What to See at Plimoth Plantation
An Early Colonial Experience in Plymouth, Massachusetts
Sep 4, 2009
First opened in 1947, the Plimoth Plantation museum interactively shows the history of early colonial Massachusetts through the eyes of two cultures: the Wampanoag native people and the English colonists, or pilgrims.
The museum features two sites. The main "campus," located 3 miles from downtown Plymouth, contains a recreated Wamanoag Homesite, the 1627 English Village, a Crafts Center, the Nye Barn, and a Visitors Center. On the waterfront in the center of Plymouth is the Mayflower II, a version of a 16th-century English merchant ship believed to be the same size and type as the original Mayflower.
Henry Hornblower II Visitors Center
The best place to start a day tour in Plimoth is at the Henry Hornblower II Visitor Center. A 15-minute film provides an excellent orientation to the museum, the relevant history, and the relationship between the native people of this region and European settlers in the early 17th century.
Wampanoag Homesite
The Wampanoag Homesite represents a typical residential area for a family of native people. The Wampanoag were the predominate native group in this area when the pilgrims arrived and the staff at the Homesite are all native people, some Wampanoag and some from other native nations. They all wear traditional Wampanoag clothing, made out of deerskin and decorated with beading and painted motifs.
The extremely knowledgeable staff answer questions at the various stations in this outdoor exhibit, which features a summer dwelling; a winter dwelling; vegetable garden; canoe-making area; weaving, pottery and basket-making demonstrations; and a kitchen.
Plimoth English Village
Though no one knows exactly what the original Plymouth Colony looked like, this re-creation from the year 1627 is based on museum research. It is an enclosed village with a main street lined with houses, most with planting gardens and animal pens.
At the top of the street is a 2-story meeting house, which would have been used for worship, town gatherings, and protection against attack (the second floor is armed with canons).
The most interesting feature of the English Village are the costumed role players who go about their daily lives in the Village while answering questions from visitors. Each role player has taken on the identity and history of an English settler. All these "residents" speak in an English dialect of the early colonials and stay in character while interacting with tourists. They cook, clean, sew, tend to the animals and do other tasks while onlookers watch and ask questions.
Crafts Center
The Crafts Center features artisans at work producing typical 17th century crafts using tools and methods mostly of that period. They are happy to chat with visitors as they work. Pottery, furniture making and carving, sewing and beading are among the popular exhibits.
Many of the crafts are available for sale in the adjacent gift shop.
Nye Barn
Children especially will like Nye Barn, a colonial-era farm that houses the museum's collection of rare and minor breed animals, including cattle, goats, sheep and pigs. Most represent the breeds in existence during the pilgrims' time.
Mayflower II
Located in downtown Plymouth, about 3 miles away from the main museum, the Mayflower II is a fascinating look at the vessel that brought the first pilgrims to Massachusetts in 1620. Visitors can tour nearly all areas and decks of the ship, from the map room to the unbelievably small quarters where 102 pilgrims lived for 4 months during their Atlantic crossing (and two babies were born!).
The Mayflower II's guides are both "modern" crew members and costumed role players.
A visit to all areas of Plimoth Plantation takes the better part of a day, with a stop for lunch and some gift shop souvenir shopping. It is best to arrive as close to the 9:00 AM opening time as possible.
