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Hi everyone! Ashley here comin' to you from NYU in New York. No, I'm no longer the little kid stuffing my face full of candy in Hershey, PA. LOL I'm undergrad pre med at NYU, planning to become a surgeon like my dad and uncle Jay.
Between classes, maintaining my GPA and working part-time I haven't had much time to travel.
But I had a break coming up and my family and I were planning an extended trip to Plymouth, MA for Thanksgiving.
This time I was in charge of planning the itinerary but I had a problem. Some of the things we wanted to do took place in October and were closed by November and Thanksgiving when we'd planned to be in Plymouth. We're not that far from Plymouth: 4 hours by car, half of that if we fly... so I split our trip in two - a short trip to Plymouth in October and the rest of the trip in November. I'll present this trip in current 2026 terms so you can plan your own trip to Plymouth with a current event calendar.
We flew into the Plymouth Municipal Airport. Note to anyone flying into Plymouth Municipal:
There are no rental car companies on site at the Plymouth Airport, however, the following rental car companies will drop off and pick up cars at the airport. When you call to arrange for a rental car make sure they know that you want to pick-up and drop off the car at Plymouth airport.
Enterprise Rental Cars: Tel: (508) 747-1212
Hertz Rental Cars: (508) 746-4905
Uber and Lyft generally do have drivers in the vicinity of the airport: Access Express Tel: 508-746-5715
Hampton Inn & Suites can provide free shuttle transportation from the Plymouth Airport to the Hampton Inn & Suites.
Money $aving Tip: We rented a Chrysler Pacifica from Enterprise. Currently, Enterprise is offering 15% off its base rental rate if you rent a car for 3+ days.
Often finding accommodations for my family is tough because there are normally 5 to 6 of us. We like staying together in one unit, not in separate rooms, if possible. On this trip we wanted to be on the waterfront, with a full kitchen and 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. It took some hunting but I found a place that rented out condo units - Harbourtown Suites, also called Thomas Sea Suites. Their Corner Penthouse Ocean Suite had everything we wanted - 2 bedrooms + 2 sleeper sofas, 2 bathrooms, full kitchen, living room with dining space and a gorgeous view overlooking Plymouth Harbor.
We loved that it was so light and airy. There was a fine dining restaurant (The Terrace) on the rooftop. There was also an in-unit washer and dryer that was handy.
But there's another reason we chose to stay at Thomas Sea Suites. Every event — every single one — is either walking distance from our building or a quick drive. The Grand Illumination and the Philharmonic outdoor concerts happen at Pilgrim Memorial State Park, three blocks away. The Spire Center is a nine-minute walk. Plymouth Memorial Hall is eight. Mayflower II sits at the State Pier — you can watch it from the rooftop.
If your visit is going to require driving to a distant hotel and shuttling back and forth to events, you're going to spend more of your day in a car than at the events. Basing yourself downtown means walking home for a shower before dinner, taking a nap after the museum, catching the fireworks from the roof instead of a folding chair.
Every historic thing that happened in Plymouth happened within a mile of the front door.
Economically speaking, renting the condo and splitting the cost worked out to be less expensive than renting 3 separate hotel rooms.
Other suggested accommodations:
If you're planning on spending the Thanksgiving holiday in Plymouth you want to get all of your reservations made by at least September as everything books up fast.
Before we left, we purchased annual memberships in Plimoth Patuxet. There are different levels of memberships available at varying prices. My parents, uncle Jay and Pat purchased the One Plus Anyone memberships for $120 a year per couple. I purchased an individual membership at $85.
Included in your membership:
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One year of free admission to all sites
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20% off shopping days at our Museum Shops
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Discounts on workshops, events, classes, and camps
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10% discount in our Museum Shops and Plentiful Café
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15% off your stay at Hotel 1620, just steps from Mayflower II
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Exclusive access to Members-Only programs and opportunities
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Subscription to our award-winning magazine Plimoth Patuxet Life
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Advance ticket sales and discounts on Thanksgiving Dining
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Monthly member e-news with the latest updates and offerings from the Museum
Show your Plimoth Patuxet membership card to receive valuable discounts at these participating history museums!
Please call museums ahead to confirm. Discounts are subject to change.
Our passes more than paid for themselves in ONE trip!
Totally worth the price of the memberships! They're something you might want to consider since you get admittance to all of the museum attractions for one year.
We arrived late on the 9th and checked into our condo.
Plymouth Seafood Festival
126 Water St | Plymouth, MA
Sat Oct 10 2026 at 11:00 am to 04:00 pm
Sample fresh and local oysters, lobster, and delicious clam chowder. Local beer and wine available for purchase. Live music, games, crafts, educational tables, art, and a clam chowder competition. Also featuring lobster, oyster, and harbormaster boats on display.
Takes place at three locations:
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Hedge House Lawn (126 Water Street)
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Next to the Harbormaster's Building (between East Bay Grille & Lobster Hut)
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Town Hall Green (26 Court Street)
All locations are a short walk between or you can take the free shuttle service that will run a circuit btween all the locations.
Your ticket includes tastings of lobster dishes, oysters, and clam chowder at each tent location. Additional full servings and drinks are available for purchase. There are 8 oyster farms that will be there serving and educating visitors about oysters. There will also be games, live music, educational tables, crafts, and boats to see.
Education tables include a lifesize inflatable Right Whale from the Whale & Dolphin Conservation and the New England Aquarium will be there too! An upcycled art sculpture competition, where you can vote on your favorite, will be happening at the festival as well. Catch David Coffin, a sea shanty singer, at the Hedge House Tent from 11am-1:30pm.
