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Virginia

From Colony to Revolution: Jamestown, Williamsburg, Yorktown

Program No. 2011RJ
Immerse yourself in historic Virginia with scholars, instructors and historians as you explore Colonial Era history from the founding of Jamestown to the end of the Revolutionary War.

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DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Apr 14 - Apr 20, 2024
Starting at
1,549
May 19 - May 25, 2024
Starting at
1,549
Jun 2 - Jun 8, 2024
Starting at
1,549
Sep 29 - Oct 5, 2024
Starting at
1,549
Oct 27 - Nov 2, 2024
Starting at
1,549
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Apr 14 - Apr 20, 2024
Starting at
1,939
Filling Fast!
May 19 - May 25, 2024
Starting at
1,939
Jun 2 - Jun 8, 2024
Starting at
1,939
Filling Fast!
Sep 29 - Oct 5, 2024
Starting at
1,939
Oct 27 - Nov 2, 2024
Starting at
1,939

At a Glance

Embark on a journey through Virginia’s “Historic Triangle” with no less than a dozen historians and other experts. Delve into Virginia society, from the establishment of the first successful British outpost at Jamestown in 1607 through the end of British rule only a few miles away at Yorktown in 1781. Traveling between these sites, pause to visit the Colonial capital in Williamsburg. Learn about the development of plantation society, slavery and the role of religion and events leading to the Siege of Yorktown. You'll also enjoy a unique tavern dining experience.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to two miles daily on brick, cobblestone and uneven ground.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Relish an in-depth look with the head curator at the incredible Jamestown Rediscovery Project, where archaeology is uncovering the original fort.
  • Experience William & Mary's Wren Building and the historical Duke of Gloucester Street, heart of Colonial Williamsburg, with a knowledgeable interpreter.
  • Follow your instructor across the earthworks to the field where American independence was guaranteed by the surrender of Lord Cornwallis.

