Today is July 16, 2026, my final day in New Orleans. Lets get to it then…
It’s time to learn how to cook. I signed up for another cooking class at the Cooking School of New Orleans. There were only 5 of us in this hands on cooking class which is intended to be small even when full. Part of today’s lesson, we were going to learn how to cook Sweet Potato and Tasso Soup, Crabcake with Poached Eggs and Beignets for dessert.
The reason I enjoy this class is because you get to do all the cutting and cooking with guidance from the chef leading the class. Today’s chef was the same person from my last class, Chef Austin with a new assistant Chef Felipe. Now being new doesn’t mean he was young, he was just new to the job of teaching at this cooking school.
Without going into all the details of the soup, I’ll just share some pictures. Now, I can tell you this was some really good soup, even if I cooked it myself. I’ve found a new way to cook sweet potatoes and will be make this soup repeatedly in the future.
The second dish was the crabcakes with poached eggs, covered in a Hollandaise sauce. Now the crabcakes were easy and I didn’t have any worries about cooking the; however, I didn’t have as much confidence in the Hollandaise sauce. Today, was my first day of trying to make this sauce, and it actually came out fine.
Now, the dessert was beignets, and well, for the sake of time we used the box mix from Cafe Du Monde. Which is actually a pretty good mix.
This is a free museum just off Royal Street that gives you the best chance to walking through a historic home that has been converted into a museum. Since this is 250th year of the United States, there was a special 1 room virtual exhibit in the museum. The coolest thing about this exhibit was the use of technology to let you view historical sites from the American Revolution in the 1770s and the same location in 2026. You walked around and used the tablet provide to scan 1 through 19 stations that walk your through reasons leading up to the war and the end of the war. What made this special to me, was in June I walked the streets of Colonial Williamsburg and visited the Yorktown battlefield.
The second floor was a small exhibit of artwork related to the music of New Orleans. As you walked this short hallway they had music playing related to the paintings.
In the next room is an exhibit titled: Vanishing Bounty, all about the vanishing costal environment.
The third floor housed a Aeolian residential player pipe organ, it was what was trending in the 1920’s home theatre. The one in the museum has been full restored, with an interesting modern upgrade. It can play midi files. While yes, you can play the keys or use the original paper rolls for automatic play, it is much easier to just plug in a USB stick and let the music play.
Now, I did record one of the song the organ played, but I’m not posting it hear because it won’t be the same as being present in the room. If you want to hear this 1920s entertainment system, you will need to visit the museum.
With the museum finished I went on my final shopping quest. I wanted a new hat, and even go my old hat reshaped a bit at The Hat Loft, right on Royal Street. I’m telling you, the best parts of the French Quarter are not found on Bourbon Street.
The new hat is green. 💚
And with that I will be saying goodbye to New Orleans this year.
The threat of rain seems to have gone away on this day, July 15, 2026. This means the heat is returning, not that yesterday was all that cool. Today, I think I will visit the aquarium and insectarium followed by a bit more shopping. I’m still trying to find the store that was selling this via garlic forward hot sauce. I’m starting to get the idea it was one of the regular shops that sells NOLA merchandize since the 2 specialty shops I’ve looked at don’t have it. I guess it is possible that it is no longer being made or they changed up the label.
Breakfast this morning was at Majoria’s Commerce Restaurant, on Camp Street. This is a small dinner open for breakfast and lunch, which the menu says you can get both all day. I swear it’s bar had a better selection of whisky than most of the bars on Bourbon Street, but it’s 9:00 AM and too early for me to be drinking anything stronger than coffee. So, breakfast today was shrimp and grits.
One thing I want to remember for my next visit is the number of places there are to eat in this area. Now most of them are only open for breakfast and lunch and if they server dinner they close by 9 PM, which for me is perfect. There is pizza, old fashion diners, an Indian restaurant oh, and a Mediterranean one called Olive. I had thought about Olive, for dinner one night but for some reason thought it was multiple blocks from hotel, but it’s only a few, just in the opposite direction of the French Quarter.
After a nice breakfast, it was a short walk down to the river and the Aquarium. I bought my ticket last night so I was able to skip the ticket line an go straight up the stairs to the first exhibit.
— Insects —
These exhibits were amazing. If you could have heard the excitement of the children I was having to dodge and wait patiently to clear away, you would have gotten excited too. I don’t think I heard any of them say, “that’s gross”, even if I heard a few adults say it.
To enter the butterfly garden you first are ushered into a closed room with a door behind a plastic green chain curtain. Once everyone is in the room, the usher closes the door and a short video plays. Once the “push here” button goes from Red to Green you can enter the exhibit. It was fun having butterflies all around you. I did notice most were near the plants near the windows and direct sunlight.
— Fish —
You maybe wondering how much did it cost? This experience cost me about $50. I’m not sure it was worth the price, but I do realize the upkeep on these exhibits is expensive, so I was willing to pay the fee. For an extra $10 you could also get a ticket to the Audubon Zoo in town, which is located about 40 minutes up the river. The best part was the butterfly garden, followed by walking through the underwater tunnel. Guess you know why those were videos and not pictures.
I had to get a picture of the river boat on the Mississippi River. I did this 75 minute tour the last time I was here in New Orleans, and I recommend doing it at least once.
I continued along the riverwalk, down and past Cafe Du Mont and long the sidewalk leading to the French Market Area. Here you will find many different vendors selling a variety of items along with a variety of food or drink take aways. I wanted to give this place called Meals From the Heart Cafe, which had a complete vegan menu, a try. I selected the vegan gumbo, which had okra, mushrooms and zucchini with rice. It wasn’t bad, but I’ve had better. I felt it lacked the “punch” other gumbos have. Being vegan shouldn’t limit you on the spices.