General admission (ages 6+) $39.19 Children under 6 years old: Free
We spent nearly the entire day at the Seafood Festival and had a wonderful time. I especially liked the education tables and talking with representatives from the New England Aquarium. I hope they had an air compressor to blow up that life-sized Right Whale!
ThreeV Apothecary Pop‑Up
The ThreeV Apothecary Pop‑Up is a candlelit, gothic‑themed Halloween experience at ThreeV Restaurant in Plymouth, MA, running all of October with daily events, special cocktails, and eerie décor.
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My family's always up for anything spooky and a good meal.
Head for Three V's for their Apothecary Pop Up for both.
Delicious dinner followed by a witch's lounge, potions and elixirs specialty cocktails, and plenty of eerie decor to get your spooky on.
Three V's also holds a Sunday brunch every Sunday in October. Kids who come dressed in costume eat FREE because every good disguise deserves a treat. Reservations are strongly recommended.
Sundays 11:30am to 3pm
Morning: Breakfast at Farmer's Omelet, 2291 State Road #8, Plymouth.
Great spot for breakfast! Everything we ordered was 10/10... perfect diner! Great prices, great options. The staff was very friendly and welcoming. There were a bunch of regulars there that made us feel welcome too.
Whale Watching
We wanted to do something new that we'd never done before - go whale watching. The whale watching tours stop in November which I why I split our trip in two. Did you know that humpback whales, pilot whales, finback whales, pilot whales, and other whale species call the warm waters just off the coast of Plymouth home to just about the early part of October, when they begin to migrate?
Be sure to book a whale-watching boat ride with Captain John Boats to see these whales in action! It is one of the best things to do in Plymouth, MA. You can't imagine how majestic and huge these gentle giants are until you see them up close!
Adult Ages 13+: $ 74
Senior Ages 62+: $ 64
Child Ages 4-12 | Must be accompanied by Adult: $ 54
Infant Ages 0-3 | Must be accompanied by Adult: $ 3
GROUP RATE groups of 30-100 people: $ 50
Whale watching excursions depart from 10 Town Wharf in Plymouth.
The trip lasts 3.5 to 4 hours.
Rated the #2 breakfast/lunch cafe by local residents and visitors alike.
This place is famous for its great service and friendly staff, that is always ready to help you.
The spectacular decor and cool atmosphere let guests feel relaxed here.
The prices are average.
Indigenous Peoples’ Weekend
I'll present the Plimoth Patuxet Museums in full in the second half of our trip but for now, we're going to visit Indigenous People's Weekend. This is covered under your membership OR under your Plimoth Patuxet Museums admission ticket you've hopefully purchased already.
The Wampanoag, also known as the people of the first light, have a long and rich history that spans hundreds of years. They were the original native inhabitants of what is now Massachusetts and Rhode island and their tribe is one of the oldest Native American tribes in the United States, a confederacy of tribes who were farmers, hunters and fishers.
I really, really enjoyed the "Threads of Identity: Wampanoag Clothing Across Generations" portion of this event.
For thousands of years, Indigenous communities have used clothing as a means of communication and expression. Among the Wampanoag, dress over the centuries speaks to a story of cultural resilience and adaptation in the face of an ever-changing world.
This exhibit features work curated and created by Indigenous staff and Native artisans from across the northeast, demonstrating the continuity of cultural knowledge and practices today.
Pat's part Native American and I learned a lot about Native dress from her prior to visiting this exhibit. (She's danced in powwows and let me try her jingle dress on.) Their regalia is actually considered to be spiritual/religious - which is why the Plimoth Patuxet Museums don't want anyone visiting to dress in Native attire and state this on their website. It would be considered disrespectful.
Besides the Native dress exhibit Indigenous People's Weekend includes:
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Talks in the Wetu (Bark Covered House) | 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
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Wampanoag Cooking Display | 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
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Wampanoag Football | 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (Weather Permitting)
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Make a Corn Husk Doll | 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Native American football players
All too soon the first part of our trip to Plymouth was over but we'd return in November to actually spend Thanksgiving in Plymouth. Here's the second trip in the itinerary.
We rolled into Plymouth late on the 25th.
We stayed in the same condo we had the previous trip.
The first time I saw Plymouth on our previous trip I was surprised at how big the town was. I guess I expected this little burg with a big 'ol rock dominating the town square.
I found myself thinking I wonder how the Pilgrims would react if they saw Plymouth today?
In their day, Plymouth was the barren nowhere land about 56 of the original 104 Mayflower passengers that died either during the voyage or within the first year from lack of shelter, lack of food, cold weather, scurvy, and other diseases, are buried.
This first-year mortality rate was one of the most severe in early New England colonization, and it underscores the challenges the Pilgrims faced in establishing their settlement.
I'm sure given the hardships they faced that it never entered their minds Plymouth would grow to have just shy of 8000 full time residents and be the attraction it is - all because of them.
Use the evening to rest up from your travels because we have a fast paced itinerary ahead of us.
Morning: Breakfast at Early Bird, 287 Main St, Kingston.
(Kingston is only an 8 minute drive from Plymouth)
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Money $aving Tip: Sign up for their free VIP club and you'll get
$5 off your first meal! All 5 of us signed up so we saved $25 on our breakfast!
Early Bird in Plymouth lives up to its reputation as a popular breakfast spot that offers an elevated dining experience without breaking the bank. If you’re expecting a breakfast that transports you to a five-star brunch at the Ritz, you’re going to be disappointed. But for Plymouth, this breakfast is a respectable mix of classic dishes done right. The place has that old school vibe that makes you want to linger over coffee.
