Tending to the farm at Plimoth Plantation

It’s been years since I’ve been to Plymouth, Massachusetts.   One doesn’t easily forget, however, a visit to such a historic landmark where nearly four hundred years ago the world changed forever.  Like many others before and after me, I uttered under my breath in awe when I first looked upon Plymouth Rock. “That’s it?” I said.

“That’s it?” is a pretty common reaction to Plymouth Rock.  If you’re like me, in school you envisioned this famous attraction as a massive boulder that the Mayflower nearly crashed into.  Myles Standish (or whoever was first off the boat) stepped onto the rock and announced, “Lafayette, we are here.”  No, that wasn’t it. He called, “Luuucy, I’m home.”  No, that probably wasn’t it either.  In any case, I’m sure Myles Standish said something important as he stood atop Plymouth Rock and looked out across this vast new land.  Well at least across Plymouth Harbor.

Historic Plymouth Rock

In reality, Plymouth Rock is pretty small—maybe only two or three feet tall.  But that’s because it’s now only about one-third of its original size.  The rock was first identified as historic in 1741 (two hundred and twenty-one years after the Pilgrims’ landing) when a 94 year-old church elder pointed out the place where his father had told him his ancestors landed.  (Actually, their first stop was in Provincetown.)  In 1774, the rock split in two during an attempt to move it to the Plymouth Meeting House; the top half went on the Meeting House while the bottom stayed near the shore.  In 1834, the top of the rock moved to Pilgrim Hall, a museum of Pilgrim artifacts and exhibits and the oldest continually-operating public museum in the United States.  In 1880, the rock was moved back to the shore and cemented with the bottom portion under a specially-built canopy, and the date “1620” was carved into it.  In 1920, the rock was placed at sea level behind a sea wall and inside a protective chamber in what is now Pilgrim Memorial State Park.  Through the years and many moves, several pieces of the rock were broken, taken or stolen.  One piece was returned to Pilgrim Hall and remains there today; another piece is in the archives of the Smithsonian Institution.

Interacting with staff at Plimoth Plantation

If seeing Plymouth Rock isn’t excitement enough, nearby Plimoth Plantation allows visitors to step back to the 1620s to learn how both the Pilgrims and the native Wampanoag tribe lived.  Accurate historic settings, exhibits and demonstrations give visitors a realistic look at history.  Pilgrims are portrayed by “interpreters” who dress, speak and act the part of seventeenth-century colonists as they interact with visitors and share the details of their daily lives.  The Wampanaug—a nation that has lived in Southern New England for over 12,000 years—also share their stories; only they aren’t actors but true indigenous people who speak about their ancestors’ lives and experiences.  Among other activities and offerings at Plimoth Plantation are a collection of rare breed farm animals, interactive exhibits, educational programs and workshops, shops featuring gifts and seventeenth-century reproductions, and dining experiences that include several seventeenth-century and Thanksgiving Day dining options.  So, not only could kids and adults learn something about the history of Thanksgiving (much of it is myth), the Pilgrims, and the indigenous people of New England—but they could have quite a bit of fun doing it too.

Plymouth, Massachusetts is located less than one hour from Boston and less than a half-hour from Cape Cod. Pilgrim Memorial State Park is always open and free to the public. Pilgrim Hall is open seven days a week (including Thanksgiving) from 9:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m., but closes for the month of January. Admission fees are $7 for adults, $6 for senior citizens (age 62 and over) and AAA members, and $4 for children ages 5-17. Families up to 2 adults with children ages 5-17 may pay a flat rate of $20.

Plimoth Plantation requires separate admission and is open seven days a week from March through November. See the Plimoth Plantation website for detailed hours and admission rates. Reservations are necessary for some dining experiences especially on Thanksgiving Day.

Photos of Plimoth Plantation courtesy and copyright of Plimoth Plantation.