With some food in my belly it was time to wander off and find some good hot sauce and maybe some tea. My path did happen to take me past Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar. It claims to be the oldest bar in the United States, being built between 1722 and 1732; however, I doubt that claim. I’ll give it that its and old building but it didn’t start out as a bar.
With my drink in hand, I got back on my quest to find tea and hot sauce.
If you wanted, you could sample everyone of the hot sauces, salsa and marinades the Pepper Palace makes. Be prepared for some of them to make you regret that choice. They do offer a flat fee of $5 shipping for mail orders and if you buy 3 your get the 4th bottle free. I’m stocked up now for a good amount of time.
I wanted to get back to my hotel room before 2 PM to watch the England vs Argentina game, but I did want to get something else to eat and why not get another daiquiri. Last time I was here I tried Voodoo Chicken, so this time I went for Willies Chicken. Comparing the two, I do prefer Willies over Voodoo, and I think Willies daiquiri was better, but I didn’t get the same type, Willie Colada this time. It was pretty good, but it is made with 151 rum so it packs a kick.
So, that ends my adventures for today. I took it easy this afternoon, watching the game, and a few movies in my room.
On to tomorrow and my cooking class, followed by another museum – this one is free.
As I’m sitting here this morning, drinking some coffee and watching the local news, I thought would give anyone visiting New Orleans an option to prepare most of your meals in your own room so you can maximize at one meal eating out. For me I’m opting to do breakfast, Quaker Oat’s microwave oatmeal in a cup, I could do more since my room here at the Holiday Inn Club Vacation Resort has a full kitchen. As I mentioned I stopped at a Walmart before checking into the hotel; however, I knew check-in can sometimes take a bit of time, so I limited my shopping to items that didn’t need refrigeration.
So what if you don’t have a vehicle because you took a train, bus or airplane to NOLA? Here in the French Quarter you have a few options. One is the chain grocery store, Rouses Market. It is located at the corner of St. Peter and Royal street, just 1 block off of Bourbon street. If you read my previous post, I was thinking of walking to the river last night via St. Peter, that is wait reminded me of this option of grabbing groceries.
Let’s say you don’t want to get eggs, milk, etc. well, you could grab snacks and drinks at either Walgreens or CVS on Canal Street. CVS is located on the corner of the Carondelet and Canal, (Carondelet turns into Bourbon St.) and Walgreens is just one block north at Baronne and Canal.
It’s now 8 AM and I’m waiting until the rain stops. It’s down to drizzles but I really don’t want to get wet, plus none of the shops will be open until 10 AM. I need to restock some hot sauces, and visit a few book stores. My plan to go visit the Irish Channel changed when I realized this is just a residential area portion of the Garden District where Irish immigrants settle in the 1800s. Hence the shopping and I’m considering visiting the aquarium.
I took a walk down to the river and then along its river walk toward Jackson Square. I watched that ship navigate up the Mississippi, in my mind feel they are going down river, but zooming out on Google maps, the river does turn down but it turns back up heading to Baton Rouge. This means the Gulf of Mexico is the other direction.
Finally Cafe Du Monte wasn’t busy and I was able to get a table. Be sure to have cash since table service is cash only. I enjoyed an iced coffee with my benigns.
Next I walked up Royal Street, looking in on shops and art galleries before heading back to the hotel via Bourbon Street. I walked far enough that I was in the residential area. Some of the streets have no cars parked because the street gets cleaned on Tuesday while other streets get cleaned on Thursday.
I’ve been relaxing in my room since I got back. I thought about getting a to-go meal but opted for a bag of popcorn
I’m now watching the French vs Spain World Cup game before heading out to today for an early dinner before my jazz show
Dinner was at Oceana on Conti, just off of Bourbon Street. I had the Po’boy fried fish sandwich but switched out the French fries for jambalaya. The fish was very good, but the sauce is what made the sandwich. Cost $42 for meal, a beer and tip.
When planning this trip a month ago, I bought front row seated tickets to the Tuesday 8:45 PM jazz show at Preservation Hall. It’s located across the street from The Vampire Apothecary, so an easy 15 minute walk. The Preservation Hall has been a jazz music venue since 1961, and one thing they didn’t have in 1961 was cell phones (no pictures or video of the band while performing) They were very entertaining and the venue was very small. With my front row seat I felt like I was in the band. They have different shows during the week, and it seems Tuesday night this is a smaller portion of the band and are a bit more loose in their playing. I tried to find some YouTube videos but it seems they only posted the full band’s Christmas songs recently and then the videos are 3 or more years older. So this is differently and experience worth having because its one of a kind. It was a good evening.
After the show I was tempted to grab more food, but I’m not really hungry. Maybe it was all the second hand pot I inhaled walking down Bourbon Street. I’d risk one of the side streets, but they are dark at night and all the homeless people make me nervous enough with them on Bourbon Street. So I went straight back to my room.
I’m going to read a bit from the book I bought the other day and rest for tomorrow. I’m not sure if I’m getting smarter with my travel and moderating how much I do and see or if I’ve just been here in New Orleans enough that I don’t feel a need “to see it all”.
I’m heading back to NOLA for my final trip of the summer before returning to work in August.
Was expecting sunny, hot weather…
Rainy Start
I had been chasing the rain on my drive and it seems it decided to stop so I could catch up. But looks to be moving on without me in a day or so.
Today I will be stopping at the Lake Charles Visitor Center and grabbing lunch in Lafayette at Prejeans. Hoping to visit the State Capitol in Baton Rouge.
In NOLA I have tickets to a jazz show at Preservation Hall and another cooking class at New Orleans Cooking School. In between there will be many bowls of gumbo and I’m going to try out a vegan restaurant in the French Quarter. So I hope you enjoy my stories.
Time to hit the road.