Monday - Sunday: 7 am to 2 pm.
Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth is packed with things to see and do.
The festivities start at 10 am with Pilgrim Progress.
Pilgrim Progress
Pilgrim Progress is the reenactment of the Pilgrims’ Sabbath procession to worship.
Costumed participants representing survivors of the winter of 1621, assemble to the beat of a drum, proceed down North Street, along Water Street past Plymouth Rock, up Leyden Street to School Street where a short Pilgrim worship service is observed near the site of the original fort/meetinghouse.
Psalms sung are taken from The Book of Psalms by Henry Ainsworth, used by the Pilgrims in Holland and in Plymouth.
After the service, the march continues through town on Main Street, ending at the Mayflower Society House via North Street.
Plimoth Patuxet Museums
Historic Patuxet Homesite, 17th-Century English Village, Craft Center, Nye Barn, Mayflower II, and Plimoth Grist Mill comprise the Plimoth Patuxet Museums.
There's basically 4 museums in one.
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The original fort
The Visitor Center
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Make your first stop the Visitor Center. They have a really clutch exhibit about Thanksgiving - how it started, how it's changed over the years.
Pat has this habit of throwing the most absurd question at you, then launching into a narrative that answers that question...until I'm laughing uncontrollably and making a spectacle of myself. Here's a Pat question for you to think about as you view the Thanksgiving exhibit:
What would a 1627 Thanksgiving parade have looked like?
Pat's narrative: "Well, they wouldn't have had either the time or materials on hand to make floats so they'd probably use a farm cart or two, maybe decorated with the head of a decapitated turkey...
And only having a farm cart or two they would've driven the cart(s) in a circle around the village to make the parade last longer than a few seconds.
Sugar would've been a rare commodity so instead of throwing candy at the Pilgrim kids they probably would've been tossing corn, bean and squash seeds at them so they wouldn't starve the following year..."
You get the idea.
Actually, the first Thanksgiving parade was held in Plymouth in 1996 which would make Plymouth's Thanksgiving parade only about 30 years old.
Plymouth Thanksgiving Day Parade
Unfortunately, we had to miss the Thanksgiving Parade as it's held on November 20th. It draws crowds of over 100,000 and is said to be the best Thanksgiving parade in America.
Back to Plimoth museums.
Thanksgiving Dinner
The museum offers Thanksgiving dinners, 3 different versions.
The first is their most popular and is called "The Story of Thanksgiving" Dinner.
This dinner pairs a traditional plated holiday dinner with an engaging, educator-led program exploring the history and evolving meaning of the day. As you dine with fellow guests, museum culture keepers and thought leaders share stories that invite reflection on gratitude, tradition, and what it means to come together today.
Your dinner ticket includes two days of admission to all of the Museum’s historic sites.
The second dinner option is "New England Harvest Feast". This is a dinner theater meal - a thoughtfully prepared menu drawn from culinary traditions while costumed performers bring the past to life through music and storytelling.
Your Feast ticket includes two days of admission to all of Plimoth Patuxet’s historic sites.
The third option is "Thanksgiving Day Homestyle Buffet".
Celebrate the holiday with all the traditional favorites, prepared for you and served in a relaxed, welcoming setting. From roast turkey and savory sides to seasonal desserts, this abundant buffet lets you focus on what matters most, time with family and friends.
Before or after your meal, enjoy exploring the museum with two full days of admission included with your dining ticket.
Signing up for one of the Fall Harvest Dinners is a nice way to see the museums and everything in them while getting a taste of authentic foods the Pilgrims ate.
The most popular Thanksgiving dining experience pairs a traditional plated holiday dinner with an engaging, educator-led program exploring the history and evolving meaning of the day.
We thoroughly enjoyed our "Story of Thanksgiving" meal. We chose the 11 am dinner and having our main meal then, figuring it might be less crowded than an evening sitting. Not only was turkey served, there was also pork and fish, a 17th century salad, stuffing, squash, grapes and cheese, and of course, a glass of cider that was constantly being refilled. Our waitstaff were costumed Pilgrim reenactors and Wampanoag that sang songs and told stories of their daily lives during the meal.
Reservations for the Thanksgiving dinners sell out every year. Reservations start in May for members of the Plimouth Plantation and in June for the general public. If you plan to go, schedule as soon as you can after reservations open.
The dining room where Thanksgiving dinner was served at the Plimouth Plantation
Find meal options and make reservations at the plantation’s Thanksgiving Dining page.
Tips for visiting the museums
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Get to the museums by 9 am before the school tours arrive at around 11 am.
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I recommend starting at the primary address, where the Historic Patuxet and 17th-Century English Village are located, and then driving into town to tour the Plimoth Grist Mill and Mayflower II.
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This is not a place you want to rush through! Take time to talk to the reenactors. The more you talk with them the more rewarding and informative the museums will be for you.
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Participate in the various demonstrations done by the reenactors - cooking, canoe building, etc.
17th Century Village
Plimoth Patuxet includes a reconstructed 17th-Century English Village, where costumed role-players portray the Plymouth colonists (the "Pilgrims") in their daily lives.
This village is just way cool! It made me feel like I'd time traveled back to the days of the pioneers and Pilgriims.
It's amazing how hard these pioneers had to work just to survive every day. Even growing a garden to feed themselves was nearly a full time chore. Then there was caring for the livestock, chopping enough wood to keep them warm through the winter and to cook on, making candles to light their houses with, spinning wool to make their own clothes, hunting for food and so much more. Even children spent the majority of their time doing chores that enabled the colony to survive.
