Jamestown Settlement

Through exhibits and films, visitors discover the settlement and learn about the Powhatan Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans who lived in the area during the 17th century. Outside, the museum showcases replicas of the three ships that arrived in Virginia from England in the 1600s. Visitors can also walk through recreations of the colonists’ forts and a Powhatan village that include demonstrators in period garb. Combination ticket packages of what is known as “America’s Historic Triangle,” including Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown, are available.

• Strollers and wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
• The museum (except for the ships) is wheelchair accessible.
• Combined passes for the settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown are available.
• The site includes a gift shop and a café, which serves a variety of food and drink.

Jamestown Settlement is located about 30 minutes from Yorktown Victory Center on Route 31 South. From Richmond, take Interstate 64 to Exit 234; follow Route 199 and turn right onto Jamestown Road (Route 31 South). Free parking is available. The site is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away from the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

The museum is open from 9am to 5pm every day, with slightly extended hours during high summer. It is closed on Christmas (December 25) and New Year’s Day (January 1). Every year, on May 9, the site celebrates “Jamestown Day,” marking the founding of America’s first permanent English settlement. The event includes family-friendly programs, plus military and maritime demonstrations.

The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is about a 30-minute drive from the Jamestown Settlement. There, visitors learn about the nation’s founding via galleries featuring period artifacts, interactive exhibits, and films. Plus, learn about the life of a soldier and watch demonstrations on medical treatment, cooking, and more. Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown are all connected by the Colonial Parkway.

No. Admission tickets are required to visit Jamestown Settlement, which is a open-air history museum complete with historic reconstructions, replicas, audiovisual presentations, and exhibits recreating everyday life back in the 17th-century English settlement in Virginia. Visitors can choose among several entry passes, including multi-day and combo packages.

Plan on spending at least two or three hours visiting Jamestown Settlement, which includes large-scale replicas of three ships, Jamestown Fort, and a Powhatan Native American village. Many visitors also make a stop at Historic Jamestowne, the actual site of the settlement and an active archaeological site.

Yes. Jamestown Settlement is a big hit with kids thanks to its recreation of colonial history via ship replicas, a fort, and living history exhibits. Visitors also confront America’s more difficult chapters, from the arrival of enslaved Africans in 1619 to tensions between colonists and the Indigenous Algonquian people.

Yes. Main sights within Jamestown Settlement are spread out, and walking is required to get around. Visitors can also step aboard replicas of the three ships that brought English colonists to Virginia back in 1607. You can also watch costumed actors perform live reenactments of cooking and other 17th-century skills.

Yes. With the exception of the replica 17th-century ships, every area within Jamestown Settlement is accessible to visitors using wheelchairs. Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are open to visitors, and wheelchairs and strollers are loaned out on a first-come, first-served basis. Service animals are allowed, and assistive-listening systems for the film are available on request.

Yes. Parking is free at Jamestown Settlement, located off Virginia State Route 31. The settlement is about a 20-minute drive from Colonial Williamsburg, another popular site featuring historical reconstructions. The other nearby attraction, Yorktown is about a 30-minute drive. Many visitors combine visits to all three on a multi-day trip.