep, another Cracker Barrel! We do prefer them to Welcome Centers and truck stops, as these tend to have trucks that can be more disruptive throughout the night, running their generators and often arriving and departing at odd hours. The Cracker Barrel restaurants are all pretty much designed in the same way, and we've been to so many now that we often get a sense of deja vu when we arrive, feeling like we've been to this exact same chain even though we've never stopped here before!