Diverse natural beauty and an incredible variety of history can be found in Massachusetts, a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Both in the big cities and in the small villages you can still find preserved buildings from historical times. The oldest university in America from 1636, Harvard University in Cambridge, is particularly well known.
An important historical role in American history is played here by the city of Plymouth, Massachusetts, founded by the Pilgrim Fathers (passengers of the Mayflow) who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620.
The state of Massachusetts borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north. Massachusetts borders the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
On February 17, 1788, Massachusetts became a state. With a total area of 27,336 km², Massachusetts is the seventh smallest but one of the most densely populated states in the USA. Many Americans live in its two well-known cities, Boston and Springfield. The capital Boston was the scene of the 1773 resistance of the ” Boston Tea Party “.
Other major cities include Cambridge, New Bedford, Worcester, Lowell, Springfield and Pittsfield. Many cities and counties in Massachusetts bear names like cities in England.
A popular Massachusetts vacation destination is the island of Cape Cod, home of the Kennedy family, with long sandy beaches on the Cape Code National Seashore. Boat tours for whale watching can also be booked from here.
The Massachusetts region is particularly popular in autumn at the time of Indian summer with bright blue skies, warm weather and particularly intense leaf coloration in the deciduous and mixed forests.
Massachusetts attractions
Massachusetts offers many different sights, in Boston the Freedom Trail, the National Historical Park and the Museum of Fine Arts are popular places to visit. Visitors to Cambridge, Massachusetts visit Harvard University.
Those interested in history can visit the replica of the founding village in Plymouth, the Plimoth Plantation.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
The US state of Massachusetts has no UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
National Parks in Massachusetts
There are no national parks in the state of Massachusetts, but there are 143 state parks.
Cities and larger towns in Massachusetts
Boston
Worcester
Springfield
Lowell
Cambridge
New Bedford
Brockton
Massachusetts Airports
Rivers in Massachusetts
Mill River Dam
Quabbin Reservoir
Mountains in Massachusetts
Appalachian Mountains
Lakes and reservoirs in Massachusetts
Charles River
Connecticut River
Merrimack River
Plimoth Plantation Museum with the Mayflower II at Plymouth Rock
Plimoth Plantation is a living open-air museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts. As a visitor, you are taken back to the time when the Plymouth colony was formed. In addition, you get a lot of information about the history of the pilgrims who went ashore in Massachusetts.
In 1620 the first English colonists, later Pilgrim Fathers, landed with 101 people on the coast of present-day Massachusetts. They came on the Mayflower and founded the Plymouth colony. Their first settlement was built not far from the coast.
The immigrants were among the first to immigrate to America to escape religious persecution from the Church of England. Today, the Plimoth Plantation Museum is a not-for-profit museum supported by contributions, grants, admissions, and volunteers.
In the museum village of Plimoth Plantage, showmen live as they did in the 17th century. Houses were rebuilt, animals were bred back and many small details from that time were reconstructed. There are many little things to discover as a visitor. The actors are especially interesting. They converse in a special English dialect and demonstrate tasks such as cooking, planting, blacksmithing and animal husbandry. Seasonal activities as well as special events such as funerals after Damlagien times and special celebrations take place. As a visitor, you immerse yourself in the time over 350 years ago through this perfect interplay of actors and village.
Many artefacts and excavations are displayed here. Continuous research and science of the museum always bring new knowledge and more exhibits.
History of Plimoth Plantation
This settlement of the Pilgrim Fathers was rebuilt in 1947 as the Plimoth Plantation Museum by Henry Hornblower II, with the help and support of friends, family and business associates. It is about four kilometers away from the original location. An attempt was made to reconstruct the settlement as faithfully as possible to the original. The museum was opened with two English cottages and a fort in the historic harbor district of Plymouth.
In the years that followed, the Mayflower II (1957), the English Village (1959), the Wampanoag Homesite (1973), the Hornblower Visitor Center (1987), the Craft Center (1992), the Maxwell and Nye Barns (1994) and the Plimoth Grist Mill (2013).
Activities at the Plimoth Museum in Massachusetts
Another attraction in the Plimoth Museum is a replica Mayflower II. It is located at Plymouth Rock, the landing place of the Pilgrim Fathers and is also part of the museum. Sometimes weekly tours are offered with the Mayflower II, on which one can experience what it was like for the pilgrims in those days.
