{"id":1588,"date":"2016-05-03T01:38:17","date_gmt":"2016-05-03T01:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/?p=1588"},"modified":"2016-05-08T11:17:34","modified_gmt":"2016-05-08T11:17:34","slug":"towns-and-burgs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/2016\/05\/03\/towns-and-burgs\/","title":{"rendered":"Towns and Burgs"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the Outer Banks we headed to Newport News Virginia. \u00a0Why? \u00a0Well, there is a campground (I think it is city owned) that had pretty good priced camping (electric and water) and it was only a short drive to Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown which were high on our list of places to visit. \u00a0So after dropping off the mini fridge at the scrap yard<\/a> we continued north over\/under the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and showed up at an amazingly wooded park just on the edge of Newport News proper. \u00a0We had called a week or so in advance to make reservations but they said there was no need….and they were right, we had our pick of many awesome sites. \u00a0We chose site 96 as it was well positioned between the playground and the bath house. \u00a0A bunch of cub scouts and their families were camping in a nearby group site so our kids had fun playing with the wad of kids over at the playground before dinner.
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The next day was forecast to be pretty nice so we decided to go to Williamsburg. \u00a0We paid for our tickets and headed back in time. \u00a0Now you do not have to buy tickets to go walk around Williamsburg. \u00a0I had read this numerous times but it still took us a couple hours to figure out which things we had paid for and which we could come back and see another time without a ticket. \u00a0The map they gave us at the front did have this info on it but not in my language…I needed it to say “these are freebies and these you have to pay for”. \u00a0It was actually labeled pretty clearly, I guess I was just being a Clark (Griswold). \u00a0We took a tour in the art museum that was supposed to be family friendly. \u00a0It was good but didn’t really hold the attention of the kids (except Dacen…that kid will do well in college lectures). \u00a0But the trade shops, THAT is where it was at for our family. \u00a0We were all so impressed by the old school craftsmanship on display. \u00a0This is not your typical tourist trap that hires high school and college kids to dress up and blab out some spiel they memorized. \u00a0These people have made a career out of keeping their trade alive. \u00a0We talked to a few who had been doing the same thing at Colonial Williamsburg for 20 or 30 years! \u00a0There were shoe makers, weavers, tin smiths, blacksmiths, silver smiths, candle makers, coopers, cabinet makers, the foundry and more. \u00a0It was really great to talk with the craftsmen and craftswomen to hear about their trade but also what they are working on. \u00a0The shoe maker makes shoes for all the folks working at Williamsburg. \u00a0The blacksmith was making hinges for a nearby historic site. \u00a0These folks are commissioned to make period items either for Williamsburg or elsewhere in the country! \u00a0Totally blew me away. \u00a0There were drum and fife parades, a mock trial where both Caden and I got parts to play, and at the end of the day they fired the cannon as the troops were sent off to battle at Yorktown. \u00a0It was a really fun day that we finished by going out to eat at Olive Garden because we had a gift card.<\/p>\n

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At the scrap yard<\/p><\/div>

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Ditching the dead fridge<\/p><\/div>

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Taking notes<\/p><\/div>

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Woodworker<\/p><\/div>

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in the pasture<\/p><\/div>

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Funky tree<\/p><\/div>

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Cobbler<\/p><\/div>

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Weaver<\/p><\/div>

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Guns<\/p><\/div>

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Militia boy<\/p><\/div>

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How cute<\/p><\/div>

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Niiice hat<\/p><\/div>

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Drum and fife<\/p><\/div>

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Tin worker<\/p><\/div>

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Cool tree<\/p><\/div>

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Sipping chocolate<\/p><\/div>

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Quill pen<\/p><\/div>

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Signing<\/p><\/div>

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Signature<\/p><\/div>

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Bad Papa and Brielle<\/p><\/div>

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Bad kids<\/p><\/div>

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Huck at court<\/p><\/div>

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Witness in court<\/p><\/div>

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Caden at court<\/p><\/div>

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Stair way to...?<\/p><\/div>

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The palace<\/p><\/div>

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The gals<\/p><\/div>

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Pretty bed<\/p><\/div>

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At the foundry<\/p><\/div><\/div>