First stop is my visit to the Louisiana visitor center just across the stateline. Sadly the walking trail was closed.
On to Lake Charles…
So it was raining cats, dogs, alligators… You name it and it was falling from the sky. So I skipped the Lake Charles Visitor Center.
So straight on to lunch about 1 hour down the road.
At some point, I don’t remember when, but I saw an alligator that was hit by a car and was dead along the side of the road. This was a first for me, I’m use to deer, but not an alligator.
Speaking of the road, drivers be crazy. I understand the sign says 75 MPH, but it’s raining so hard I can barely see what’s 10 feet in front of my truck… I’m going to drive slower, but not these other drivers, and the worst are the semis throwing their own rain clouds. I’m amazed there weren’t any accidents
I did make it to Lafayette safely and to Prejean’s for some wonderful gumbo and bread pudding. $35 with tip. The best of the gumbos was the duck gumbo. My only experience with duck before is ones that friends of mine shot while hunting. This meal I didn’t have to watch out for shot while eating. This made we wonder, were to they get their duck and with a bit of research I learned that they are farmed like chickens or turkeys, a quick internet search and I found Maple Leaf Farms. I know nothing about this farm other than what they posted on their own website. I’ve just linked as an example of sustained duck farming.
ChickenDuckSeafood Bread Pudding To Go Gumbos
Look at how dark the roux is for that gumbo… I’ve not been brave enough to get my homemade gumbo that dark.
On to the Capital; however, I didn’t stop. Parking proved to be terrible. There was a parking lot but it wasn’t clear if you had to pay or not and all the street parking had QR codes to scan to pay. I decided on a trip to Barnes & Nobles instead
I saw this cool game that tempted me, but I ended up getting a book from an author I like.
The rain did finally stop and left me alone all the way into New Orleans. I stopped by Walmart to grab snacks and fill up on gas then on to my hotel.
I got a room on the 8th floor with windows that look down towards Bourbon Street.
DayNight
One thing I noticed about this visit was a larger police presence. They even had horses. 🐎
I took some up close pictures of the neon signs on the street.
After getting settled in, unpacking my “fancy” shirts, and relaxing it was time to grab a late dinner, well at least for me.
I checked out a few places off Bourbon Street, but ended up at The Vampire Apythocary, my usual first meal place. You can find it off Bourbon Street on Saint Pete. If you walk down Saint Peter to the river, you will get to the cathedral.
I opted for the baked salmon and a Vampyre Sazerac. $57 with tip.
After paying my bill, I just sat at my table, sipping my drink and catching a few of the special Pikachu.
I’m tempted to walk to the river.
I didn’t. For one thing, the street got dark and 2nd the street was closed for repairs. So I wandered back to my room for a shower, some cookies and time to finish this post, but maybe not in that order.
“The cookies were first”
Until tomorrow. – I may have secret access to a “special” speak easy. Keep that a secret.
Ok, on June 18th, I broke my new rule of taking it easy. This ended up being a 13 hour day. I got back from the 1 hour 30 minute ghost tour and thought I would right up the daily blog. I messed up loading the images tonight, so I’m just going to call it a night and fix the images and write the blog in the morning. It’s supposed to be rainy here in Williamsburg tomorrow, so I’m going to have to make plans for inside activities. There will be no need to rush to get my day started.
It’s the next morning and I have energy to put my thoughts together in a more coherent story.
Just to keep with the pattern here is the fit check for the day. A Hawaiian style shirt called Toucan Tropica at Geek Tropical. If you use the link, you will get 15% off and I will get a discount the next time I purchase. Thanks for checking them out.
Colonial Williamsburg was found 1638, but it was called Middle Plantation until 1699 when the governor of Virginia decided to more the capital of Virginia from Jamestown to Middle Plantation. But it needed a better name, a prestigious town needed a prestigious name, so they called it Williamsburg after King William III, the current king of England.
Williamsburg is a planned out town, well Colonial Williamsburg is. All the streets run East to West or North to South. The main road were all the businesses and inns called Duke of Gloucester Street, runs East to West with the capital building sitting at the eastern end of the road. We will get to the capital later. I’m going to start at the western end of the street and a few blocks north at the Governor’s Palace.
Oh, now is also a good time to mention, not all these buildings are the actual buildings. In 1924 a restoration project was started to save the 18th century buildings that were still standing. This project extended into a fuller restoration, by rebuilding long lost structures using historical records and archaeology to bring Williamsburg back to life in its Revolutionary War stage.
The Governor’s Palace was the seat of the King’s authority in Virginia. The governor was appointed by the King, and governor then appointed local male, Virginian land owners to important positions in the community. The Governor’s Palace was destroyed and one point a school was build on top of it. The building in the pictures is a complete reconstruction on the outline of the original footprint.
Backside of the Governor’s Palace
Inside you will see portraits of King William III and Queen Mary along with lots and lots of muskets and swords. In fact there are 540 muskets all hanging from the walls. No they are not just ornamental, they could all be used in the service of the King to defend the town if called to muster by the governor.
An interesting fact about living in Colonial Williamsburg, if you were a male over the age of 16 you need to own a musket, an edged weapon, and a set amount of gun powder and shot. The guns at the Governor’s Palace were used to make sure everyone had the same type of weapon to make it easier to supply in a long term siege.
The rooms of the Governor’s Palace have been recreated to the historical time frame. I’m amazed at how the rooms are all interconnected. The kitchen and servant quarters are on the west side of the main house, but they were closed due to renovations, along with a few of the paths.
As you exit out of the Governor’s Palace, you enter the garden. It is very symmetrical which I’m guessing must be the trend for the 1700s. One each side were this tree/vine covered tunnels you could use to walk in the garden out of the sun. Just watch out because birds do nest in them.
