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Day 4 – Colonial Williamsburg // Colonial VA 2023

Isaac Church — Sun, 22 Oct 2023 22:00:57 +0000

Today, we finished up our visits at Colonial Williamsburg and the Yorktown Battlefields, and ate some more excellent food.

Column 15 Coffee

First thing, we drove over to Column 15 Coffee on the outskirts of Williamsburg to get some breakfast and coffee. We’d intended to get it to go, but the cafe had a neat atmosphere (and Connect 4 on the tables). We ordered some bagels (Asiago cheese with basil-garlic butter), and some of their seasonal and specialty coffee drinks. After playing at least a dozen games of Connect 4, I received the semi-worthless title of “Connect 4 champion”, and we headed out to begin the day’s historical adventures.

Column 15 Coffee

Williamsburg, VA

A neat coffee shop with a tasty food menu and interesting atmosphere.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Colonial Williamsburg

After breakfast, we drove back to Colonial Williamsburg, parked in the same spot we did a couple days earlier, and walked back to Duke of Glocester Street. We visited a variety of stores that we missed on Friday, including the tailor, joiner, carpenter, wheelwright, and weaver.

Colonial Williamsburg

Joiner

Colonial Williamsburg

Weaver

Governor's Palace

We walked over to the Governor’s Palace, and ran into a character portraying Patrick Henry, so we talked to him for a while. Once at the palace, we waited for the next guided tour to start. While we waited, we explored the cook’s exhibit in the scullery kitchen on the west side of the palace. That was a fascinating presentation; the demonstrators were very knowledgeable.

Governor's Palace

Kitchen

Soon it was time for our tour, so we went through the house, learning more about the colonial lifestyle and the history and politics of the area.

Governor's Palace

At the conclusion of the tour, we walked through the gardens, went down in to the palace’s cellars, and revisited the scullery to ask some more questions about importing cheese and other preserved goods to the colonies.

Cellars

Governor's Palace

Musket Demonstration

We briefly split up so Faith could refill her water bottle (it’s déjà vu all over again!), and met back at the powder magazine to wait for the afternoon musket firing demonstration. Since we had 30 minutes to kill, Faith and I walked down to the gunsmith’s shop, passing by the farming demonstration along the way.

Gunsmith

Farmer

Colonial Williamsburg

Sheep

Back at the magazine and market, we watched a presentation in the guardhouse, and then the musket firing demonstration.

Guardhouse

Musket firing demonstration

Amber Ox Public House

It was now mid-afternoon and we were all extremely hungry, so we decided to seek out some food. We walked past the Merchant’s Square, towards William & Mary’s campus. We decided we’d eat at Amber Ox Public House, after reading rave reviews online.

We started out by splitting a cured ham board, which came with: southern-style cured ham, ham salad, drop biscuits, everything spiced lavash crackers, house pickles, pickled vegetables, jam, and pimento cheese. For the main course, Cody got a black garlic shortrib with garden bean salad, pickled herbs, sorghum molasses, and a black garlic glaze. Morgan got the bacon burger, which came with white cheddar, bibb lettuce, tomato onion jam, lacquered bacon, herbed mustard aioli, and hand-cut fries.

Amber Ox Public House

Faith and I split a few things: shrimp and grits, Reckon Acres’ pork meatballs, and cauliflowers burnt ends. The shrimp and grits had NC greentail shrimp, tasso sausage, butter sauce, and Anson Mills’ grits. The cauliflower came with house bread & butter pickles and harissa aioli; the meatballs were parmesan crusted, with grits, hot honey vinaigrette, and crispy pickled shallots.

Amber Ox Public House

Amber Ox definitely lived up to the hype. It was an excellent meal, and I’d definitely like to go back to try more off the menu.

