Memorial Day in Williamsburgh!

Ben didn't tell me he had Memorial Day Monday off of work until Thursday of the previous week. He also said he'd like to go to the beach for our holiday weekend. So, starting Thursday, I tried finding ANY hotel availabilities at ANY of the beaches within a 4-hour drive.

Myrtle Beach: BOOKED.  Outer Banks: BOOKED. Virginia Beach: BOOKED.

Ben had an exam to finish by noon on Saturday, so until noon I was still trying to find a hotel room. After HOURS I eventually disturbed Ben in the office with a total freak out:

"I can't believe you didn't tell me until a couple of days ago that you had a day off and wanted to go out of town to the beach! The entire country is trying to go to the beach for Memorial Day Weekend! You should have told me earlier, or pick a new place to go because I'm not looking for a beach vacation any more!"

"Ok, Honey. Let's go to the mountains, or anywhere. Or we don't have to leave at all. Whatever you want :) We'll have a great time together no matter what." 

Well, when he's so sweet like that what other choice did I have but to look just... one... more... time. But for a new vacation destination :O) 

Five minutes later I was back upstairs, just as Ben finished his exam, and said, "Get packed. I found a new place to go and booked the first available hotel I could find. It happened to be a great deal, it looks awesome, and I'm really excited." We packed and were in the car before I even told Ben where we were going: Colonial Williamsburgh!

This one is from a Ghost Tour we signed up for our first night. It was a great way to get a feel for the area before buying entrance tickets, and we both enjoy the stories. To be honest, though, it was a disappointing tour. Hard to say why, but there was just something too manufactured about it. Oh well. 

The town was bought a few decades ago and re-constructed back to it's historical condition. It now employs period actors to teach about different trades from the Revolutionary era, give re-enactments, and maintain the historically accurate homes and gardens. It really was like stepping back in time! 

What's the British flag's nickname again? Cap'n Jack? 

I've been to Williamsburgh a lot. My mom taught EFY at William & Mary for a few years, so my aunt would escort my sister and me around Williamsburgh while my mom was in seminars. I loved it and have really fond childhood memories of being here, and one is sitting down and having an authentic ginger ale, gingerbread cookie, and loaf of bread and chunk of cheese for lunch. The bakery doesn't sell the bread and cheese anymore, but it was so nostalgic to have the cookie and drink again! 

Ben was quite enthralled with the historical tailor. They had a pretty funny conversation in front of a bunch of other tourists about different clothing materials and the manufacturing process. 

The Governor was appointed to represent the interest of England to the colonists, so the Governor's Mansion was reminiscent of European country homes. In a word: GORGEOUS. In three words: OUT OF PLACE.

I can't take him anywhere! :D

One of the most fun parts of the town was the masonry field. We heard about how bricks were made with local clay, and they even invited tourists to try mixing the clay themselves! Ben jumped right in. 

Then I couldn't resist joining in the fun! 

We're just two big kids :)

I didn't get pictures of a really amazing re-enactment of the colonists declaring war on the British, but it was quite the production! It was a really amazing coincidence that we chose a historical significant place to visit for Memorial Day weekend :) Sort of like how there "Just happened" to be a soaring centennial celebration at the OBX the weekend we chose to visit and stumbled upon those great flight displays! 

We are blessed travelers. 

Jamestown:

We also visited Jamestown and Yorktown, other significant colonies just nearby. Jamestown was a lot of fun- it was an original colony, and had lots of interactive displays of how the original settlers lived and worked. 

Virginia Beach

We decided to take a short detour through Virginia Beach (just to try and actually go to the beach) on our drive back. 

This Dairy Queen is the busiest location in America. They just brought back my favorite item- frozen hot chocolate- so we walked about 15 blocks (one way) to go there and get my drink! 

What do you know... Ben got to the beach, after all :) 

The whole weekend all I could think about was how grateful I am that my spouse is so adventurous and up for whatever trip I happen to plan on a whim. We have so much fun together, and have really dived into living this area and enjoying ourselves here. I am so excited to share all of these places with Dragon one day!