Jamestown Bike Ride: Archaeology, History and a Beautiful Bike Route

Pedaling to Jamestown From Colonial Williamsburg

Springtime is a great time to visit Williamsburg, Virginia with its many historic attractions. You’ll almost certainly experience nice weather prior to the heat and crowds of the summer. If you are looking for an active adventure, consider a bike excursion to nearby Jamestown.

There are several bike shops in Williamsburg that can supply you with a rental. We opted for single speed bikes feeling like we wanted to be economical and casual.   We brought water and a couple of snacks with us for sustenance on what we thought would be a leisurely day.

It is easy to find the Colonial National Historical Parkway which starts at the Williamsburg Visitor Center. The Colonial Parkway is beautiful and there is enough of a shoulder for bikers to feel safe; however, there are some hills.  It has been a while since I’ve ridden a single speed bike – a long while. We came to our first hill, and it was harder than I’d remembered. The key was to get up speed to have good momentum going up the hill. It was work; I wanted gears to be able to down shift.

We continued along the parkway pumping our legs furiously every time we came to another hill. This turned out to be more of a workout than we had bargained for but still doable. Thankfully, there were nice flat stretches to give our legs a break. As we approached Jamestown marshland gave way to beautiful coastal views of the James River. It is a very unspoiled and protected area, which is great; however, don’t expect any rest stops or places to stop and buy a cold drink.

After roughly thirty to forty minutes, we arrived in Jamestown. There are multiple places to explore in this area rich in history. The visitor center is a great place to stop and use the facilities.  We opted to purchase tickets for the site of the actual Jamestown settlement rather than the museum because our time was limited.

The settlement is a little further along the Colonial Parkway after the visitor center and museum.  It was fascinating reading about the first English settlers to arrive in Jamestown and how they endured deadly winters and disease. It was especially engrossing to learn more about Pocahontas and her tragically short life and the Native American population that lived in the Jamestown area.

I looked out over the expansive James River and quietly reflected on the failed Jamestown settlement and the history behind it. Archeologists continue to excavate the site and discover more artifacts, including graves, and gain knowledge about the settlement.

There is a small café where you can grab a bite to eat overlooking the water, but we decided to power through and bike back to Williamsburg. The out and back ride was as equally as challenging with our single speed bikes on the return to Williamsburg.

If you do this excursion, I recommend getting a gravel or mountain bike with gears, and if you feel like a splurge an ebike would be fine too. We were happy to drop our bikes and rest and refresh at Precarious Beer Project for some libations and good food.

If you’d like to read about a bike and wine tasting adventure in Tuscany, click here. Make sure to subscribe to my blog by clicking in the upper right-hand corner so you don’t miss any of my posts.

Helpful Info:

• Conte’s Bike Shop – bike rentals
• Pedego Electric Bikes Williamsburg – bike rentals
• Precarious Beer Project – good food and craft beer in a casual atmosphere in Williamsburg
• Pro tip – pack a bright colored shell. You can use it on your bike ride to be more visible and as a rain jacket on your trip. I have a hot pink jacket from Shower’s Pass.