The English migrated up the James from the east, with Captain John Smith buying property from the Indians in the first years of the colony to establish an outpost at "None Such" which is present day Richmond. There is a lot of history in between Richmond and these places to the east, as well as a lot of fun for day trippers.

Colonial Williamsburg - The foremost living museum of its kind in the nation, Colonial Williamsburg is a whole capital city resurrected from Virginia's colonial period. Over 500 buildings encompass the mile-longmain Duke of Gloucester Street including public structures such as the Courthouse, the Powder Magazine, the House of Burgesses, the royal Governor's Palace, Bruton Parish Church and the Wren Building. Shops, craft and trade structures, homes and out buildings, along with costumed interpreters, actors and craftsmen bring to life the historic period just prior to the American Revolution. / Williamsburg / 757-220-7645 / $

Jamestown Island - The original, historic site of Jamestown, the first permanent English-speaking settlement in North America. Today, visitors can walk the quiet marl-covered streets of a town that was the first capital of the English colony. The Island has become the focus of the Jamestown Rediscovery Project, an on-going excavation of the original fort site that was found within the last decade. / Jamestown, James City County / 757-229-1733 / $

Jamestown Settlement - Travel back almost 400 years to the early days of English settlement in the New World. See replicas of the three tiny ships that brought the colonists to these shores. The reconstructed palisaded fort and Powhatan Indian village are waiting to be to explored. While visitors walk the paths, they might imagine a small Indian girl who lived in a village like the reconstruction, who grew up to become a heroine for the ages, her name, Pocahontas. Jamestown was part of the lives of John Smith, John Rolfe and Pocahontas, as well as to indentured servants, cavaliers, adventurers, craftsmen, farmers and slaves, all who were a part of America's beginnings. / Jamestown, James City County / 757-253-4838 / $

Bacon's Castle - Bacon's Castle was built in 1665 by the Allen family and is one of the earliest surviving homes in Virginia. Details in the brickwork and triple chimney stacks, along with its cruciform designed floor plan are virtually extinct in this country. Rooms are furnished in period antiques reflecting the different eras the house witnessed. The current house name derives from a revolt that took place at this site between followers of the then-deceased Nathaniel Bacon and troops of the Governor of Virginia. / Surry County / 757-357-5976 / $

Fort Monroe - The largest stone fort built in the U.S. has a unique history. During construction, Fortress Monroe was partially engineered by a young Robert E. Lee. During the Civil War, the Fort remained in the hands of the Federal Army and at the end of the war it was a prison for the former Confederate President, Jefferson Davis. During World Wars I and II, the fort's location gave it crucial position in defense of the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. / Hampton / 757-727-3391 / Free

The Mariners' Museum - One of America's premier museums covering maritime history. From the noted Crabtree collection of miniature ships to the painted and gold-leafed mastheads from ships during the days of sail, their dynamic collection spans the ages of sea-going vessels from the dawn of history to the present day. The newest edition to the collection includes artifacts and the recovered gun terret of th U.S.S. Monitor. America's first complete ironclad and a survivor of the infamous Civil War naval battle between it and the Confederate Merrimac. / Newport News / 757- 596-2222 / $

Virginia Air & Space Center - Once the home of the Mercury program, precursor to America's Apollo missions to the moon, Hampton has proudly put together a center to feature those exploits and much more. The Apollo 12 Command Module is housed here as well as a moon rock. As the official visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center, motor tours of NASA are available during the summer months, when youcan see the giant NASA wind tunnels and Lunar Landing Research Center. / NASA Langley Tour / Hampton / 757-727-0800 / $

Yorktown Battlefield - Administered by the National Park Service, Yorktown Battlefield is preserved as the site where this country won its independence from England. This is where Lord Cornwallis surrendered his troops on October 19, 1781 to the army of General George Washington. / Yorktown, York County / 757-898-3400 / $

Yorktown Victory Center - Built originally for the Bicentennial in 1976, the museum features an outdoor living museum showing how the inhabitants lived at the time of the Revolution as well as military re-enactors, who show how the soldiers fared in sparse wartime living conditions. Indoor Museum galleries focus on the reasons for the Revolution as well as the Revolution itself. Yorktown's Sunken Fleet, excavations highlights of Cornwallis' scuttled fleet and a hands-on exhibit program for children are most popular with visitors. / Yorktown, York County / 757-898- 253-4838 / $

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