Summer Wrap Up – Williamsburg History with kids

One of the most memorable occasions this summer with the kids was our Family Trip to Williamsburg Virginia. Williamsburg is such a beautiful historic town. Due to Lauren’s disabilities she qualified for a National Park Access Pass. This pass is for life and as a family we were able to visit the parks over and over again at no cost. The access pass is a wonderful park pass that is issued for free to children and people with disabilities. Lauren loves her Access Pass and it makes her very proud and puts a smile on her face when we thanked her for providing our entrance fee.

To find out more about the National Access Pass, check out this site. http://store.usgs.gov/pass/access.html

The Revolutionary and Civil War history in this specific area is so rich that one week was to short to cover everything. One of our days, we headed over to Richmond, Virginia and visited the Tredegar Iron Works. This was a wonderful place for the kids. The kids participated in an entire Ranger Program, each earning a Junior Ranger badge. This experience peaked the kids interest into seeing the entire museum, which is usually difficult at best with Laurens easily over stimulating attributes; thought it would never happen but it did!.

We then spent a great amount of time in Malvern Hill and Glendale going over The Seven Days Battles of the Civil War. This was amazing to see and the rangers in that area are fabulous and so helpful. We went on a few ranger led tours and learned a great deal. We spent a lot of time in Yorktown which is a very beautiful historical town on the York River very close to Williamsburg. (click HERE for more visiting information on Yorktown)

We took another ranger led tour here to learn a great deal of the Revolutionary War. Matthew volunteered and played the part of the Commander of the artillery piece. Basically a group of people recreated the act of firing the cannon. Matthew yelled out the commands, aimed and then yelled FIRE! What a great time we had. For more information on Williamsburg click HERE

On our way home from Williamsburg we stopped in Fredericksburg, Virginia to walk The Sunken Road. We have a family member who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg who served in the 81st Pennsylvania. This town is really beautiful and so full of significance for us. The Sunken Road is a breathtaking site to see and when you realize how huge, dramatic and traumatic this battle was it is really something to experience. The Civil War history to be remembered in this town is really eerily phenomenal. What a tragic battle during the War Between the States. This is a place I really think should be taken in by seeing it in person. Again, all the rangers here are fabulous and extremely helpful. We really enjoyed our time here.

Check out this site to find out more about Fredericksburg Virginia. http://www.nps.gov/frsp/