Day 27, 28. & 29 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

Tuesday June 2nd, is our first caravan move with this group. We are moving from Fayetteville NC to Williamsburg VA. As the Wagon master, we lead the caravan of the RV's and give the directions from our road log. So, taking pictures is difficult, but we also narrate about the areas we travel through on the RV caravan. So, this blog will be full of reading, with limited pictures!

I shared with the group about the Averasboro Battlefield, located just south of Dunn, North Carolina. This battle occurred on March 15–16, 1865. It served as a vital Confederate tactical delay during the Civil War. It stalled Union General Sherman's advance was long enough for Southern forces to consolidate for the major Battle of Bentonville three days later. 

The Bentonville Battlefield is the largest Civil War battle fought in North Carolina and the last major Confederate tactical offensive of the war. Fought from March 19–21, 1865, the Battle of Bentonville involved over 80,000 soldiers. It was a desperate, unsuccessful attempt by Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston to halt Union General William T. Sherman’s relentless march through the Carolinas. 

As we caravanned further north, we passed by Halifax, North Carolina. It was the site of the Halifax Resolves. The resolution was adopted on April 12, 1776, by North Carolina's Fourth Provincial Congress meeting in the town of Halifax. The resolution was pushed forward closely following the Patriot victory at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in February 1776. This victory severely weakened Loyalist influence in North Carolina and catalyzed revolutionary fervor across the colony. 

It is historically significant as the first official action by an entire colony explicitly empowering its delegates to vote for independence from Great Britain. Although the resolution did not directly declare North Carolina independent on its own. Instead, it authorized the colony's representatives at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to "concur with the delegates of the other Colonies in declaring Independency". By formally committing to independence on paper, North Carolina broke a lingering political impasse among the 13 colonies. It provided a direct model and momentum for other provinces to follow suit. In less than three months, the Continental Congress officially approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Closer to Richmond you can find the Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier. Highly acclaimed as the "crown jewel of Civil War sites in America", the park preserves a critical piece of the National Historic Landmark Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield, where Union forces broke through Confederate lines on April 2, 1865. This pivotal action forced the evacuation of Richmond and led directly to Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox one week later.

The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier: The main entry point. It houses the interactive gallery "Duty Called Me Here," where you receive an audio device to follow the real-life journey and ultimate wartime fate of a specific Civil War soldier.

There are miles of interpreted walking paths winding past some of the best-preserved Confederate earthworks, rifle pits, and military fortifications in the nation.

Petersburg National Battlefield preserves the sprawling historical landscapes of the Civil War’s longest continuous military campaign, a grueling 292-day siege stretching from June 1864 to April 1865. This 9,300-acre park marks where Union General Ulysses S. Grant systematically choked off vital Confederate supply lines to Richmond, ultimately forcing General Robert E. Lee's retreat and expediting the end of the war.

After we arrived at American Heritage RV Park, we enjoyed fellowship and a catered dinner from Corey's Southern Catering. All the best of the southern classics, fried chicken, mac & cheese, green beans, potato salad, and rolls! We also got to visit with Pam & Ben Phillips who drove in to see us and a few of our caravanners. 

On Wednesday June 3rd, we visited Colonial Williamsburg. It is the world's largest living history museum. The museum spans over 300 acres of historic area. Each section of the campus meticulously recreates 18th-century life in the former capital of the Virginia Colony. It is like walking into an immersive time capsule where you can interact with costumed historical interpreters, watch artisans practice period trades, and tour beautifully preserved and reconstructed landmark buildings.

We met our guides for our private guided walking tour at the Colonial Williamsburg Capitol. It serves as a focal landmark anchoring the eastern end of the historic Duke of Gloucester Street. Originally constructed in 1705, it was the very first structure in America to be designated as a "Capitol". Today, the building stands as a meticulous, twentieth-century reconstruction where visitors can explore early American governance, political history, and live legal reenactments.

The First Capitol was built in a distinct H-shape layout following a devastating fire in Jamestown. To protect the colony's paper records, it was originally built without fireplaces or chimneys, though candles ultimately caused it to burn to the ground anyway. (1705–1747)

The Second Capitol was rebuilt on the same foundations. This structure hosted the monumental debates of the American Revolution. It ceased operating as the statehouse when the capital relocated to Richmond in 1780 and eventually burned down in 1832.(1753–1780)  

The modern reconstruction was funded by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin. Architects chose to recreate the first 1705 design using precise 18th-century sketches found on the historical "Bodleian Plate".

