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From Native confederacies to early European settlements and later colonial capitals, the Chesapeake Bay region has played an important role in the founding and development of our nation.

Come join the Conservancy as we spend a week exploring the area’s rich and diverse precontact Native American and historic European-Colonial cultures. Our exciting journey will take us from Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in North America, to the eighteenth-century town of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Along the way we’ll visit the first capitol of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, explore the bay-front town of Annapolis, and stop at Mount Vernon.

During our adventure, local scholars will join us to share their expertise and explain how archaeology has assisted them in interpreting the region’s past, particularly how during this time period different cultures collaborated and clashed.

Sunday, April 19 (L)

We’ll start just outside of Baltimore, Maryland for a welcome reception and kick-off lecture by noted Chesapeake archaeologist Dr. Donald Linebaugh, Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Monday, April 20 (L)

We’ll depart in the morning for Historic London Town and Gardens, a twenty-three-acre park located on the South River in Edgewater, Maryland and the site of the late 17th and early 18th century town of London, which is currently being excavated by archaeologists from the Lost Towns Project.  We’ll then head to the historic capital city of Annapolis, Maryland, where we will spend the next two nights. Here we will visit the William Paca House and Garden, a Georgian mansion built between 1763 and 1765. Guests will have the evening to explore the charming Annapolis Harbor and enjoy the city’s colonial architecture, as well as its notorious seafood dining options.

Tuesday, April 21 (L)

We’ll travel to Historic St. Mary’s City, the 1634 capital of Maryland which has been the site of ongoing archaeological research. Excitingly, the 1667 Brick Chapel has recently been reopened following interior reconstruction. Next, we will head to the Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum on the shore of Chesapeake Bay. Here we’ll learn about the numerous archaeological sites present on the property and, if renovations are complete, we’ll tour the state-of-the art Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory where nearly 4 million artifacts are curated. We’ll spend the night in Annapolis.

Wednesday, April 22 (L)

Making our way to Virginia, we’ll explore the George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Colonial Beach. This 550-acre park is located along the Potomac River and was the site of the Popes Creek Plantation first established by the Washington family in 1657. The park contains the remains of the homes of George Washington’s father Augustine and his grandfather John as well as a reconstructed colonial farm and numerous prehistoric archaeological sites. We will then head to Gloucester, Virginia to visit the Rosewell ruins, the magnificent remains of an 18^th-century Virginia mansion, and possibly other sites as time permits.  Then we’ll travel to Williamsburg where we’ll stay for the next three evenings.

Thursday, April 23 (L)

We will spend the morning touring the 18^th century town of Williamsburg, Virginia. With 88 original structures, 300 major reconstructions, 40 exhibition buildings, and 90 acres of gardens and greens, the town offers an array of attractions. Dr. Linebaugh will start off with a brief tour, and then guests will have the afternoon to explore specific sites and museums on their own. A guest pass to the sites is included as part of this tour. We will spend the night in Williamsburg.

Friday, April 24 (L)

In the morning we’ll visit the Kippax Plantation in Hopewell, Virginia.  A Conservancy owned preserve, Kippax plantation is a significant 17^th century contact period trading plantation with connections to Pocahontas.  Dr. Linebaugh has conducted an extensive amount of research at the site and will give us a personal tour.  After Hopewell, we will visit Historic Jamestown where we will see the first permanent English settlement in North America, the ongoing excavations at the Jamestown fort, and an extensive collection of 17th century artifacts in the “Archaearium,” a state-of-the-art museum that links history and archaeology to tell the story of Jamestown from 1607 to 1699. We will return to Williamsburg for the evening.

Saturday, April 25 (L)

In the morning, we will travel to the Mt. Vernon Estate where we’ll eat lunch and spend the remainder of the day touring the home and the grounds of the “Father of Our Country,” George Washington. Our visit will be guided by archaeologists working at Mount Vernon, who will show us the reconstructed grist mill and distillery. In addition, our visit will also include a house tour of Mt. Vernon, as well as time to explore the expansive property and gardens. Following our visit, we will head back to Baltimore where we will spend the night.

Sunday, April 26

Participants depart for home. 

Cost Includes first-class hotel accommodations based on double occupancy (single supplement is $495), all lunches, happy hours, admittance fees, tips, tours, background reading material and surface travel via air-conditioned bus.

Not included are meals other than lunch, and travel to and from Baltimore.

B = Breakfast provided
L = Lunch provided
D = Dinner provided