5th Grade Williamsburg, VA Trip

After getting up at 3:50am Savannah and I were all packed and at school by 5:30 am Tuesday morning, ready to hit the road for her 5th grade Williamsburg Trip!

We made an early morning rest stop in Burlington (where one girl in my group threw up) and then all reboarded the bus headed to Virginia. Thankfully our bus was able to go to Chick fil A for lunch!!

A quick post lunch picture, getting ready to board the bus for Jamestown.

After arriving in Jamestown we were paired with an excellent tour guide.  He explained how the animal hides were skinned to dry and use for clothing . . and the kids got to participate in removing the hair from the hide.

We also were able to board a ship and hear about the sailors would make different knots.  There was lots more to learn, but it wasn't long before we were finished with the tour and were again back on the bus.  Thankfully, we were able to go to dinner first while the other half of buses checked into the hotel.  Golden Corral never tasted so good .  .  . and after dinner and finding our hotel room it was off to an 8:30pm Legend tour.  It was a LONG day, but we were grateful to arrive safely and healthy!

Day Two Started bright and early with a 6:25 am wake up call.  Not many kids complained because they were all eager to get to Colonial Williamsburg!  This was the highlight of the trip for me.  It really made history come alive!!

We stood in the actual jail (gaol) cell where Blackbeard's pirates were held.  How cool to think they stood on the floor that we were standing on.

Our wonderful tour guide helped the kids get water out of the well . .  a task that kids in colonial times were responsible for.  The girls smoked the boys with their speed at getting a pail of water out!

Group picture with Mr. Grabon

Right after our tour ended we broke into small groups and rushed to lunch.  We made it to Shield's Tavern just ahead of the crowd and didn't have to wait for a table.  It was delicious!

Then we had 4 hours to explore Williamsburg on our own.  We made great use of our time and were able to see a ton.  We even got to sit through a mock trial case, which was pretty cool.  We saw the milliner, cobbler, printer, visited the post office, tin shop, and many more authentic trade shops too.

Touring the gardens at the governor's palace

And of course we had to make a stop at the famous candy store in the more modern part of Williamsburg.  Yummy S'more!

Day Three started early, but thankfully we had the later wake up call.  After breakfast and packing up we headed for Pamplin Park.  The weather was not looking great when we arrived (tornado watch, hail advisory, torrential rain forecast) but we truly lucked out again.  The storm divided, the sun came out, and we had perfect weather!

The kids learned all about life of a solider in the civil war.  They practiced shooting guns (just wooden ones), toured a plantation and kitchen, and went through a wonderful museum all about the civil war.  After lunch we boarded the bus for home!!

It was a wonderful trip . . well planned and perfect for 5th graders.  I learned so much and am grateful everything worked out for me to be able to go with Savannah!  Memories that will last a lifetime. Thankfully, I have Spring Break to recover. ;)