If you could leave the garden by the back exit, you would be lead to a stage were actors tell a story of the historical figure they are representing. This morning it was a speech from Martha Washington giving the Revolutionary War story from her perspective.
Now since you have to walk outside the garden wall and around the back, you get a good view of the wall and I wondered what these windowed corner rooms were. Inside was a bench. I’m guessing it was a place to have private conversations.
Entrance The center The Hedge Maze
Leaving the Governor’s Palace area you have the option to walk down 2 parallel streets with various houses and businesses. Reenactment actors can be found along either road. If you have questions just approach them and they will start up a conversation. I only took a picture of the gentleman on a horse.
Between the streets is a wide open area.
Walking down either of these streets will get you to the main street, The Duke of Gloucester Street. Turning to the east or your left if you have left the Governor’s Palace will take you to the Capital. This road is about 1 mile long.
I forgot to ask, but I’m guessing the street was actually this wide between the housing and businesses to allow wagon traffic to move both directions.
On the left, or going west, you will find Bruton Parish Episcopal Church, one of the oldest active churches in the United States. In it’s steeple is the sister bell to the Liberty Bell, just without the crack.
Now it wasn’t opened when I was there in the morning, but I came back later and found it to be opened so I took a short walk through. This would have been the church George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and others that signed the Declarations of Independence would attend when in town on a Sunday.
Sister bell to the Liberty Bell in the Bell Tower
Across the street is the Peter Scott House and Shop Archaeology Project. Peter Scott rented this house and was one of the prominent tradesman in the town know for his cabinet making skill. Now, there is an interesting connection to the owner of this house and the first, first lady of the United States, but you will have to visit to learn that story.
Moving along the street to the east, toward the Capitol, you will have the opportunity to visit a variety of different homes, businesses, or taverns. To know if they are open, each building will have a flag flying outside. Some of these buildings require the same ticket you used to visit the Governor’s Palace and later will need to visit the Capitol while others are free to the public. Check you map to know which is which.
Pathway to the blacksmith shop
Blacksmith
Reminder that some of these are the actual buildings while others are recreations.
Some of the buildings that were mercantiles in their life have been revived and continue to be places were the public can buy goods.
When you reach the Capitol This was the seat of power for the colony of Virginia after it was moved here from Jamestown. Both the upper (Governor’s Council) and lower (House of Burgesses) legislations met here. Many of the future signers of the Declaration of Independence were members of the House of Burgesses. This was also the location of the highest civil and criminal court. Blackbeard’s pirate crew was sentenced to be hanged in this court.
After all this walking and still some more to come, FYI, some of the pictures of the street I posted above are through out the morning and early afternoon. I just decided to lump them all together because the narrative was the pretty much the same. Now, dinning was something that was unique.
There are a variety of places you can eat to experience dinning in the 17th century. You could eat at the King’s Arms Tavern if you want more of an upper class take or your could pick the Shield’s Tavern with a middle, lower class dining. Regardless which tavern you pick, the menu is limited. Just like in the 17th century there was not a great variety of dishes and the kitchens were not stocked with a large variety of items. Remember, there are no refrigerators or freezers. Now if you want to plan your dinning and not wing it like I did, be sure to check out the official dinning website linked —> HERE.
I opted for the Shield’s Tavern and the groaning board option, which is a salad, beef and chicken main dish, with 3 sides. The day I visited the drink menu was limited to water, lemonade, ice tea or soda. The adult beverages were not being served. So I didn’t get to drink a pint of ale in a tavern.
Shield Tavern
Now I still did a bunch of walking around 18,000 steps including the 8 PM ghost tour. I lumped the street views together in one big gallery. During this wandering I a visited print shop, a linen clothing shop, the blacksmith (picture above) and then a bakery, the Raleigh Tavern Bakery. I sampled the ginger cake and had a spiced ale.
Now to really confuse the timeline, I’m going to post pictures I took in the morning at the visitor center and explain the parking / transportation situation.
So, you can buy your ticket at the visitor center and they will give you a clip on badge to make it easy for the staff checking for tickets to know you have access to the pay-to-visit sites. There is an option to go all digital, but you will frequently have to get your phone out and show staff your pass. In my opinion waiting a little bit in line at the beginning is better than having to keep showing your phone at each site.
Now at the visitor center there is a gift shop, because all visitor centers seem to have one, but there are also exhibits. For this year, being the 250th, there was a special The Great American Birthday Quilt Exhibition.
When you visit, be sure to check out the official site to know what you can see. The exhibit rotate and the re-enactors are not always open.
To help get around this large venue, the city of Williamsburg public transport provides a few bus that will help you move around from the big sites. I opted to park at the welcome center and take the bus to the Governor’s Palace and walk the rest of the site. If you chose, you could do a more hop on hop off way of travel. The buses are scheduled to run every 15 minutes, they do fill up quick. Each bus seems to have a different patriotic theme.
I didn’t want to drive back to my resort and then drive back for the ghost tour; however, I was very tired and didn’t want to walk around much more so I returned to the visitor center, drank a lemonade and relaxed for a bit of time and then moved my car to a closer parking lot for easier access after the ghost tour. Public parking is not free, you must pay using a special parking app. Once you set it up, it’s not that difficult to use. Parking prices vary. For example at the visitor center its $10 for 6 hours, that is your only option. Down near the shopping portion of Colonial Williamsburg, the price seems to be $2 an hour, with a max of $10. For today, parking cost me about $21 because you have to pay for parking and an annoying credit card fee.
I check out the shopping center that is at the end of Colonial Williamsburg and just before Williams & Mary college. It’s very much like an outdoor shopping center with a variety of shops and dinning options. I was just glad they had plenty of benches.