It was also interesting to see the buildings in various states of maintenance and repair, like roofs being re-thatched. All hand planed wood and handmade nails were used in construction of the buildings.
As far as the reenactor 'colonists' go, it's like they're really living in 1627 and they don't know anything beyond that year! In talking with one woman reenactor I mentioned the word "car". She looked at me so puzzled and asked "What is this car you speak of?" But if you talk to them in 1627 terms they have the answers to all of your questions. It's wild - and about as authentic as it gets! They won't answer any modern questions, it's as if life stopped for them in 1627.
On certain days you'll see these 'pioneers' demonstrating the tasks that comprised their daily living. Visitors are encouraged to take part in performing these tasks. Doing so gave me a new appreciation of just how easy we have it these days!
If you didn't purchase the Thanksgiving dinner which included tickets to all of the museum attractions, there are a variety of ticket options available to you.
Historic Patuxet Homesite
At the village you'll also meet modern-day Native People, some are Wampanoag, some are from other Native Nations. These are not reenactors.
The Native Americans will stay true to character just as the Pilgrim reenactors will. One little girl learned about trading while there so was trying to trade a rock she'd found with one of the Wampanoag for his beaded necklace.
Remember, the two groups by and large didn't speak each other's languages! He made the little girl make her trade with him without speaking just as the colonists initially did!
Just think...if it weren't for the Wampanoag tribe none of us might be here today! Half of the colonists had already died within the first year and if it weren't for the Wampanoag the entire colony could have very easily died off too. They had no idea how to survive in the new country they found themselves in and didn't have the equipment needed to survive.
Located on the Eel River, the Historic Patuxet Homesite is where guests learn about the Native peoples who have lived there for over 12,000 years.
Watch staff work on making a mishoon (dug-out canoe), using fire as a tool to shape the vessel. You may be asked to assist our staff by using shells to scrape the inside of the mishoon.
At the cooking area, learn about the Wampanoag seasonal diet. Maybe something will even be cooking, like meat over the fire, or soup or tea over the hot coals. They were roasting a rabbit on a spit when we were there.
You may see staff working in the garden, growing corn, squash, and beans - called the "3 Sisters" in NA terms.
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I tried my hand at helping to make a Mishoon (canoe) and it's a lot of work that includes burning out the inside of the canoe and scraping it with quahog clam shells to make it smooth.
If you want to talk with interpreters, watch demonstrations, or explore every space plan on spending a minimum of 3 hours seeing the attractions above.
Burning out a canoe
The Craft Center
At the Craft Center, located in close proximity to the 17th-Century English Village, you will learn about 17th-century lifeways from a variety of skilled artisans and museum historians. You can also take a relaxing seat indoors, find restrooms, enjoy a warm sip from our café, and browse a broad selection of 17th-century reproduction ceramics, textile craft materials and other historically inspired goods at the Craft Center Shop.
Outside of the Craft Center, you’ll see Humoral Gardens. These gardens are period medicinal gardens that demonstrate the Doctrine of the Humors, the prevailing medical theory in 17th-century England and Plymouth Colony. Go inside to learn more at the Apothecary Exhibit!
I found the whole Apothecary thing interesting - what they grew, how they turned it into medicine. After all, it wasn't like they could go to their local Walgreens drive thru to pick up a prescription!
Doctors were relatively scarce so they had to learn how to treat their own illnesses.
The Craft Center also hosts special demonstrations from museum historians and partner craft organizations.
Lunch: You don't even have to leave the museum grounds. Stop in their Plentiful Café and savor thoughtfully crafted dishes inspired by historic flavors and recipes. The quick-service café offers a menu that draws inspiration from Wampanoag and English food traditions, alongside modern favorites like fresh salads, sandwiches, and daily specials.
Turkey Reward Sandwiches
Every turkey sandwich counts! With their Turkey Rewards Program, buy five turkey sandwiches from the selection below and your sixth sandwich is on them. Ask your Plentiful Café associate for a Turkey Rewards card when you purchase your first one and start earning your way to a free sandwich. There are 5 different turkey sandwiches to choose from:
Turkey & Cheddar, Turkey BLT, Turkey Gobbler, Open-Faced, and Fried Turkey.
There were 5 of us, we all ordered a turkey sandwich and got a 6th one free that my dad and Uncle Jay split.
In addition, your visit now comes with a little something extra. Each admission ticket includes $1.50 in added value, redeemable toward a food or beverage purchase at Plentiful Café.
Plentiful Café is open seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with hot food served from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Remember: If you have the museum membership you're entitled to a 10% discount at the cafe.
The Nye Barn
The NYE Barn is where the endangered animals that they have in the 1627 village live when they're not out in the fields performing! (Which is to say just being their normal selves)
We got quite an education at the NYE Barn. The cattle and goats that are seen on Plimouth Plantation are considered rare and "heritage" breeds. They are breeds that were more prevalent back in the 17th century and have downsized substantially over the years to where now they number fewer than 1000 in North America.
In the barn, there were lots of photographs and information about these Kerry Cattle and Devon Milking Cows as well as photographs and information about San Clemente and Arapawa Goats. They also have Tamworth Swine and Dorking Fowl.
You can't feed the animals or touch them unfortunately, but it's understood why given their rare status. It was fun though to go and see some of the breeds that were indigenous to that time period and not so numerous and common now.
I had to include this video! The two baby goats you see were less than a week old. Aren't they just adorable?!!
They have a lot of livestock in the village - horses, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens.
Dinner: Grab dinner at Anna's Harborside Grille, 145 Water St, Plymouth.
