Plymouth, MA Tourist Attractions

A living history museum, Plimoth Plantation, tries to re-create the experience of living in 17th century colonial America. Visitors learn about the Plymouth Colony from costumed interpreters who perform daily tasks like gardening, building cooking and military training. Craftsmen use authentic tools to make objects common in the 17th century. Every year is the year 1627 at Plimoth Plantation.There is a full-scale reproduction of the Mayflower called the Mayflower II which is associated with the Plantation but is permanently birthed at the Plymouth Pier. It provides information on the voyage and the Pilgrims.As well, visitors can see Hobbamock's Homesite, a re-creation of Wampanoag (Native American) dwellings, gardens and artifacts. Interpreters in period dress tell how the area's first inhabitants lived before and after the colonist's arrival.

The son of Mayflower passenger John Howland, Jabez, owned this house from 1670 to 1680. The Jabez Howland House is the only surviving house known to be occupied by a Mayflower passenger. The two-story timber framed house highlights the changes in colonial architecture, which can be observed in the house's several additions.The Jabez Howland House was a private residence until it was purchased in 1912 to serve as a museum. Displays include period furniture, artifacts from archeological digs on the Howland's farm, as well as letters and documents. Some of the letters are from famous descendants Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.

Plymouth Rock marks the place where the Pilgrims first landed in December 1620. It is covered by a multi-columned granite portico. The Pilgrim Mother, a fountain honoring the women of the Mayflower is located opposite the structure.The Plymouth Rock would have been lost to history if not for a 95 year old elder who, in 1741, identified it as the place where the Forefathers landed. The town tried to move the rock to the square but it split in two. The top half sat in the Pilgrim Hall Museum until 1880 when the Pilgrim Society moved it back to its present location and cemented it back in place.

The town of Carver is the home to the Edaville railroad. Edaville USA features recreated, early 1900's buildings that can be explored as well as children's rides and activities. There is a ferris wheel, carousel, fishing pond, and playground. Train rides ar available on a 2 foot narrow gage railway take visitors on a half hour tour of the area.A festival of lights takes place on weekends from late November to early January with more then a million Christmas light displays along the train ride and through out the park.

The headquarters of the General Society of Mayflower Descendents (GSMD) is located in this 1754 home built by Edward Winslow, a Pilgrim descendant. It features furnishings spanning three centuries, a flying staircase and formal gardens. The GSMD has chapters in all 50 states, D.C. and Canada. It promotes the history of the Pilgrims, sponsors genealogical research and tries to keep an accurate record of Mayflower descendants.

Pilgrim Hall Museum claims to be "America's oldest public museum in continuous operation." Pilgrim Hall first opened in 1824 to showcase Pilgrim artifacts, furniture, decorative arts, painting, and the remains of the Sparrow Hawk, a wooden ship that wrecked off Cape Cod in 1626. Highlights of the irreplaceable collection include the original cradle used by Peregrine White, who was born on the Mayflower, Governor Bradford's bible and Myles Standish's sword.

Built in 1640, Sparrow House is Plymouth's oldest surviving wooden house. The simple architecture and spartan interior allow visitors to see how primitively the first settlers lived. Sparrow House has been preserved to appear as it did in the 1640's while housing a museum and arts gallery. It hosts temporary exhibits by local and national artists, presents regular craft and pottery workshops, and specializes in American hand made jewelry.

ATTRACTION IS CLOSED.Plymouth National Wax Museum features more than 180 wax figures in different settings. The dioramas use light and sound to depict life in the historic Plymouth Colony. Visitors can see life-like models of the Pilgrims stepping off the Mayflower, performing daily tasks and feasting with the Indians at May Day festivities.

Harlow Old Fort House was built in 1677 using wood from a 17th century fort. Today, costumed guides re-enact life in Colonial Plymouth and demonstrate some of the crafts of the era such as carding, candle making and spinning. The interior of the Harlow house contains period furnishings.

The bodies of the Pilgrims who died on the first winter spent in the New World are buried on Cole's Hill. The graves were left unmarked so the neighboring Indian tribe couldn't tell how many of the new settlers had perished.

ATTRACTION IS CLOSED.Features a demonstration cranberry bog, a scale model of a farm, antique harvesting tools and a kitchen where staff experiment with cranberry recipes. It is a part of the Ocean Spray company, famous for its line of juices.

This 1809 house was once the home of a merchant ship owner. Hedge House contains period furnishings, features octagonal rooms and a rare, intact carriage house. Displays include American furnishings, paintings, textiles, and toys.

The names of the 102 passengers who crossed over on the Mayflower are engraved into this 81-foot ( 24.5m) statue. It is reputedly one of the largest statues in the U.S. Dedicated on August 1, 1889, it is located on the highest ground in Plymouth.

The Spooner Family owned this house from 1763 to the 1950s. It was built in 1747. The house is furnished with family heirlooms and offers an interesting glimpse into how art and architecture have changed over two centuries.

Located in southeastern Massachusetts, Kingston is a fishing and cranberry growing town.