By now it was 6:30 PM and I wanted to eat before the ghost tour at 8 PM so I sat at the bar of the DoG Street Pub and enjoyed a pint of ale with a burger and fries.
The ghost tour was your typical tour. I still have not seen a ghost, but I have learned some interesting history. It was during the tour that I learned about the trial of Blackbeard’s pirate crew, because they are said to haunt the road leading to their hanging. Blackbeard himself was killed at sea and only his head was brought back to prove his death.
Now, I wish I could have captures an image or video of the bats that started flying round the tour as we move through the market area. It added an extra layer of spooky even if I didn’t see any ghosts. Personally, I was happy to see the bats, because they were eating the mosquitos that had been trying to eat me earlier.
And with that, my trip ends. If you plan on visiting Colonial Williamsburg, I suggest setting aside 3 days to experience the exhibits in full, a single day pass is $37.50 and a 3-day pass is $55. Well worth the money spent.
Tomorrow I head home after a few planes. I then return to reality were I need to do a few projects I’ve been putting off at my house. Until the next time, have a great rest of your day and thanks for taking the time to read my silly prose.
As I start the blog post its June 17th a little before 3:45 PM EST. I’m in my room enjoying the A/C and getting ready to watch the England vs Croatia.
Let me get my fit check out of the way. This time it is at the first site of the day, Yorktown Battlefield.
Bees and Flowers
If you are looking for less boring shirts, check out Geek Tropical, if you use my link, you will get 15% off and I will be able to get a discount on my next purchase. Thanks, if you buy.
The Yorktown battle ground / fort is part of the National Park system so if you have your Annual Park pass you are good, if not there are QR codes in the parking lot so you can purchase your access. Inside the main building you will find staff that can help you purchase a pass and give you the run down of the site. There is a nice museum with a movie and a ranger talk. In the museum you will walking exhibits that explain the reasons leading up to the War for Independence and the roll the Battle of Yorktown played.
The main focus of the museum is on the Revolutionary War; however, there are some exhibits about the Civil War, because Yorktown did play a part in that war.
I tried to get a picture of the actual tent used by George Washington for the battle but the lighting is very dim and the glass is too reflective. You can clearly see holes in the material and rust stains from when it was stored. I found it fascinating that something that ephemeral is still around 250+ years later.
There is a picture of George Washington that seems to be full size so I had to get a picture standing next to it.
George and Me
Across the room is a to scale partial replica of a British warship that you can enter and walk through. Be ready to duck down, unless you are short. Inside you will find some cannons that were salvaged from the waters off the coast and replica hammocks. Walking through you get a good idea of the cramped life of a British Navy sailor.
This cannon is said to be from the battle because one of the French Generals at the fight recognized it years later from the damage it took from a hit by a cannon ball.
Outside of the museum the fort is currently not accessible because they are working the it. To be honest it is mostly just dirt embankments since most of the walls were built out of wood. You can download an audio tour and follow the map to drive to the various locations of the battle. I started to do this, but it was a bit too much to drive, spot the markers and locate the parking locations to walk up to basically a plaque that talks about the location. If I had a navigator I would have followed it better, but some of the tour is on regular the regular highway that goes through the battlefield. The only monument I took time to visit was the monolith erected to memorialize the victory.
The path leading the monument
Now you could stay parked in the parking lot at the National Park museum and use the free trolly that will take you to the waterfront in Yorktown.
Battle Field StopWater front stop
Or you could do like I did and drive to Yorktown and make use of the various parking lots.
Parking near the water front was hard to find because there are beaches along the walkway and the weather today was very nice so the beaches were very popular.
I opted to park near the historical main street of Yorktown and walk down to the waterfront.
Now, I realize I’m writing my story out of order, because I went to the Yorktown Museum after leaving the Yorktown Battlefield but does it really matter for my blog. I choose to say no, so you will have to live with my choice.
Now at the Yorktown Museum, you will have another opportunity to walk through the lead up to the battle of Yorktown from the Revolutionary War to the surrender of the British forces. One thing I found unique for the museum is the stories from people who remembered the events years later. The curators of the museum are really trying to connect the history to real living people, well at the time. The Revolutionary war was 250 years ago and only vampires and zombies would still be alive.
One other thing I wanted to mention that was true for the Yorktown and Jamestown museum was the interactive exhibits. Some were tactile requiring you to slide open a panel to reveal the answer, while some were digital allowing you to interact with the history. A good museum should have you walking away learning something and I found these activities to be useful.
I frequently had to wait for some kids to finish with the activities before I could try them out myself.
Outside of the museum they have a living history exhibits of a Revolutionary War camp and a Revolutionary time farm.
On the left is the kitchen building and on the right are the living quarters
Corn, squash and tobacco
Another view of the farm
Basket being made to catch fish
Path leading to the tents for the solidersTrench with a variety of cooking stations
It’s now past lunch, well in the timeline of the blog, so I headed back towards Williamsburg because I couldn’t get to the Pub on the waterfront I wanted to try. That annoying 2 hour parking or you will be towed really ruined my vibe. Next time I’m here hopefully there won’t be road construction.
Oh, here is the perfect time to really annoy my readers and jump back to the waterfront. I didn’t think the pictures were uploaded but they did so I have to tell you about this book store.
Yes that is a first edition
So this book store is full of old things, what I noticed were the first editions of the complete collection of Tolkien. If I had money to waste I would have bought them. To be honest if I had that type of money to waste, I would have already acquired first editions.
Ok, back to my stomach…
So if you noticed the title to the driving video, Sammy Haggard’s song – “You Can’t Drive 55” was playing on the car radio. You can’t hear it because I dubbed it with copyright free music.
So by now you are wondering were did you go to fill the hole that was in your rumbling tummy…
Pulled Pork Sandwich and Mug’s Rootbeer
Behind the building with the restaurant’s sign is there actual smoke house. They have a “viewing area” but I the inside is very dark and trying to take a picture through a screened window into a dark room just didn’t work.
