Archaearium Archaeology Museum — Attraction in Jamestown Island

The Archaearium is an Archeology museum displaying 4,000 artifacts of the early 17th century from Jamestown, which is the first permanent English settlement in the new world. The artifacts are from the James Fort site (1607-1624 time period). It's part of the Jamestown National Historical Park. The very cool thing is the fort site was thought to be lost to erosion by the nearby James River, but was found by Archeologists in 1994. In addition to the Archaearium museum which is outstanding, Preservation Virginia has created a partial reconstruction of the fort site with preserved archeological features and fort walls which are placed exactly where the original settlers built their original three-sided fort. This is a very historical site which will keep you occupied for hours. An Archeologist led tour, about an hour in length, is given daily at 11 am. There is also a reconstruction of the first brick church (cir 1647) in Virginia over the original foundations which you can see view. Inside the church a partially reconstructed timber frame church reflecting how the prior church built in 1617 looked. In this church on July 30, 1619 the first elected representative assembly in the new world was held. You will definitely want to visit this historic site if you are in the area to visit Colonial Williamsburg. Just follow the Colonial Parkway straight to Jamestown National Historic Park southwest from Colonial Williamsburg. Also nearby is Jamestown Settlement which is a living history museum with a replica of the three ships that brought the original settlers to Virginia and replica of the James Fort and museum. Plan your visit to see both Historic Jamestown and Jamestown settlement. The NPS and Preservation Virginia jointly manage Historic Jamestown. I actually first visited both places with my family when I was 12 years old and enjoyed...

We absolutely loved the Archaearium! This museum was one of the highlights of our visit to Historic Jamestown. It’s beautifully designed modern, clean, and filled with fascinating artifacts that have been uncovered right at Jamestown. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer a stunning view of the James River, which adds such a peaceful and reflective feel to the space.

My kids were much more interested and engaged here, especially with the interactive displays and well-laid-out exhibits. There’s a perfect blend of educational content, archaeological discoveries, and thoughtful presentation. The staff was also very informative and happy to answer questions, which made the experience...

This is one of the best places to go if you are a history lover. Seeing the archeologists work in the actual sight of Jamestown is pretty neat. The archaearium is filled with information and artifacts found right there at Jamestown. It was pretty interesting to learn of the cannibalism that occurred there. You certainly get to see a different side of things when visiting here. They do a phenomenal job of providing you in-depth knowledge of life in Jamestown. I would highly recommend going here if you are interested in learning about the good and bad of life in Jamestown for various...