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My family is always up for Greek food and Anna's delivered just that. (They also serve American fare). All food is made from scratch and it's delicious.
The atmosphere is cozy and inviting. Although the interior restaurant is on the smaller side, there's outside heated seating available. Service was excellent from the hostesses that greeted us to our friendly and attentive waiter.
As an appetizer we ordered the Med Dip Plate. It was HUGE, enough for lunch for 5 people! From the lamb kabobs to the Dolmades to the Gemistes everything was top notch and very flavorful.
Walk off dinner with a leisurely stroll along the waterfront to top off your evening.
Morning: Breakfast at Blueberry Muffin, 12 Village Green S, Plymouth
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Your friends from the city are going to endlessly complain that there’s no good breakfast in Plymouth. Let them do it - but while they’re busy ranting about soggy hash browns, head to The Blueberry Muffin in Kingston. It’s a great casual spot for getting your morning really satisfying and enjoying some eggs.
Believe it or not, the blueberry muffins are actually the best thing on the menu, so don’t miss out on one of those. I'll personally vouch for the Triple Blueberry French Toast.
Monuments & Memorials Tour
Where the Pilgrims actually landed is now Plymouth Center in Pilgrim Memorial State Park. You can take the self guided Monuments & Memorials tour here.
Each stop of the tour shares that story of courage, endurance, and sacrifice of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, the indigenous tribe that helped the Pilgrims survive.
The 9 stops include:
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Mayflower II
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Plymouth Rock
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Pilgrim Mother Fountain
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Cole's Hill
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The Statue of Massasoit
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National Day of Mourning
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Pilgrim Sarcophagus
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Leyden Street
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Governor Bradford Statue
We're going to return to our second day at the village museums in order to see the Grist Mill and the Mayflower II, then we'll pick up taking the Monuments & Memorials Trail tour from the Mayflower II.
Plimoth Grist Mill
The grist mill is a reproduction of the Plymouth Colonists original 1836 grain mill on Town Brook. Plimoth Mill is a working mill, its 200 year old millstones still grinding corn and other grains. You can even take some of the ground grains home with you or order some online!
Water diverted from Town Brook turns the the 14-foot diameter waterwheel that powers the mill.
The 54-inch diameter bed and runner stones cut (milled) the corn into finer and finer pieces.
Massive face gear and the smaller wallower or lantern gear turn the water wheel that turns the runner stone.
The Millers fulfill actual orders for grits, cornmeal, flour, and other grains! Pause in the packing area to learn how the millstones grind different products and what can be cooked with them.
We bought some cornmeal and made cornmeal muffins. They tasted so much better than the processed cornmeal you get from a grocery store!
We spent the entire afternoon in the village. It was that interesting and I learned so much I never knew.
The Plimoth Grist Mill is located on Town Brook, the waterway that powers the mill. In the spring you might see herring swimming upstream
to spawn. A short beautiful walk along Town Brook through Brewster Gardens leads to Plymouth’s waterfront, Plymouth Rock and Mayflower II. Burial Hill, site of the Pilgrim’s burial ground and first Fort, is a short walk from the mill as well.
Mayflower II
The Mayflower II was one of my favorites in the museum.
It's a replica of the actual Mayllower ship the Pilgrims sailed to America on.
While the ship looks huge from the outside, I was shocked at how small the decks inside were - especially the deck that housed the 104 Pilgrims for 7-9 months!
They would have been crammed into that deck space like sardines in a can!
It's a good thing I wasn't one of them because I would have jumped overboard and taken my chances with the sharks!
Look at #5 in the diagram below!
Imagine living like this for nearly a year with 100+ other people!
I'm surprised any of the colonists arrived alive to set foot on America's shores.
Picking up the Monuments & Memorials Trail...
Plymouth Rock
My advice is not to go out of your way to see Plymouth Rock. It sits right in the middle of town so you'll pass it a few times. When you do, snap a pic and let that be that.
It's a rock. Not even a boulder or large rock. Just a rock. There's a big ongoing debate as to whether or not it really had any significance to the Pilgrims or not. It's also been moved from its
original location at least twice now, so it doesn't really mark the spot the Pilgrims set foot ashore anyway.
Pilgrim Mother Fountain
72 Water Street, Plymouth
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A gift from the Daughters of the American Revolution for the 1921 Tercentenary Celebration. For the Daughters of the American Revolution, 1920 meant honoring this time of female triumph and Plymouth’s 300th Anniversary Celebration with a nod to the Mayflower women, whose numbers were decimated that first winter in Pawtuxet.
The base and bowl of the foundation are made from Deer Island, Maine, granite and the statue is made from Knoxville, Tennessee, marble. Daughters of the American Revolution hold Continental Congresses in Washington, where the organization is headquartered.
The Daughters’ 34th Continental Congress describes the statue in some detail: “The statue depicts a Pilgrim woman of mature age. The figure is strong, yet modest; is sweet and gentle, but also vigorous, and has a spiritual quality such as the heroic women of the Mayflower must have had. It expresses faith, devotion and strength of endurance in a great cause and for a great principle. It is clothed in the usual Pilgrim costume, based on the models in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”
Cole's Hill & Massasoit Statue
Coles Hill is a National Historic Landmark containing the first cemetery used by the Mayflower Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. The hill is located on Carver Street near the foot of Leyden Street and across the street from Plymouth Rock.
It is now a public park.
The hill is landscaped with grassy areas, low shrubs, and some trees, and trails wind their way around the hill. A granite staircase rises from Water Street to the summit of the hill.