On the ground floor is The General Court. This is where the Governor's Council wore traditional robes and wigs to act as supreme judges of the colony.

Positioned upstairs above the Court is The Governor’s Council Chamber. It served as the meeting place for the wealthy, aristocratic advisors appointed directly by the British Crown.

On the ground floor of the West Wing is The House of Burgesses. This chamber hosted the elected representatives of local Virginians, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry.

We walked the main street and back streets. We toured the Raleigh Tavern. It was the closest tavern to the capitol and the lawmakers would often stay there to unwind. Interesting fact, back in the day... you paid for a space in a room, not necessarily on a bed. You could pay the same price for your space and be sleeping on the floor!

On the back streets, we watched the carriage horses in training pass.

We watched the brickmakers. These master masons and apprentices demonstrate 18th-century brickmaking. We observed, no one from our group participated in, the physically demanding processes used to construct the historic town.

Throughout the summer, brickmakers mold and dry up to 20,000 sun-baked "green bricks" using local Chickahominy River clay. In the fall, they stack these bricks into a massive, temporary 10-foot clamp kiln.

The team maintains fires in the kiln tunnels 24 hours a day for four to five days until the bricks are properly hardened. It then takes an additional week and a half for the kiln to safely cool down.

This shop is deceiving, the sign looks like a furniture maker, but it is soooooo much more! It is the primary historic furniture and cabinetmaking shop within the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area. The official name is the Anthony Hay Cabinetmaker Shop. 

Operating as a living history museum site, it features master woodworkers and apprentices recreating 18th-century furniture, desks, and chairs using period hand tools and techniques. They were working on a harpsichord while we were there!

Our last stop was the Bruton Parish Episcopal Church. It is the active, historic church located directly inside the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area. Established in 1674, its current building on Duke of Gloucester Street has been in continuous use for over 300 years and still hosts an active congregation with regular Sunday services. Only parishioners can drive to the church in the historic district.

Everyone was free to enjoy lunch on their own. We enjoyed a light meal at the Mellow Mushroom. After lunch, we boarded the buses back to our cars and headed to the Jamestown Settlement.

Jamestown Settlement is a world-class living history museum that chronicles America's 17th-century beginnings through immersive, life-size outdoor re-creations and indoor gallery exhibits. The museum sits adjacent to Historic Jamestowne, which is the actual archaeological site where the first permanent English colony in North America was founded on May 14, 1607. 

This museum offers a comprehensive view of how European, Powhatan Native American, and African cultures intersected to shape early American history.The outdoor exhibits feature Paspahegh Town. It is a detailed re-creation of a Powhatan Native American village based on local archaeological findings. You can explore reed-covered houses, watch historical interpreters process animal hides, and see how tools were carved from stone and bone.

At the waters edge you can board the re-created ships. These are life-size replicas of the three famous ships—the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. They transported 104 English men and boys across the Atlantic Ocean. On board you can see the incredibly cramped quarters the settlers endured during their 144-day journey.

James Fort is the wooden-palisade fortress housing re-created wattle-and-daub buildings, including a church, storehouse, and governor's house. Daily you can watch live blacksmithing and the firing of 17th-century matchlock muskets.

The indoor galleries are expansive exhibition spaces that house real 17th-century artifacts. There are many unique, interactive films, and dioramas depicting the complex origins of the colony. 

Yes, even a gift shop!

Everyone returned to camp at their leisure and we enjoyed a meal of leftovers from our catered meal the night before!

On Thursday June 4th, we toured the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. It is a sister to the Jamestowne Settlement museum.

The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is a premier, interactive history museum that chronicles the nation's founding from the colonial period through the dawn of the Constitution. The facility replaced the old Yorktown Victory Center in 2016 to deliver massive, immersive exhibition galleries and vibrant, hands-on outdoor living history areas.

We watched the award-winning introductory film "Liberty Fever" and the flagship "The Siege of Yorktown" film, a 180-degree surround-screen experience that uses special effects like wind, smoke, and simulated cannon fire to drop you directly into the 1781 battle.

Some caravanners took advantage of some of the interactive displays!

Some sat on the bench and pondered life!

Everyone had free time after that, some went to pubs, taverns and a few took a sunset sail!

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!