Amber Ox Public House

Williamsburg, VA

A really good meal with excellent service. The restaurant has a creative menu, with unique ingredients. They serve lots of house-made preserves, pickles, and sauces. Great selection of local and seasonal ingredients.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Battlefield, Part II

After lunch, Morgan and Faith drove back to the townhome to rest and feed the babies. Cody and I drove back to the Yorktown battlefield and completed the “Yellow Loop” of the driving tour. First, we headed to the Surrender Field so I could visit an exhibit that Cody saw but I missed. Several of the British cannons were on display, and there was an audio presentation in a covered observation platform.

Surrender Field

From the Surrender Field, the driving tour took us to American Artillery Park, General Washington’s Headquarters, French Cemetery, French Artillery Park, French Encampment Area, Pigeon Hill Redoubt, and Untouched Redoubt. This section of the drive had lots of roadside signage explaining what used to be there, but there weren’t many preserved sights remaining.

For most of the drive, Cody took pictures of the signs as we went by; we’d try to get the gist and read the rest later. Like yesterday, the scenery was very nice. It was especially interesting to drive the section of road that followed a creek bed via which the French and American alliance moved cannons, out of sight from the British forces.

Colonial Parkway

We finished the loop around 16:30. Since we had a little time, Cody and I went in the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown to scout for our visit the next day. We walked around for a few minutes, browsed the gift shop, and the left right as they closed at 17:00.

Dinner and Dessert

Cody and I arrived back at the townhome shortly after sunset. We killed some time, and then decided we were all hungry enough to eat a light dinner and maybe some dessert. I drove back out to pick up a small order of sushi from YamaChen’s Yorktown location, and swung into a Food Lion near Newport News to get some Ben & Jerry’s pints for dessert.

YamaChen's Sushi

The sushi was good, but not as good as Umi right down the road (which was unfortunately closed). We hung around the Airbnb for the remainder of the evening, playing games and watching some TV shows.

Ben & Jerry's

Video

Here’s a short video from today’s adventures.

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “the cellars and kitchen at the Governor’s Palace”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the entire meal at Amber Ox, particularly the cauliflower burnt ends”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “the hike to Hidden Falls”.

The best thing I ate today was… “cinnamon brioche and coffee”.

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, we’ll explore the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, and then head back to NC.

– The Churches and McKinneys

The post Day 4 – Colonial Williamsburg // Colonial VA 2023 appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Day 3 – Yorktown, Norfolk // Colonial VA 2023

Isaac Church — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 22:00:54 +0000

Today (Saturday), we spent the day exploring the Yorktown area, and trying to battle a nest of wasps that were somehow making their way inside our Airbnb.

Yorktown Market Days

After a fairly early start, we drove around the embankment down to the Yorktown Riverwalk Landing. Much to our delight, we discovered that the local farmer’s market, Yorktown Market Days, was set up for the morning. Abandoning our original plan of going back to Mobjack Bay Coffee for breakfast, we decided to get breakfast and coffee from the food trucks and vendors and eat by the river. It was very cold, but bearable on a sunny morning.

Yorktown Market Days

Cody and I got some pastries from Diana’s European Delights, a German bakery. We got a lemon curd roll, a poppyseed roll, a pumpkin muffin, and a slice of German apple cake. Meanwhile, Morgan and Faith got coffee (for all) and breakfast (for them) from the Coastal Thirst food truck.

Breakfast burrito - Coastal Thirst

Pastries - Diana's European Delights

All the food was good, especially Faith’s breakfast burrito. I was impressed by the selection at the market, particularly for such a small town. We took our food to a bench down by the river and ate, enjoying the view.

York River

Beach

Yorktown Market Days

Yorktown, VA

A farmer’s market with a surprising selection of items for such a small town. A great place to get some food and stroll along the York River to enjoy the scenery.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Yorktown

After a brief stop back at the Airbnb to locate the wasp nest (our host was very helpful, and quickly got someone over there to take care of it), we went back to the riverfront, and started our walking tour of Yorktown. We started along the York River, where Cornwallis was forced to move his headquarters during the final bombardment of Yorktown. The location made me realize what dire shape the British were really in during the siege.

