Plymouth

It’s worthwhile to stop in Plymouth at the historical sites of Plymouth Rock, where the Pilgrims first landed and see the replica of Mayflower II, the ship that brought the Pilgrims to Plymouth in 1620, and Burial Hill, the graveyard where many of the first settlers are buried. It is interesting to note that the fear of Indians at the time was so great that in order to disguise their dwindling numbers, settlers were buried in the dark of the night. The last gravestone dates to 1620. Take a stroll down Leyden Street, the oldest street in New England, and look across to Clark’s Island, where the sick were once quarantined. Handsome, old homes still line the street, seemingly very little has changed from days gone by. You can almost envision someone walking down the street with a lantern, signaling the island that the mail and supplies are on the way, and to meet the boat at the halfway point. There are two museums, the Mayflower Society Museum and the Pilgrim Hall Museum. Located three miles north of town on the Plymouth waterfront, the Plimoth Plantation is an absolutely incredible, living history museum that is a “must-see” and warrants no less than a half-day’s visit. A re-creation of a 1627 Pilgrim village with homes, storehouses, animal pens, and fields planted for harvest stretch up the hillside from the water’s edge and also includes the neighboring Wampanoag Indian community—Hobbamock’s Homesite. To give you a perspective of time, the Mayflower landed seven years earlier than the date of this village, and Boston would not be founded for another three years after. If you have had an opportunity to visit Sturbridge or Williamsburg, they would not be settled for another 100 years. The docents that live and work at Plimoth Plantation are not just day actors, but rather, termed Time Travelers, who have dedicated years to studying a particular character. Admission to Plimoth Plantation is to experience their world. Talk with them about their passage, their hardships, their battles, their joy, and their lives. I promise you will believe you have traveled back in time. Note: It is possible to purchase an admission ticket valid for the Plantation, the Homesite and the Mayflower II. For more information, visit www.plimoth.org.