July 16, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. James, Historic & Heritage Sites
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You might think that taking an energetic three year old to a National Historic Site would be a disaster, but not if it's Fort St. James National Historic Site!
On a sunny Sunday, the hubby and I packed up 3 year old Jacob, and headed out. After the scenic hour and a half drive (from Prince George), we found ourselves in 1896! Following the simple self-guided tour, we happily discovered that it is a HANDS-ON attraction, staffed by interested and interesting costumed interpreters.
In the Warehouse and Fur Storage building, we were able to touch the furs, barrels and supplies, smell the wood of the building, and sense the bustling activity of the past.
In the Men's House, we couldn't resist the photo op, sitting in the precursor to the La-Z-Boy, wearing a felt hat and holding a bottle of Irish Whiskey. (So what if he's three?)
The Trade Store and Office was a hit with Jacob, where he got to trade his fur (after haggling with the staff) for a "gold" chocolate coin.
We got to feed the chickens and the cat at the Officer's House, swung on the swing, and played pioneer games out on the lawn with another one of the staff.
Lastly, we built the walls of a house with the ingenious "Piece on Piece" playhouse. A cool drink in the shady house rounded out our afternoon.
We ended up spending over three hours on the site, and Jacob was happy every minute of it! For us grownups, the setting was simply beautiful, the history was interesting, and we'd definitely go again!