Valley Forge

Another famous area near Philadelphia is Valley Forge, where Washington set up camp for seven months to sit out the winter in 1881. They have a great visitor's center that describes in detail what life was like in the camp.

Can you spot the real George Washington?

We then did the scenic drive around the park, stopping off at the highlights.

This is a memorial to all those who fought and died defending the encampment.

This is the typical house they lived in (bunks 3 or 4 high)

This was Washington's Headquarters during the encampment. It was actually someone's farm house (a Mr Potts), and Washington leased it from him for the duration.

We got to see where he commanded troops from and also where he lived and slept.

These are the guards houses.

Gemma loves canons and went berserk when she saw these. This area is where they stored the canons during the encampment. It was centrally located so they could be quickly relocated to wherever they were needed.