We took a short drive on Tuesday to Yorktown to take a walk along the York River and to also check out the American Revolution Museum.

Yorktown was established by Virginia’s colonial government in 1691 to regulate trade and to collect taxes on both imports and exports for Great Britain. By the early 1700s, Yorktown had emerged as a major Virginia port and economic center. Seems you could sail from Great Britain all the way to North American but you couldn’t hide from the tax collector – NOPE!

The walk along the York River was peaceful and beautiful which gave way to thinking about everything that has happened in this area since 1691. The siege of Yorktown was the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in North America, and led to the surrender of Cornwallis and the capture of both him and his army. The Continental Army’s victory at Yorktown prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict, making way for an independent United States of America. Pretty heady stuff indeed.

The museum is really quite amazing and I loved the interactive exhibits, the films and the immersive experience. Admittedly, I tend to get bored at museums that are all signage and displays. Clearly, they had my learning style in mind when they designed this museum. It’s amazing I managed to get through reading the 900 plus page Michener book Chesapeake, LOL. Seriously, that was a really good read and a great introduction to this part of Virginia.

The museum allows you to discover Virginia through the lens of the Stuart monarchy, whose royal foothold impacted and influenced early America and shaped the struggles and determination of those who lived in the colony in the 17th and 18th centuries.

There is also an outdoor replica of an encampment at the museum complete with docents in period clothing at different areas explaining how the soldiers lived during the war. While the area around the encampment is absolutely beautiful, the conditions then were grim, especially during the winter months.

For those of you who are boaters or future boaters considering the Great Loop, Yorktown is a great stop and very well set up for boaters. The City run Riverwalk Landing Piers provides 1,200 linear feet of T-pier dockage on the York River. The piers allow overnight stays and provide electrical, water, and sewer pump-out. The concrete floating pier system looks to be very new and in wonderful condition. The depths at dockside range from 27′ to 50′ on well over 1,000 feet of dock frontage space. The Waterway guide also mentions that there are discounts for stays Mon-Thursday. When we were there on a Tuesday, there were only a few boats on the docks.

The museum is an easy .75 mile walk from the Waterfront Landing along the York River. If walking isn’t your gig, there is also a trolley. This FREE air-conditioned (and heated) service will take you from the Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center all the way to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, making several convenient stops along the way including Yorktown Beach and Riverwalk Landing. Apparently the drivers take the schedule very seriously as one of them almost ran us over in the cross walks by the museum. Or maybe they just don’t like us walkers!!!

There are also several restaurants just steps from the pier along with some really nice swimming areas.