You can tour the deck of the Mayflower II. In addition, the Mayflower II is not wheelchair accessible. To explore them you need to be able to walk up stairs and narrow passages. Modern guided tours where you can observe maritime artisans and costumed role players are offered.
Come aboard and learn about the Mayflower’s 1620 voyage, the perils of seafaring, and 17th-century navigational instruments.
Within walking distance of the Mayflower II is the newest exhibition, the Plimoth Grist Mill with the souvenir shop.
There is much to discover in the Plimoth Museum itself. There is also a cinema, the Plimoth Cinema, which shows documentaries about the life of the Pilgrim Fathers. We have put together the different areas of the museum for you here.
Wampanoag Homesite Part of
the Plimoth Plantation Museum is a Native American settlement, the Wampanoag Homesite, in which today’s modern Native Americans, not role players, depict and explain the lives of their ancestors. They show the making of boats from logs and the erection of huts and houses from bark.
17th-Century English Village
Welcome to the year 1627! The 17th – century English Village is a recreation of the maritime community of pilgrims on the shores of Plymouth Harbor. It shows the village
just seven years after the arrival of the Mayflower. Here you will find modest half-timbered houses, aromatic vegetable gardens and a special animal husbandry. Costumed role-players play the residents of Plymouth Colony.
Plimoth Plantation Museum Shops
The museum shops at Plimoth Plantation Museum offer a wide range of products, many 17th century reproductions, books, children’s toys, souvenirs, food, jewelry, clothing and gifts. The Native American Shop features traditional Wampanoag crafts and products made by other local Native Americans.
The Craft Center
The Craft Center at Plimoth Plantation has been open since 1992 and offers an insight into the historical crafts and technologies of the 17th century. It is worked with tools, materials and craft techniques from the 1600s. Local artisans make stone, wood and sinew tools, spiked headdresses and hand-rolled clay vessels.
Rare Breeds Animals
Here you can see historical animal breeds of sheep, goats and cows. They represent the animal species found in Plymouth Colony in the 17th century. Due to changes in farming practices since the 1600’s attempts have been made to save the genetic diversity of these endangered breeds.
The Plimoth Grist Mill
Nestled next to the quaint town of Brook and just a short walk from the waterfront and the Mayflower II, the Plimoth Grist Mill exhibit tells the story of grain milling. The water-powered mill is a reproduction of the 1636 mill used by the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony. The mill is still operated twice a week to grind corn into cornmeal. The exhibition can be viewed daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visitor Center
The Plimoth Plantation Visitor Center offers indoor exhibits, orientation films and educational programs. In the visitor center you will find a museum shop and a restaurant from which you have a good view of the Eel River and Cape Cod Bay. The visitor center is open during the winter months.
Plimoth Plantation Museum opening hours
The Plimoth Museum is open seven days a week from late March through the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It is closed in winter only the Plimoth Cinema is open daily from 4.30pm to 7pm all year round.
The Wampanoag Homesite, English Village, Mayflower II and Plimoth Grist Mill are open daily from late March through late November from 9am to 5pm.
Each season has something unique to offer – budding gardens, corn planting, harvesting and cozy fires are just a few of the highlights.
Parking & Directions to Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth
The museum has two locations: The Plimoth Plantation is about 3 miles south of downtown Plymouth. The second location for the Mayflower II is on the Plymouth Waterfront near the center of Plymouth.
There is free parking at Plimoth Plantation. There is metered parking along the Plymouth Waterfront at the Mayflower II.
Plymouth is only about 45 minutes drive from Boston and 15 minutes from Cape Cod.
Sights in Plymoth – Massachusetts
Visit some of Massachusetts’ historic homes, museums and monuments – including the Statue of Massasoit and the legendary Plymouth Rock. Or be mesmerized by the spectacular New England Indian Summer and the crimson beauty of the cranberry fields.
Address of the Plimoth Plantation attraction in Plymouth
Plimoth Plantation
137 Warren Ave
Plymouth, MA 02360
//www.plimoth.org
Plimoth Plantation, Mayflower II
State Pier
(opposite 74 Water Street)
Plymouth, MA 02360
