New England Getaway: New England travel, vacation, and destination guide

Each year, nearly half a million modern-day "Pilgrims" come from all over the world to step almost four centuries back in time and become part of the living history experience at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Through its primary living history exhibits, the 1627 Pilgrim Village and Hobbamock's (Wampanoag) Homesite, Plimoth Plantation seeks to re-create the people, time and place of 17th-century Plymouth. Specially trained staff members, painstaking research, period costumes and dialect, authentically reproduced buildings and artifacts are some of the vital components of this unique experience. On the third of the museum's main sites, Mayflower II (a full-scale reproduction of a 17th-century vessel), visitors learn about the Pilgrims' 1620 ocean crossing, as well as about construction techniques of both a 17th-century ship and its 21st -century counterpart.

What Visitors Will See
In the 1627 Pilgrim Village, each day corresponds to a day in the year 1627. As the colonists talk to you in 17th-century dialects, you'll learn what a pottage is or how a duck or bluefish is cooked on the hearth, see cows or goats being milked, or wattle and daub applied to a house under construction. Depending on the season, you may see a garden planted, cornfields being hoed, or the harvest brought in and stored. If you stop to talk with a householder, you may hear about issues of land ownership and payment of debt, or even the colony's latest gossip. Each day in the Village is different and exciting and each colonist is an individual whose conversation will intrigue and entertain you.

Mayflower II is the reproduction of the ship that brought the "Pilgrims" to New England. As you enter, you'll see an exhibit on New England's Native Peoples, an explanation of why the colonists left England and Holland, and a hands-on exhibit explaining 17th-century navigation. Onboard you'll see certain areas of the ship set up as they would have been in 1620, and will have the opportunity to talk with modern guides about the history of Plymouth Colony, and to discuss wooden shipbuilding with maritime artisans. After viewing the ship, visitors may tour an area where they will learn more about this reproduction vessel; how she was researched and built, and about her voyage from England in 1957. Often Mayflower II staff here demonstrates maritime trades: carving, rigging, tool-making and more.

Hobbamock was a Pokanoket Indian who acted as Plymouth Colony's interpreter, guide and advisor on dealing with the Native people. He lived adjacent to the Plymouth colonists from 1621 until his death sometime before 1643. At Hobbamock's (Wampanaog) Homesite, visitors may speak with actual Native interpreters in period dress as well as uniformed staff. While staff do not role play, and they speak from a modern perspective to explain early Wampanoag history, our outdoor site does represent life in the 17th-century. Visitors will see the wetuash (houses), including the puttakaukan (round house) and the neesquttow (house of two fires), which is the type of house Hobbamock lived in. These homes are beside the gardens, which show the traditional method of planting corn, beans and squash in mounds. Interpreters carry on many activities of daily life, including house construction, making a mishoon (dugout canoe), cooking a meal of bluefish, duck or sobaheg (stew) over the fire, and tending and weeding the garden. Staff also utilize 17th-century technology and materials to re-create baskets, pottery, wooden bowls, stone tools and many other items.

In the Crafts Center, artisans demonstrate the making of goods that the colonists either brought with them or imported from Europe. At different times you will see the artisans use 17th-century techniques to create baskets made with willow imported from England, furniture made and carved for use in Village houses, and earthenware pottery, from the common three-handled cup to an oil lamp or a colander. Most of the items made in the Crafts Center are used in the interpretive program or other educational programs, and some are offered for sale through the adjoining museum shop.

After seeing the animals in the Pilgrim Village, visitors often have questions about the various breeds: why the goats, sheep or pigs look different than those with which they are more familiar. The Nye Barn is a contemporary exhibit created to give visitors a more in-depth look at the museum's rare breeds program. Here, live rare and minor breed animals and a display of photographs and text are used to explain the history of various breeds of livestock at the Plantation as well as their importance to the program and to global conservation efforts.

More Things to See and Do
On August 3, 2002, Plimoth Plantation opened a major new indoor exhibit about Thanksgiving. Entitled Thanksgiving: Memory, Myth & Meaning, this exhibit leads visitors from present day celebrations and traditions backward through time, ending with a new look at the 1621 harvest celebration from the perspectives of the participants, the Wampanoag and the English.

During the spring and summer, the Plantation offers a number of programs for the entire family. All of these events are family oriented, and help delve deeper into the rich history and tradition surrounding the English and Wampanoag.

In the fall, we offer 17th-century dining by reservation, and on Thanksgiving Day, by reservation, a Victorian Thanksgiving Dinner or New England Thanksgiving Buffet (reservations are taken beginning August 1 and sell out quickly).

Details
Plimoth Plantation is located off Route 3 South (exit 4) in Plymouth, Massachusetts, less than one hour from downtown Boston and just 20 minutes from the beaches and resort communities of Cape Cod (Route 3 North, exit 5, then reverse direction to exit 4). Facilities include a modern visitor center with theaters, multiple specialty shops, a cafeteria, dining courtyard and private function rooms. Plimoth Plantation is open daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., March 26 through November 27, 2005.

Plimoth Plantation is a non-profit, educational institution that is supported by admission fees, contributions, memberships, function sales, and revenue from our dining programs/services and museum shops. The museum receives support from private foundations, corporations, local businesses, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.