A number of monuments and memorials are on the hill. These include a Cyrus Dallin statue of the Wampanoag sachem Massasoit (c. 1581–1661), whose support was critical to the Pilgrims’ survival.
At the southern end of the hill stands a granite sarcophagus erected by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants in 1920. It contains skeletal remains accidentally disinterred from the hill in the 18th and 19th centuries, which are believed to be those of Mayflower settlers buried here in the winter of 1620-21 when 52 out of 102 died. Two stone benches, one placed by the Pennsylvania Society of New England Women, the other by the Society of the Daughters of Colonial Wars, face seaward.
National Day of Mourning
Since 1970, Native Americans and their supporters have marched to Plymouth’s Town Square and then gathered on Cole’s Hill at noon to observe a National Day of Mourning.
Organized by United American Indians of New England (UAINE), the march has brought about revisions in the depiction of United States history and government as well as settler relationships with Native American peoples.
A day of remembrance and spiritual connection, the annual event is held to create a renewed appreciation for Native American culture, and to protest the treatment of American Indians.
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Pilgrim Sarcophagus
Located across the street from Plymouth Rock, this sarcophagus contains the remains of the Mayflower Pilgrims who died during the first year after their arrival in Plymouth. Not particularly famous as individuals, but largely recognized as a group in American cultural history as the Mayflower Pilgrims who did not survive until the first Thanksgiving, the memory of those entombed within the sarcophagus serves as a reminder of the harsh conditions which marked the Pilgrim’s early efforts to establish permanent colonies in New England.
Leyden Street
Leyden Street, originally known to the first settlers as First Street, Great Street or Broad Street, is where the Pilgrims began building their houses in the winter of 1620-21, and it has been the heart of the town ever since. Extending from the harbor at its eastern end to Burial Hill on the west (and including Town Square), Leyden Street is the oldest continuously occupied street in British North America.
Although no 17th century structures survive on the street, the existing homes are a assortment of 18th and 19th century houses that front directly onto the sidewalks. They stand close together on small lots that are roughly 49 ½ feet deep, as was allotted in the first division in 1620.
Unlike many New England communities Plymouth has a market square rather than a green at its center. Town Square occupies the upper end of Leyden Street and is surrounded by three prominent buildings. The 1749 Courthouse on the corner of Market Street occupies the south side of the square; the stone First Parish Church (Unitarian) is at the west end and the white wooden church of the Pilgrimage (Congregational) is on the north side. A stairway up Burial Hill can be found at the northwest corner of Town Square at the entrance to School Street.
Governor Bradford Statue
4 Winslow Street, Plymouth
On the morning of June 24, 2021, a statue of Governor William Bradford was erected in the rear gardens of the Mayflower Society House. The monument’s sculptor is Dee Clements. Historic and detailed with an inscription of Gov. Bradford’s quote: “As one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation.”
Pilgrim Memorial State Park is located on Water Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The walking tour begins at the Mayflower II. Before you start, Samoset (1590–1653) was the first Indigenous person to make contact with the Pilgrims in March of 1621. He startled the colonists by greeting them in English, which he learned from fishermen. View the map on the kiosk
outside of the public restroom building to orient yourself. The route is less than 1/4 of a mile and takes about 30 minutes.
There is no admission fee to enter Pilgrim Memorial State Park or walk the monuments trail — entry is free, but parking is charged unless you find free street spots.
Lunch: Dillon's Local, 21 S Park Ave Plymouth.
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Colin and Samantha Dillon opened up the Local in 2015 to be the place you’re always comfortable, where you’re always treated and fed like family. They specialize in comfort food, great sandwiches, fresh seafood, and home made desserts. Their brisket Rueben sandwich was sooooo good!
The only dowside to Dillion's it's that it's pretty small so if you hit 'rush hour' you'll likely end up waiting for a table. Still it's size is part of its ambiance. It has a friendly, cozy neighborhood pub feel to it.
Quick walk from Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower memorial.
Pilgrim Hall Museum
75 Court St, Plymouth
Encounter the 400-year-old story of the Mayflower Pilgrims and the Indigenous Wampanoag people in the world’s most significant Plymouth Colony collection. The Pilgrim Hall Museum contains genuine artifacts that belonged to the Pilgrims and came off the Mayflower.
These genuine artifacts are in very good condition considering their age and make the Pilgrims come alive vs. just being figureheads in a history book.
The museum is rather small, with just a few galleries, but it is well designed and the objects are well displayed.
They have William Bradford’s Bible, the only painted portrait of a Pilgrim, Susanna White’s baby cradle brought onto the Mayflower, William Brewster’s chair, and the earliest sampler made in America, embroidered by Myles Standish’s daughter, on display.
Enlightening short videos and knowledgeable staff members help make this an outstanding museum located right in the center of Plymouth.
I recommend getting your hsitory geek on and spending 1 - 2 hours touring the museum. Unfortunately, they don't allow you to take photos in most parts of the museum.
Jabez Howland House
Did you know that the Jabez Howland House is the only existing structure in Plymouth where the Pilgrims actually spent time?
This home was built in 1667 and was sold by the original owner’s son, Jabez Howland, in 1680. It remained a private residence until it was purchased to become a museum in 1912.
You can tour the Howland House from June – October 30th. Thursday through Monday, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.
Admissions for guided tours:
$6.00 for adults
$5.00 for seniors, military members, students, or AAA members
$2.00 for children between the ages of 6 -12
FREE - children under 6, Plymouth residents, and Howland Society members
Dinner: Wood's Seafood, 15 Town Wharf, Plymouth.
Grab a window seat and watch your dinner come in right off the fishing boats. Literally!