Cornwallis's Headquarters

Continuing along the walking tour, directed by Cody with an app on his phone, we headed up the hill to the Yorktown Victory Monument. The monument to the last major battle of the American Revolution was authorized by the Continental Congress in 1781, but wasn’t constructed until 1881-1884.

Yorktown Victory Monument

Next, we strolled through some of Yorktown’s historic houses. Some of them still have holes in the brick from cannon fire. We were very disappointed to learn that the cannonballs implanted in the sides of the homes are not original, and were added to help tourists spot the holes. It was amazing to see how the shots came from every direction.

Yorktown, VA

Lunch

After another quick stop back at our Airbnb (verifying that the wasps were now gone), we headed out for lunch. I selected Chung Oak Korean Restaurant as our destination, which was somewhat on a leap of faith, as the reviews were very good but the place was definitely a hole-in-the-strip-mall-wall.

Chung Oak Korean Restaurant

We ordered egg rolls, beef bulgogi, rice, and dumplings. The seasoned, shaved ribeye was extraordinarily tender and flavorful. I wasn’t particularly hungry after our pastry-full breakfast, but still very much enjoyed the meat.

Chung Oak Korean Restaurant

Newport News, VA

Excellent beef bulgogi. Don’t be fooled by the rough exterior and interior.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Colonial National Historic Park

After lunch, we started our driving tour of the Colonial National Historic Park. First, we made a quick stop at the visitor center to check in with our pass, get some stickers and tags for our car, and get a map of the park’s weaving roads. There was a museum inside the visitor center, so we browsed through for a while. The two most interesting exhibits they had were George Washington’s tent and a recreation of a ship like the ones used to blockade Yorktown.

Visitor Center - Colonial National Historic Park

We began the driving tour around the “Red Loop” portion of the battlefield. The stops on this tour included the British Inner Defense Line, Grand French Battery, Second Allied Siege Line, Redoubts 9 and 10, Moore House, and the Surrender Field.

Dinner

Cody and I drove under the tunnel to Norfolk, and navigated to A.W. Shucks Raw Bar & Grill for a semi-quick dinner before the football game. For an appetizer, we split a half-dozen “Oysters Romano” with fresh greens, bacon, and Italian cheeses. I got a crab cake sandwich with a tomato salad as a side, and Cody got some buffalo wings with a very tasty basket of fries on the side.

Oysters Romano

Crab cake sandwich and tomato salad

Wings and fries

A.W. Shucks Raw Bar & Grill

Norfolk, VA

Solid seafood in a casual setting. The Oysters Romano are worth a visit.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Meanwhile, back in Yorktown, Faith and Morgan went toy shopping for the kids, walked along the river, got a pizza to go from a local restaurant, and played games at the townhome to round out their evening.

App State @ ODU

We finished up our dinner and drove over to Old Dominion’s campus. They have a ton of commuter students, and thus a ton of parking, so parking is free for football games. We parked in a parking deck, and walked through the heart of campus towards Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium. ODU’s campus is pretty nice, with a mix of older and modern buildings. It reminded us a lot of a flat (and less scenic) version of App’s campus.

Fountain

The game was yet another disappointment for the Mountaineers. ODU had a pretty good band, the stadium was clean and new, and there was a great sunset, but otherwise it was another frustrating away game. It was also quite cold up at our seats, especially with the wind blowing steadily.

S.B. Ballard Stadium

After the game, we attempted to stop at a Wendy’s to get a Frosty, only to find out their machine was down. We tried again at the next Wendy’s we came to, but it only had pumpkin spice Frostys. We reclutantly ordered a couple, and ate them on the rest of the way back to Yorktown. They were mediocre at best, but they kept us awake.

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “the sunset in Norfolk”.

The best thing I ate today was… “beef bulgogi and oysters Romano”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “walking along the York River”.

The best thing I ate today was… “beef bulgogi”.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading! Click here to subscribe to email notifications.

Tomorrow, we’ll head back to Colonial Williamsburg to finish up our visit there.

– The Churches and McKinneys

S.B. Ballard Stadium

Yorktown Victory Monument

Dead wasp

Wormley Creek

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