The taste was very different than what I’m enjoy in Texas. The BBQ sauce was very heavy with cinnamon. I personally prefer spicy, but it was still good. The fact the place was packed clearly says that flavor works for the local community.
I’m enjoying limiting how much I do each day. In the past (last year) I would have done both Jamestown and Yorktown in one day. While yes, it is do able, I would have been miserable at one of the sites and having to sit frequently. I’m going to need to remember this going forward for all my future adventures. I’m still walking 10K steps each day, but not the previous adventures of 20k each day.
Today is June 16, 2026. I don’t think I’ve stated the date at the start of my blogs. I’m writing these mostly as a method so I can remember what happened when I look back on these posts. Ok, on to the post.
Today’s Shirt – DnD Hawaiian Shirt
If you are interested in any of the shirts I’m wearing during this trip, you can get a 15% discount on your order and I get a discount too on my next purchase. Geek Tropical
I started the day with a nice walk around the resort and then drinking a few cups of coffee while listening to the birds discuss their plans for the day. Since my villa has a kitchen, and I bought groceries yesterday, I cooked myself some bratwurst egg tacos.
bratwurst egg tacos for breakfast
With a solid breakfast and 3 cups of coffee consumed, it’s time for today’s adventure… Jamestown.
I started the morning at the Jamestown Settlement which includes a nice museum that tells the story of Jamestown as you walk through the exhibits. You get background on the Native American tribe, the Powhatan, the English settlers, and I was surprised to learn of the Angolans, from west central Africa. I was not aware that the first African slaves arrived in Jamestown in 1619, with two English privateers, the White Lion and the Treasurer, after they captured slave ships in the Gulf of Mexico heading to Vera Cruz, Mexico. You can learn more about all this history here at the website, Jamestown Rediscovery.
After leaving the museum, you will head outside to the reenactment settlement, ship dock and the Powhatan reenactment settlement.
Blacksmithing Building
English Flag flying over the fort walls
Clay oven being heated to make bread puddingStorage building with tobacco dryingCan you find the green dragon fly?Can you find the bumble bee?Example GardenCannons for fort defenseCostal ships in dockTobacco plant?MustardCostal Fishing BoatInside a Powhatan hut
I didn’t take a picture of the church, but I do have a funny story. While I was waiting my turn to look at the altar area, a mom was trying to get her son to climb the pulpit and pretend to give a sermon. He finally got in the pulpit, ok I need to let you know this kid was like 8 years old that is important if you are up with current silly trends in 2026. He didn’t know what to say, so his mom suggested the Lord’s prayer which he did start but ended it with six-seven. He came off the pulpit laughing and giggling, repeatedly saying six-seven, while his mother just groaned. I was laughing. It was just so perfect.
If you wish to visit the reenactment site and museum you can purchase tickets and learn about which reenactments are happening the day of your visit here at Jamestown-Yorktown website. Oh, and yes those are live chickens that are wandering around the reenactment site. Don’t try to pet them, they don’t like to be touched, but they don’t seem to mind humans that don’t try to touch them.
After a quick visit to the gift shop I left the museum after spending about 3 hours and headed down the road to the archaeology site of Jamestown.
Let me explain the next site. At this site you will have to purchase 2 tickets, one is to access the Federal National Park, (if you have a National Park Pass it will cover this fee), and a 2nd ticket good for 5 days from the private archaeological site. I was a bit confused but I was happy that I bought my National Park Pass back in June 2025 because it was still valid until the end of this month. On with the tour.
After purchasing your tickets, head to the right and you can tour the first of two museums at this site. The first museum is very similar to the one at the reenactment site I visited first, so I skimmed through this one. The history is the same history, yes there are some different artifacts so it’s worth a look.
Walking from the entrance to the archaeology site, you will walk down a long board walk over some very swampy looking water. You will see why turtle shells were found in the refuse heaps of both the Jamestown colony and the local Powhatan community.
Turtles
Now this is the site if you want to stand in the actual location of the Jamestown fort. During my visit there were 4 active archaeology digs happening. I only took pictures at 2 of them.
The first site pictured is close to the church with is being rebuilt. They are excavating an area that will soon be covered by a walking path. The great thing about all the digs, is one of the archaeologists will come over and talk to you and answer any questions you have. At the first site, those of us standing by the boundary rope were shown a rock that had been split by extreme heat, most likely as a stone that was heated in a fire and used to heat water.
The second site is withing the boundary walls of a Confederate Civil War fort that was located here. The archaeologists are hoping to find evidence that will help them date the bricks and let them know if they found part of a barracks from the Civil War or something else. The hole in the left, that is partial filled is a post hole that they believe is “modern” and probably used as signage for tourist visiting the site.
If you want to keep up with current finds, the try to post an update each month here at the JamestownRediscovery YouTube page.
Scale model of the fort here at Jamestown
The second museum is down along the water front around the church. There is a large glassed museum built on top of the Jamestown great hall.
Something I do want to make you aware, there are skeletons of 2 of the colonists on display and a few skulls. The first picture above is history of Captain Bartholomew Gosnold. He was one of the captains of the ships and died from illness. In the picture you can just make out the edge of a glass display case. If you guessed that his skeleton is there, you were right. Now, the skeleton is labeled with an archaeological ID number but using evidence from records of the colonists they are pretty sure the skeleton is his.
I had another picture, but it came out all blurry. So I didn’t upload it, but it was of an artist’s facial recreation of another colonist, a 15 year old boy, with you guest it, his skeleton right there in the glass case.
I personally found it a bit creepy, but these displays really connect you to the reality that the history you had been reading and walking through was lived by real individuals.