Wood’s Seafood sits right on Town Wharf, and in the mid-afternoon local lobstermen pull up with the day’s haul.
Ordering here is simple. You step to the counter, pick your meal, then find a table.
The fish market beside the dining area is stocked daily with cod, haddock, sole, scallops, swordfish, salmon, shrimp, clams, oysters, and live native lobsters. Summer brings bluefish, striped bass, and halibut too.
Fried scallops, whole belly clams, and crispy fried fish all hold their own. Lobster lovers should look at the single or twin dinner, built around a 1 1/4 pound lobster with coleslaw and either french fries or rice pilaf.
Lobster rolls and their seafood platter provides a signature taste of New England style seafood.
You won't find fresher seafood than Wood's Seafood!
Wicked Wild Murder Tour
Wicked Wild Walks offers a variety of tours, even some geared specifically toward kids.
We took the Who Shot J.R. Newcomen? murder mystery walk, based on the true story of the new colony's first trial - and everyone is a suspect or detective. Immerse yourself in the world of the badass Billingtons as you confer with your fellow guests as to "whodunit". Was it the rabble-rousing patriarch, John? His slanderous wife, Eleanor? Trigger-happy Francis? Or runaway, John Jr.? Volunteer to act as a Billington, and plead your case to the crowd. After a lively discussion, we will meet in the town square and get ready for accusations, interrogations, and fall-down hilarious commutations! The final vote may surprise you! The last man standing leaves with a special prize.
The tour lasted one hour and cost $15 per person. The actors of Wicked Wild Walks are professionals from LA and other areas of the country. It was a whole lot of fun for $15.
Morning: Have breakfast at Local Roots, 186 Water St, Plymouth.
If you need a great breakfast, head to Local Roots, right across from East Bay Grill on Plymouth Bay. The breakfast here is affordable
(most items around $12-16) and it’s one of the best in town. (The locals eat here)
There's a great variety of menu items, service was good, and the food was even better.
The outdoor seating lets you enjoy the ocean breeze and beautiful views while you eat.
A Tale of Two Colonies — Plymouth & Wessagusset Post‑Thanksgiving Walking Tour (Weymouth)
This guided walking tour blends history, storytelling, and local exploration, revealing the lesser‑known story of the Wessagusset Colony alongside the better‑known Plymouth settlement.
Wessagusset Colony (sometimes called the Weston Colony or Weymouth Colony) was a short-lived English trading colony in New England located in Weymouth, Massachusetts. It was settled in August 1622 by between 50 and 60 colonists who were ill-prepared for colonial life. The colony was settled without adequate provisions and was dissolved in late March 1623 after harming relations with local Indians. Surviving colonists joined
Plymouth Colony or returned to England. It was the second settlement in Massachusetts, predating the Massachusetts Bay Colony by six years.
The tour departs from Great Hill Parking Lot, 95 Bradley Rd., N Weymouth, MA. It begins at 10 am and ends at noon. The tour costs $15 per person.
Organizer: Hull Lifesaving Museum (781‑925‑5433, info@hulllifesavingmuseum.org)
Lunch: Brothers Roast Beef, 148 Washington St, Weymouth.
Brothers Roast Beef is a sandwich shop in Weymouth, serving packed subs and standout pizza. They’ve got dinner every night, plus lunch, and a fan-favorite Turkey, Roast Beast, bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and extra mayo sandwich. Their calzones are the best around.
Paranormal Plymouth
The following sites are worth visiting even if you aren't into the paranormal.
(I never was either until I saw Pat work as a psychic. She made a believer out of me and I've been interested in the paranormal ever since.)
Like any really old town or city, Plymouth has its share of reported hauntings. I was curious to see what Pat would pick up in these locations.
Burial Hill
School St, Plymouth
Any walking tour in Plymouth has to include the sharp climb to this early cemetery, with a stirring panorama of the coastline and townscape.
This hilltop was initially used as a fort, which also served as a meeting house and parish church. The burying ground was established here sometime during the 1620's, and the exact date is difficult to pinpoint as the first burials used wooden markers to mark the graves.
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The General Arnold
The earliest stone marker here dates to 1681 (Edward Gray), and you can track down the graves of several Mayflower passengers.
Part of the experience at Burial Hill is appreciating the early stone markers from the 17th and 18th century.
What Pat didn't know about Burial Hill is that in 1778 many sailors who died in a shipwreck were also buried here in a mass grave. Sure enough, we'd no sooner entered the cemetery than she said "What are all these sailors doing here, roaming around?"
She described a sailor's dress of that era correctly and even gave us the name of the ship - General Arnold.
She also said the ship ran aground and that she was seeing a Christmas tree.
I had to look this up. Sure enough, during Christmas of 1778 a ship named the General Arnold ran
The haunting of the hill is thought to be due to Pukwudgies – an imp-like creature from Wampanoag lore. Many people speculate the events occur due to a longtime Native American curse.
aground on the shores of Plymouth and 72 of the crew either froze to death or drowned as icy waters flooded its hull.
The Brigantine General Arnold was a 20‑gun American privateer brig commissioned by the Province of Massachusetts in 1778 under a Letter of Marque. She was built in Baltimore, Maryland, and commanded by Captain James Magee with a crew of about 105 men. Privateers like the General Arnold were privately owned vessels authorized to capture enemy merchant or war ships, with prizes awarded to the crews.
On 24 December 1778, the General Arnold departed Boston with the brig Revenge bound for the West Indies to raid British commerce. The mission was part of the American Revolutionary War’s privateering campaign, which was both a military and profitable enterprise.
