The museum shops at Jamestown Settlement will celebrate “World Bee Day” on Saturday, May 18 with honeybee-related activities and vendor presentations.

Throughout the day on Saturday, museum shops will feature vendor demonstrations, samplings and tastings by:

• Bodhi Bee Farms, Williamsburg, VA
• Williamsburg Beekeeper Association
• Silver Hand Meadery, Williamsburg, VA
• Edgewood Apiaries and Farm, Bremo Bluff, VA
• Rangeley Soaps and Lotions, Mechanicsville, VA
• Savannah Bee Company, Savannah, GA

The event honors the 402nd anniversary of the first recorded honeybees in North America. European honeybees most familiar to people today are not native to the continent, and they first landed in Virginia in 1622 when the Virginia Company of London sent a ship carrying the first beehives.

The celebration marks a significant milestone in environmental advocacy and education with the signing of Virginia House Bill 517 as of March 8. This legislation officially designates the European Honeybee as the Commonwealth of Virginia's official state pollinator. The bill, championed by Delegate Patrick Hope of Arlington County's First District, received bipartisan support and was signed into law by Virginia Governor Youngkin.

Jamestown Settlement's main museum shop is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and museum admission is not required to visit it. Guests with museum admission also can access the honeybee pop-up shop in the Great Hall at Jamestown Settlement, open daily, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Special exhibitions and events

Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design

Your ticket to Jamestown Settlement includes admission to the "Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design Special Exhibition" - a collection of over 60 iconic costume designs for film and television with historical fashions of the 1600s and 1700s. Learn More

Jamestown Day

Also on Saturday, May 18, mark Jamestown Day, the anniversary of the 1607 founding of Jamestown, with family friendly programs, military salutes, maritime and interpretive demonstrations at Jamestown Settlement. Learn More

About Jamestown Settlement

Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s days), Jamestown Settlement is located on State Route 31 just southwest of Williamsburg. The museum features expansive exhibition galleries and films that connect visitors with the lives of the Powhatan, English and West Central African cultures that converged at 17th-century Jamestown. Outdoor living-history areas feature historical interpretation in re-creations of Paspahegh Town, 1607 English ships and a colonial fort.

Admission tickets can be purchased online or in person. Plan your visit today or call (757) 253-4838 for more information.