The last picture is just something I found interesting and helps explain why people were willing to risk their lives to settle in a very limited explored world. Yep, the chance to get rich, and one of the commodities that could make you lots of money was tobacco. Look at the variety of clay pipes and you can see the opportunities.
Also, I need to explain the QR Code in picture 2. Throughout the exhibit there are QR Codes that will link you to a video allowing you to hear about the discovery in the case from one of the archaeologists or historians that worked with that artifact.
As you follow the path back around the church you find this very modern looking house with an interesting garden. According to the plaque, the garden is a recreation of the herbs one might find. I found the use of the oyster shells as borders to be very practical.
Tomorrow, I think we will visit Yorktown and save Williamsburg for Thursday.
Oh. I almost posted this before I uploaded one video; however, me that is typing at 6 PM is going to have to wait until the sunsets and it gets dark. To you reading this it’s just going to be a click. I think it will be worth it. I enjoyed hearing it last night as I was unloading and moving into my room.
It’s 6 AM and I’m sitting in the airport waiting for my 7AM flight. The first of 3 today to get to Williamsburg, Virginia. Well, actually to Richmond and then I’m driving to Williamsburg.
There is a weather system playing here in Texas and I was warned that there may be delays out of Austin. I’m crossing my fingers that long layovers work in my favor today.
My new shirts arrived so I’m wearing the first one for today’s travels.
Kittens in Space Themed
Yes, it does have cats on it.
Sunrise above the rain
The first stop was Austin, Texas. The next leg took me to Orlando, Florida. In the terminal I was connecting flights, I couldn’t find any cool, welcome sign. I’m guessing it’s over in Terminal A or B as you leave the airport. So here are planes and the sky.
Welcome to Florida Florida Terminal viewGoodbye Florida
The final airport was Richmond, Virginia and they did have a welcome sign, but it was for a speech and debate event happening. I was actually indirectly traveling with my school district’s middle school and high school debate teams, For most of the kids it was their first trip on a plane and first leaving Texas.
And with that, it was time to get my rental from Hertz and drive 40 minutes to Williamsburg. I wish I had set up my camera to film some of the drive. So many trees.
After a quick trip to a grocery store for milk, eggs, bread and sodas, I cooked myself some spaghetti watched some TV and called it a night.
I slept better last night, that doesn’t mean those people sharing the joy, driving their cars stopped, there were at least less of them that woke me up.
I decided not to go to the Con early this morning because I can’t resist the merchandise and I’ve spent too much on things. I will be making one final walk around before leaving today… I need more of these.
Strawberry cream flavored macarons
Thinking about those snacks has me wondering what to do for breakfast this morning.
Checking the weather there is a good chance of rain later this morning and these clouds are similar to the ones on Friday morning when it went from sunny to rainy in 30 minutes.
Sunrise… Where is the sun?
Wow, this was a busy weekend for outdoor events. Friday was the Art Festival and a 5k night run, Saturday morning was another running event and this morning there is a bicycle race.
Bicycle Raceway
I think I need to venture out for breakfast…
Today, we will be trying a Pfannkuchen, at Artisan Haus Bakery & Bistro. What is a Pfannkuchen? Well it is a German thin pancake very similar to a crepe. I’m here at 8 AM and the place looks closed, but checking the Google timeline thingy I’m here before the crowd, so as I’m leaving this place should be hopping.
Farmer’s PfannkuchenThese things are huge
Time to hear a drum line.
Corpus Christi Taiko Club
This club is a volunteer club that is about 3 years old. Corpus Christi Onami Taiko Club more information about them can be found here on their Facebook Page.
The next session I visited was presented by @fatecosplay where he introduce to DnD. It was a very well organized presentation with information on where and how to find fellow players. Online tools you can use to help you track your character and manage a game if you are a DM. I did have to leave early because of the unlimited access to Pecos Pete’s Sodas. You buy the mug once and pay $7.00 a day where every Pecos Pete has setup their cart. The diet root beer is top quality. So I think you can figure out why I had to leave.
Puzzle update Day 3
I worked on the puzzle this morning for about 15 minutes and I just came back at 1:30 PM and there is a couple working on it as I type. So I’ll post a picture later.
When I returned a bit later
I went back to the food vendor area to buy another round of macarons but sadly they sold out.. Next year it is.
To tell the truth I’m tired and thinking of leaving early. With my VIP ticket I have discounts to the Art Museum, the Aquarium, the USS Lexington, and the Botanical gardens. I’m leaning towards the Botanical gardens, they close at 6 PM so there is still plenty of time.
I couldn’t leave without finishing the puzzle so I started working on it and a kid asked if he could join. He completed the Eevee in the middle and the upper right corner before he had to leave.
And it’s finished
If anyone that helped complete the puzzle sees this blog, thanks and great teamwork. Next year if I return, I should bring a notepad and ask people to sign the notebook and post pictures to a public site. Let’s see if I remember…
As I left C4 for the last time this year I smelled pizza. I was reminded of a pizza place recommended by a few people so I think I will get pizza and assess if I want to do any more walking. Besides I need to do some minor editing on the video from the drum line. You should have already watched it, but at the time of my typing it is just raw footage. Non linear time lines are fun.
Well, scrap pizza, Marty McPie is closed on Sunday. There are a few others that serve pizza but now I just want to go back to my room.
Just to close out this blog and answer all question, I ended up ordering the flat bread pizza appetizer from the hotel restaurant. That’s dinner sorted. And now that I’ve edited the drumline video, uploaded and linked it; its time to close out this 3 day blog.