The very next day, a severe nor’easter struck off Plymouth, Massachusetts. Captain Magee steered toward Plymouth Harbor for shelter, anchoring at Gurnet Point due to the absence of a pilot boat in the storm. By 26 December, the wind and waves forced the brig to drag anchor and run aground on the White Flats sandbar. The General Arnold was then battered by extraordinary waves and sub‑zero winds. Crew members took refuge below deck, but seams failed and the hull flooded. Forced back onto the deck, the men endured ice, snow, and freezing surf. Some tried to keep warm by holding together or clinging to rigging; others allegedly filled boots with rum to prevent freezing.
The ship was still over a mile from shore when Plymouth residents heard their cries on 27 December.
By 28 December, only 34 of the original 105 crew were alive. Nine of those died within days, and the rest were buried in a common grave at Burial Hill, Plymouth. died within days, and the rest were buried in a common grave at Burial Hill, Plymouth. The disaster was so severe it cast a “pall of gloom” over Plymouth’s Christmas celebrations. Source
1749 Spooner House
A Pukwudgie
Spooner House requires a pre-arranged tour to go inside. It is not open to the public for general tours. I made an appointment for us to see it on a private tour.
None of my family had heard of the Spooner House, including Pat. I knew the story of the haunting but they didn't even know it was supposedly haunted.
We were standing on the sidewalk outside the house when I saw Pat jump a bit as though startled, then turn around and look behind her.
27 North Street, Plymouth
A Pukwudgiee
"What?" I asked her.
"A little girl just tapped me on the shoulder. Said her name is Abigail and she wants me to come see her house. Says she used to live here," Pat replied.
I'm always amazed at how calm Pat is when stuff like this happens. If some ghost tapped me on the shoulder I would have been in the wind, six blocks down the street!
Pat had gotten it right again. From Haunt Bound:
The legend attached to the Spooner House is the story of Abigail, told as a child the Spooner family took into their home in the 18th century. By the accounts that circulate on Plymouth tours, she fell ill from an abscessed tooth and the infection took her life, in an era before antibiotics.
The best-known account dates to August 2005, when workmen sent to make repairs said a small girl in colonial-period clothing let them into the house; when the curator arrived and asked, the room the girl had supposedly entered, and the rest of the house, were found empty.
On a Colonial Lantern Tour, a visitor standing outside the house reported feeling a touch on her shoulder and turning to see a young girl who said she had to go before vanishing. Source
(Just as Abigail had tapped Pat on the shoulder)
Likeness of the little girl Pat saw
Mayflower Society House
4 Winslow Street, Plymouth
The Mayflower Society House is the headquarters of those who can trace their ancestry back to at least one of the settlers who came over on the Mayflower.
Poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson was married in the parlor in 1835 and the mansion was used as a Red Cross hospital during World War II.
The most-repeated story at the Mayflower Society House is the phantom organ. Visitors and staff have reported hearing a large organ playing in the library, sometimes faintly, with no one seated at the instrument and no source for the music.
Beyond the organ, local accounts describe smaller disturbances through the house: doors found ajar after being securely closed, objects moved from one room to another, disembodied footsteps, and a scent of lavender drifting through the halls. Plymouth ghost lore most often attributes these to a 19th-century resident said to have cared deeply for the house and to have stayed on after death, rather than to the original loyalist builder.
The haunting sits as a folklore layer over a well-documented building, and the organ in the library remains its signature image on Plymouth's ghost-tour routes.
Plymouth Ghost Tours
One of the best things to do in Plymouth, MA, at night is a spooky ghost tour. Dead of Night Ghost Tours is a popular ghost tour provider in Plymouth that offers a 90-minute Twilight Lantern Ghost Tour. You will be able to learn about the ghosts that roam the oldest streets in America and visit Burial Hill, where the Pilgrims are buried.
Embark on a haunted harbor cruise in Plymouth. Hear tales of ghostly legends, tragic shipwrecks, and haunted landmarks as you glide past Burial Hill, Cole’s Hill, and more.
Step aboard a comfortable and heated sightseeing vessel for a spine-tingling voyage through history and mystery on a haunted harbor tour. As Plymouth Harbor drifts into twilight, journey past centuries-old landmarks, each with a story steeped in local legend and ghostly lore.
From the haunting rise of Burial Hill to the shadowy beam of Plymouth Light, your guide will share tales that blend documented history with chilling supernatural accounts.
Between stories, there’s time to soak in the eeriness of the harbor at night, when the lapping waves and creaking timbers whisper their own secrets. It’s history with goosebumps, and a night you won’t soon forget.
1-hour, 15-minute narrated cruise. Atmospheric lighting and sound effects.
Dinner: We decided to try the Terrace on the roof of our condo building since it was our last night in Plymouth.
150 Water St Fl 2, Plymouth.
Definitely the best seat in town. Terrace Rooftop Dining sits atop Thomas Sea Suites, and the open-air setup is genuinely rare along this waterfront. Sunset here is worth planning your whole day around.
The kitchen works from scratch and keeps its roots in New England cooking. Menus change with the seasons to follow the best local ingredients.
The raw bar brings cold water oysters and a gulf shrimp cocktail, For mains, fish and chips and the terrace burger keep things familiar. Pan-roasted salmon and hoisin steak tips step it up a notch.
Pasta fans get lobster fettuccine and angel hair carbonara.
Book ahead! Weekends and peak season fill fast, and walking up without a reservation can mean a long wait.
That wraps up our Thanksgiving in Plymouth. It's a great place to visit any time of year but especially at Thanksgiving.