According to the National Park Service (NPS), several million travelers use the Colonial National Parkway every year in order to enjoy the natural and cultural beauty of Virginia. Driving along its peaceful, 23-mile length is a treat for the senses. There are no billboards allowed, and all commercial traffic is forbidden on its unmarked three lanes. Speed is limited to a placid 45 miles- per-hour, which allows both driver and passengers the opportunity to soak in the scenic river, lake, and forest views. Interpretive overlooks, biking, swimming and fishing are all available along this National Scenic Byway. Watch for herds of resident deer feeding peacefully at dusk, a lovely sight. You can literally feel the stress of the day fade away as you enter at any point along its length.
The Parkway’s textured surface of river gravel set in concrete creates a lively ride reminiscence of cobblestone streets as your vehicle takes you on a trip back in history, connecting three towns which form the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. These are considered by preservationists to be “sacred shrines to national life and liberty.”
Virginia’s colonial history began with Jamestown’s founding in 1607; continued at Williamsburg, the eighteenth-century capitol; and ended when our American independence was secured by the defeat of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781. The Colonial Parkway exists as part of a monument and tribute to all three, providing continuity to the visitor’s experience of motoring through 400 years of American history.
By the late 1920s, these once-thriving Tidewater towns had been sadly neglected and fell into disrepair. In 1926, newly elected Governor Harry Flood Byrd saw Virginia’s rich heritage as its greatest asset and began to refer to our state as a “virtual museum of the founding and growth of America.” He proclaimed, “America is on wheels, and Virginia is now awake to the dollar value of the tourist trade.” It would be the tourist
dollar that would revive this historic trio and enable them eventually to exceed their former glory.
Authorized in 1930, Colonial National Historical Park (CNHP) is a 10,221-acre strip of land, a unit of the NPS located between the James and York rivers. Traversing the park’s diverse environment, the road provides visitors with dramatic open vistas of wide rivers and tidal estuaries as well as shade-dappled passageways through pine and hardwood forests. Originally designated a national monument, it became a national historical park in 1936. CNHP administers and interprets the sites of Jamestown Island and the Yorktown Battlefield.
Its construction presented the National Park Service (NPS) with a unique challenge: build a thoroughfare unifying culturally distinct sites crossing several pristine natural environments while still maintaining their official prime directive, which is “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same.” Tours of the federally built Mount Vernon Memorial Highway provided landscape architect Charles E. Peterson with a model of a limited-access highway with broad sweeping curves, set in a meticulously landscaped right-of-way devoid of commercial development. These features, derived from nineteenth-century romantic landscape theories, created a safer and more pleasant drive compared to the increasingly congested urban strips across the nation. Special agreements with the U.S. Navy and private landowners transferred ten miles of the route between Yorktown and Williamsburg to the NPS free of charge, allowing construction to begin in the spring of 1931.
The Parkway project’s construction period extended more than 26 years through the Depression, World War II, and ongoing funding shortages. The first completed roadway in 1936 provided employment for both architects and able-bodied laborers during the Great Depression. Except for the construction of the Williamsburg Tunnel, built in 1942 and 1,190 feet long, and Halfway Creek Bridge, which was also constructed in the 1940s, it was not until 1955 that funds were available to extend the parkway to Jamestown Island in anticipation of the 350th anniversary of Jamestown’s founding. The project was finished barely in time for Queen Elizabeth II’s celebratory visit in 1957. Virginia’s State Route 90003 was complete at last!
Though created for automobile traffic, the popularity of cycling as a hobby and sport has grown over the decades, so cars and bikes now share the road equally. Once a year the road is closed to cars for Pedal the Parkway, a popular event. The road’s bumpy surface makes for rougher riding for bikes and their high-pressure, narrow tires, but it doesn’t dampen the enthusiasm. Though the terrain is mostly level, a few notable rolling hills still make novice flat-landers switch to an easier gear. For the most part, it’s a family friendly environment, but be sure to review safety rules before setting out, and watch for drivers who are distracted by the passing scenery. Many parents riding with younger children choose to park in Williamsburg and hop on the Parkway headed either north or south, then switch directions for the next excursion. There are multiple access points along the roadway.
Whether traveling in a car or riding a bike, there are plenty of scenic overlooks where one can stop to enjoy the view, take a swim in the river when the weather is fine, fish from the beach, or enjoy a sumptuous picnic in a shady glade. History, aesthetic beauty and recreation combine in glorious symbiosis on the Colonial Parkway, so slow down, enjoy the ride, and read the explanatory signs. Stash that cell phone, unless you’re taking photos, and take time to smell the sweetness of honeysuckle or the crisp scent of pine needles. Relish the expansive views of two majestic tidal rivers or a blue heron hunting for a sushi snack in the park’s marshy wetlands. Listen closely for the triumphant cry of an osprey, or the wingbeats of a bald eagle. Just for an afternoon, as you travel the road through history, imagine what life was like in Tidewater, Virginia 400 years ago.