I should be back next year. I like this Con because it isn’t too big, yes, the “stars” are not the top tier actors, but I’ve been to the Con in McAllen with “bigger named stars” and that one is just too crowded and VIP ticket holders get less for their money, or maybe C4 just gives us more. I’ve never been to another Con so maybe the McAllen one is typical and C4 is special. I guess I need to venture out to a different one sometime soon to compare.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the prose. I’ve tried to provide links so if you visit Corpus Christi you will have a starting point of a few things to do. Maybe you will even want to attend C4 next year. I’m signing off for now. Next adventure is in a few weeks and I will be going somewhere on the east coast. Subscribe if you want to read about that adventure. Be blessed.
First, to the idiots that kept running up and down Shoreline Drive at 2 and 3 AM blasting their music and revving their engines… You all suck… Now that I have that out of the way…
I started day 2 with a 5k run. About a mile into my run I joined an actual live running event I didn’t know about. I would have signed up and gotten another metal. 😁
SunriseJust looked coolAnother just looked cool.
So here is my fit and some pictures of me, before I got too hot and had to change.
I decided to skip going for breakfast and instead chose to eat when I got to the event. So, I had mac and cheese with pulled pork for my brunch. Right? If you eat fancy food that’s not typical for breakfast after 10 AM you call that brunch? Whatever it’s called, it hit the spot. Sorry no pic, I was hungry and forgot to take a picture.
The first panel I wanted to see was the historical connection to Anime and Manga to Japan folk tales. The presenter, Chloe from the Texas State Museum of Asian Culture, used a flip book to tell a story, a modern adaptation, about a kingdom being attacked by a monster and the king calling for heroes and only 2 respond, a Texas ranger and a samurai. The presenter read the story in Japanese and then in English. She mentioned that many of the Manga and Anime comics and shows link back to eastern mythology and common cultural experience that are not originally found here in the West.
The second tale was about a giant peach. This story she told in English only, but if you’ve ever played Pokemon Scarlet, you see this similar story, but instead of finding a baby boy, the player finds a baby pokemon.
If you are interested in the story, Chloe has published this book, and you can purchase it on Amazon and learn some Japanese.
Michaela Jill Murphy (Toph) and Dante Basco (Zuko) talked about their experiences voice acting these characters for Nickelodeon years ago.
Michaela discussed at the time as a kid (13 years old) she just read the lines, did her job and didn’t really think much about the show. When the show ended, her thoughts were… time to focus on school and get ready to become a doctor (she changed her mind later); however, as an adult she has gone back and rewatched all the episodes and was amazed at the writers storytelling and how good it was, making her job as a kid easy and how that writing still resonates with audiences today.
Dante discussed his impact as a Filipino actor, giving representation to people normally not seen in leading roles in Hollywood. At the time he was still young, and even his role as Rufio in Hook, was letting in his words “brown people” be seen. Now as an adult, looking back, he can see the impact especially when he interacts with fans, when they tell him the impact his career has had on their lives.
And yes, the crowd did get him to say his immortal words from Hook, “Rufio, Rufio, … ” go watch the movie.
The 3rd panel of the day was another presentation on story telling and folklore but this one was connected to Pokemon more directly.
This was a presentation give by historians that work at Texas State Museum of Asian Cultures & Education Center. The presenter started off asking what, the capital of France, the tendon that connects your ankle to your foot, and the popularity of people being named Hector. Paris, Achilles, and Hector are all from the mythological history of Greece and the Trojan war. Those stores are 1000s of years old yet everyone in Western culture knows them in some fashion. The same is true in the Eastern world, but with different mythological histories.
Now, I missed the craze in 1990 when Pokemon came to US. I would have enjoyed the translation error that happened in the episode about “jelly doughnuts“. Confusion, needless to say, children in the USA were confused by these triangular rice treats.
Ninetales is based on the Kitsune (and Chinese Huli Jing), a mythical fox that gains magical abilities
The concept of a duck with an onion or leek in its mouth comes from a classic Japanese proverb, kamo ga negi o shotte kuru. This proverb translates literally to “a duck comes bearing green onions,” The proverb is used to describe a scenario that is unbelievably convenient or a stroke of good fortune.
In Japanese folklore, the Dorotabō (muddy rice-field monk) is a yōkai (spirit/demon) that rises from rice paddies. This demon punishes rice farmers that neglect their rice pads.
Just like our Greek myths in the western world, these myths listed about are just as common to Japanese people.
Yes, my experiment is working. I started one of the Pokemon puzzles yesterday and people are actually helping to complete it. I only did the edge and a bit of the right side.
Day 1Day 2 Update in tomorrow’s post
Before the Adult cosplay contest, there is an Anime cover band out of Houston,Tx called, Itzakaiju, performing. Seeing as the majority of the people cosplaying are in anime dress, I will go check them out.
If the link below works, this is a reel by the band as the enter Corpus Christi, walk the Con, Setup and play, then walk the Art Fest that happens the first of every month here in Corpus Chrisit.
I chose not to sit in the VIP section even though my pass let me, it was just too close. Crap, I should have brought my concert ear plugs. The ear plugs are awesome devices that drop the decibels noticable but don’t degrade the quality. Sorry, pictures only search for the cover band and you can find their Instagram and TikTok.
Itzakaiju
After the amazing performance by Itzakaiju, I headed back to the VIP lounge to get a snack, recharge my phone and work on the Pokemon puzzle a bit. While in the room an epic game of Jenga took place. These two girls ended up standing on chairs and using the second Jenga game to battle out. They actually ran out of moves and decided to call it a draw.
Epic Jenga
I don’t know half what these people are cosplaying… But here are the pictures from the contest.
OMG, almost no one paused to take a pose. I’m not sure how the judges even got a look. Once the official pictures are posted, I will link them here.
LiNK –> Corpus Christi Comic Con (the photos from last year (2025) are linked at the bottom of their webpage, so expect 2026 in the coming weeks.
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