General Notes

For a shorter experience with more free time in this area, check out "Historic Triangle Sampler: Williamsburg, Jamestown & Yorktown" (#22991).
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Susan Kern
A former archaeologist at Monticello, Susan Kern is passionate about American history. In her current role, Susan is a Visiting Associate Professor in the history department of the College of William & Mary, and teaches for the National Institute of American History and Democracy (NIAHD), a program of courses in early American history, material culture, and museum studies. Her book, "The Jeffersons at Shadwell," won Virginia Historical Society's Richard Slatten Award for Excellence in Virginia Biography, and the Abbott Lowell Cummings Award from the Vernacular Architecture Forum. Susan holds an M.A. in architectural history from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in history from William & Mary.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Susan Kern
Susan Kern View biography
A former archaeologist at Monticello, Susan Kern is passionate about American history. In her current role, Susan is a Visiting Associate Professor in the history department of the College of William & Mary, and teaches for the National Institute of American History and Democracy (NIAHD), a program of courses in early American history, material culture, and museum studies. Her book, "The Jeffersons at Shadwell," won Virginia Historical Society's Richard Slatten Award for Excellence in Virginia Biography, and the Abbott Lowell Cummings Award from the Vernacular Architecture Forum. Susan holds an M.A. in architectural history from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in history from William & Mary.
Profile Image of Dean Shostak
Dean Shostak View biography
Dean Shostak, in 1991, became involved in the revival of the rare glass armonica, invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. Today, he is one of eight glass armonica players in the world, and the only musician since the 18th century to use a flywheel and foot treadle as Franklin originally designed. Dean began his musical career in Colonial Williamsburg at the age of 14, and after graduating from the University of Virginia, began to study 18th-century instruments such as the pocket violin and the hurdy-gurdy.
Profile Image of Stephen Christoff
Stephen Christoff View biography
Stephen Christoff has been a musical fixture at Colonial Williamsburg for more than 15 years. Since 2006, he has performed his one-man show called "Seller of Songs" at the Hennage Theater in Colonial Williamsburg to sell-out audiences and rave reviews. In 2007, Stephen was a member of a collaborative performance team that played over 100 performances of "American Musicworks," a signature show designed for the Dewitt Wallace Galleries folk art exhibition. He also performed for the Jamestown Godspeed Sail and Landing Party Festival.
Profile Image of Tom Marshall
Tom Marshall View biography
Tom Marshall has been an instructor in the music department at the College of William and Mary and a harpsichordist for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for more than 20 years. Not only is he featured playing original instruments in many of Williamsburg’s historical recordings but he has made seven study explorations in Europe to examine and play many surviving keyboard instruments from the 15th to the 19th centuries.
Profile Image of Bly Straube
Bly Straube View biography
As a member of the team of archaeologists who found the remains of James Fort, the site of America's 1607 birthplace, Bly Straube is renowned for her knowledge of our country's history. Since 1973, she has worked in the Williamsburg area as a historical archaeologist, first with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and then as co-founder of the James River Institute for Archaeology. Bly has recorded many programs for the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Profile Image of Anne Conkling
Anne Conkling View biography
A native of Pennsylvania with family roots deep in that state, Anne Conkling attended American University before finally settling in Williamsburg, Va. She has a passion for anything historical, particularly from the period 1500-1875. Her interests include colonial Virginia, the role of the Anglican Church in colonization, royal charters, political life cycles, and the roles of women of all races. Anne has written for various newspapers and publications, is a historical interpreter at Bruton Parish Church, and a teacher of historical interpreters at Jamestown Island.
Profile Image of Felicity Meza-Luna
Felicity Meza-Luna View biography
Felicity Meza-Luna currently serves as an American Indian interpreter for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Previously, she held the same position at Historic Jamestowne, site of the original first permanent English settlement in the New World and a point of First Contact. Felicity participates as a Jingle Dress Dancer at powwows around the region and is the Sergeant-at-Arms for the Inter-tribal Women's Circle. She is a member of the Lakota Tribe, Rosebud Reservation, and has family at the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Profile Image of Bunny Rich
Bunny Rich View biography
Bunny Rich has worked for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for more than 40 years. Among her many interests, she has concentrated on Colonial family life, cooking, and clothing, often interpreting at the Powell House. Bunny also has served as a leader for VIP guests ranging from Bill Clinton to David Brinkley. A native of York County, Bunny can trace her roots on the Virginia Peninsula back to the 1630s.
Profile Image of Lee Rose
Lee Ann Rose View biography
Lee Ann Rose has found a way to use her theatre degree and her love of history into a career that has spanned 20 years at Colonial Williamsburg and now has allowed her to step out creating her own company called, Shades of Our Past. At her time at Colonial Williamsburg, she has played Martha Washington and coached other character interpreters and Nation Builders. When she is not performing, she is working on a book about Martha Washington's children.
Profile Image of Mary Griffith
Mary Griffith View biography
Mary Griffith, a chocolatier, has an MBA from Old Dominion University and started Virginia's Finest Chocolate while an undergraduate student at Christopher Newport University. Taking the Small Business Institute class, she created the business plan for Virginia's Finest Chocolate and carried it out. For more than 25 years, Mary has enjoyed sharing her love for all things chocolate with her handmade products and educational programs. Her products carry Virginia's Finest Trademark as awarded by the Virginia Department of Agriculture.
Profile Image of Kate Tilley
Kate Tilley View biography
A Pennsylvania native, Kate Tilley received a bachelor’s in theatre from DeSales University with concentrations in acting and costuming. In 2009, she turned her costuming attention to historical clothing in the colonial time period and began an internship with the tailors at Colonial Williamsburg. As a historic clothing technician at the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Kate served as a mentor for new staff in the historical clothing services department, team leader for day-to-day activities at the Jamestown Settlement Costume Shop.
Profile Image of Mary Alie
Mary had a 34-year career in education as a classroom teacher, assistant principal and principal. Since retiring in 2001, Mary has worked as a schools and groups Interpreter for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. She has also served as an instructor for the Colonial Williamsburg’s Teacher Institute. Mary also serves as a costumed interpreter in Colonial Williamsburg’s original and restored homes and public buildings, such as the Governor’s Palace and the Colonial Capitol.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Revolution in Virginia, 1775-1783.
by Selby, John E
Pocahontas’s People: The Powhatan Indians of Virginia through Four
by Rountree, Helen
A Land as God Made It: Jamestown and the Birth of America
by James Horn
A Revolutionary People at War: The Continental Army & American Character
by Royster, Charles
Damned Souls in a Tobacco Colony
by Bond, Edward L.
American Scripture: The Making of the Declaration of Independence
by „h Maier, Pauline.
American Slavery, American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia
by Morgan, Edmund S
Slave Counterpoint: Black Culture in the Eighteenth Century Chesapeake and
by Morgan, Philip
Plantation Homes of the James River.
by Roberts, Bruce.
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
by Ellis, Joseph J
The Stamp Act Crisis: Prologue to the American
by Morgan, Edmund S. & Helen M. Morgan
American Colonies
by Taylor, Alan
Jamestown: The Buried Truth
by Kelso, William
Women’s Life and Work in the Southern Colonies
by Spruill, Julia Cherry
Empires at War: The French and Indian War and the Struggle for North
by Fowler, William M.
Becoming Americans: Our Struggle to Be Both Free and Equal.
by Carson, Cary
Good Wives, Nasty Wenches, and Anxious Patriarchs: Gender, Race, and Power in Colonial Virginia
by Brown, Kathleen
Colonial Virginia-A History
by Billings, Warren M., John E. Selby and Thad W. Tate.





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