Jenna: If you're eager to travel and see the world
beyond the four walls of your home,
I'm right there with you.
So I asked my friend Caroline, to plan a road trip
that will dare me and all of us
to see the US in a new way.
I'm Jenna Laurenzo and this is Travel Dares
Season US.
On this season of Travel Dares,
I'm on a mission to find the most interesting,
unexpected, and unique destinations America has to offer.
My first stop right here in Williamsburg,
known worldwide for its historical re-enactments
of American Colonial life.
But my friend Caroline has planned for me to see
a different side of the city,
and I can't wait to find out where we're headed.
Let's give her a call.
(phone beeping)
Caroline: Hey, how are you?
Jenna: I'm good. How are you?
Caroline: I'm good. I'm so excited for you.
What is going through your head?
Jenna: I'm just so excited to go on a road trip.
Caroline: Yay!
Well, are you ready for your first clue?
Jenna: I'm very ready for my first clue.
Caroline: Okay. So your clue is: Commander-in-chief or bust?
Jenna: Interesting. That sounds presidential.
Caroline: It could be. It could not be,
but I'm not going to give you anything else.
I'm just gonna have you, go for it!
Jenna: Thank you so much, I'm so excited.
Caroline: Awesome, Bye, Have fun.
Jenna: Bye.
(upbeat music playing)
What the heck is that?
Hey!
John: Hello Jenna, How are you?
Jenna: Good. This is incredible.
John: Welcome to the Ruins of President's Park.
Is this the most unique place you've ever seen?
Jenna: It's the most something, I've ever seen.
John: Well come on, Let me show you around.
(mysterious music playing)
John: So I can tell by the look on your face
that you've got questions.
May I give you a little background,
as to what you're looking at? Jenna: Yes.
John: All right. So here is the history of this place.
There was a sculptor by the name of David Adickes
who became inspired to create all of these statutes
after he visited Mount Rushmore.
He and some others created three sets of these.
This particular set of sculptures was in a park
about 12 miles from here called Presidents Park.
And it was functional from about 2004 until 2010.
And then another company came in and purchased the property.
The owner of the heads right now,
ended up being commissioned
to come put these in a stone crusher.
Can you imagine being asked to destroy,
42 beautiful sculptures of the American US Presidents?
Jenna: That would be an interesting ask.
John: That was, so fortunately for all of us,
he ended up declining and figuring out a way to salvage them
specifically what he did you can see.
All of them have holes in the tops of their heads
Jenna: Is that how they were transported here?
John: That's what he did is he took chains,
attached them to that rebar on the inside,
hooked it up to the end of his excavator,
rocked them off of their massive blue foundations,
put them up onto a flatbed.
And then strapped them down one by one, on a bunch of tires,
and then over the course of about three weeks
with a crew of six, he saved them.
Now that you've got a history of this place,
let me walk you around a little bit, to give you
some individual facts about some of the presidents.
And there actually might be a pop quiz at the end.
So pay attention.
Jenna: Should I, be taking notes?
John: That's not a bad idea.
So Jenna,
the question that always comes up from our guests
is how did the owner decide to lay them out the way he did?
You'll notice that 39 of the heads are clustered over there.
And then three of the heads are separate here.
Everybody understands and appreciates
why George Washington is there,
and where Abe Lincoln is there.
But I got a lot of questions, as to how did Andrew Jackson
made it front and center. Jenna: Yeah
John: So I finally went to the owner and asked him how
Andrew Jackson got the prime spot on the property.
And he basically told them because,
he has a man crush on him. He likes the way he looks.
Jenna: I like that answer.
John: That's why he's there.
So his nickname was Old Hickory.
Because he was as tough as Old Hickory. So yeah.
Jenna: Quite a nickname John: Yeah
George Washington,
most people don't know that he was a red head.
Jenna: Wait, Hold on. He was a red head?
John: He was a red head.
That is not a wig. He powdered his hair.
and Abe, how tall do you think he was? Just guess
Jenna: Statuesque.
Very much so. 6'4". My height.
So he actually was the tallest of all of our presidents.
So obviously they all have interesting facts,
associated with them all.
Before we go over and talk about the 39 heads over there.
I want to bring you over to Abraham Lincoln
and show you something really interesting,
All right? Jenna: Cool.
John: All right, come on over.
So everybody always asks, why Abraham Lincoln
is missing the back of his head?
As that excavator was lifting Abraham
onto the flatbed to have him moved here,
he fell backwards off the flatbed.
Jenna: Oh John: What are the chances?
What are the chances? So he's the only one
that incurred damage during transport.
Let me show you a couple other things, walk this way
with me here. Jenna: Yeah.
So a couple interesting facts here
That is Gerald Ford and what a lot of people
don't know about him is that he was a male model.
Teddy Roosevelt. Did you know
that he was fifth cousins with FDR?
Jenna: I did not know that. John: A lot of people don't.
So speaking of Woodrow Wilson, he was another
Virginia-born president, the only president
to ever earn a PhD.
Ronald Reagan, here he is. Remember him?
Jenna: He's missing an eyebrow.
John: He is, he was struck by lightning.
Jenna: What? In real life or the statue?
John: Just the statue.
Jenna: OK well that's good to know.
John: What do you think, cool?
Jenna: I think this is incredible.
John: Good. Jenna: It was not a bust.
John: Ooo, I love hearing it. Jenna: It was not a bust.
It was a presidential. Should we say victory?
John: Victory absolutely.
But do you remember when you first arrived.
I told you there might be a pop quiz at the end?
Jenna: Ah and there's the bust.
John:Come on out. I'm going to quiz you on a few. Follow me.
Time to test your presidential knowledge.
You ready for some trivia?
John: Ah yeah, let's do it. Jenna: All right.
We're gonna start with an easy one.
All right. What color was George Washington's hair?
Jenna: He's a redhead. John: Boom. Nice job.
Number two. This is a little more difficult.
I told you Andrew Jackson's nickname. Do you remember it?
Jenna: Old Hickory John: Boom
Jenna: That just sounded like spice that I wanted to add
to my tea or something. John: OK.
Two for two. This is kind of easy. Maybe not.
I told you who the tallest president was.
Do you remember who it was?
Jenna: Lincoln.
John: Abraham Lincoln, 6'4"
Jenna: Yes John: Three for Three
The smartest president, the only one to ever get a PhD?
You're looking in the right direction.
Jenna: Is it Roosevelt? John: Close, close.
Woodrow Wilson.
Jenna: That doesn't feel close. John: That's OK.
Jenna: Doesn't even seem like it rhymes.
I had such an amazing time at Presidents Park today,
John, so knowledgeable, so full of history and facts,
stumped me on a few questions,
but I definitely made my history teacher proud.
It was an incredible experience. So unique.
There's nowhere in this world like it.
I had no idea what I was getting into.
Honestly, it's just one of those places
that you have to check out yourself.
And here we go with the clue for the next episode,
let's see. Use your fingers to handcraft
a piece of pre-Colonial history. All right. All right.
Well, we're in Colonial Williamsburg.
Now we're going somewhere pre-Colonial.
I have no idea what that means, but I'm really excited.
You'll just have to tune into the next episode
to see where we're going next.