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Photo by Corey Miller
Axepert Chris Kirtley and owner Nikki Montero of Axe Republic in New Town.
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Photo by Corey Miller
Chris Kirtley with Local Scoop team members Morgan Sanders and Lisa Shivers.
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Photo by Corey Miller
Chris Kirtley guides Local Scoop Williamsburg Editor Chris Jones through throwing demonstrations.
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Photo by Corey Miller
Local Scoop team member Morgan Sanders.
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Colonial Williamsburg is the only museum in the country that offers musket shooting on a routine basis.
Photo courtesy Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
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Photo courtesy Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Like most parents of teenagers, I know it can be challenging to find a family activity that everyone can enjoy together. Axe Republic, which opened in October 2019, is one such way to have some family fun.
Guests 14 and older choose from two different axes each weighing roughly three pounds and spend 75 minutes throwing axes at a wooden board. The setup is like darts, but instead you are tossing axes across a 15-foot lane. You can practice your skills by free throwing or competing in games such as Around the World, Cornhole or Humans vs. Zombies.
My son had a blast simply aiming for the bullseye, which he hit more often than not. Me? I am embarrassed to admit my axe didn’t hit the board once, but that wasn’t really the point. It was more about spending quality time together, which was one of Montero’s intentions when she decided to open Axe Republic.
“It’s about having fun and laughing with your family,” Montero said. “No one is on their phone except when they are taking pictures, which is nice to see nowadays. Axe throwing is not something you do every day. Everyone is a little scared at first, but then you feel empowered after you conquer it.”
Meanwhile, Colonial Williamsburg has a musket range, where families can learn to fire two types of flint-lock guns, replicas of what were once used during the colonial era. The idea for the musket range, which opened four years ago, stemmed from visitors’ fascination with the Magazine, an original building in the Historic Area that holds old military arms and ammunition. Colonial Williamsburg is the only museum in the country that offers musket shooting on a routine basis.
“We wanted to give people the chance to really immerse themselves in the culture, history and experience,” said Justin Chapman, Manager of Skills for the Department of Trades & Skills for Colonial Williamsburg. “It’s about educating people of the tools of the past and how they work and having a good time doing it.”
Participants must be at least 14 years or older, mostly so they are strong enough to handle the muskets, which weigh close to ten pounds. During the hour-long session, you have the opportunity to shoot three rounds each from a musket and a fowler, aiming for a targeted piece of paper with images of bottles. My son managed to shoot two of the bottles while I at least hit the sheet of paper.
“It’s a great bonding experience for families,” Chapman said. “We have people come out with their parents and their grandparents. Nearly everybody can do it. Many people who come out haven’t shot a gun before but want the experience and want to connect to the history. Here, people can leave their worries behind for an hour, and leave afterward having learned something new while having a really cool experience doing it.”
Brandy hopes to give musket shooting another try when her daughter is old enough to visit the range. She’ll leave the axe throwing to the lumberjacks.
