A roadtrip through the New England states tops our list of vacations, and Plymouth, Mass. was one of our favorite stops!
It was so picturesque and clean! Every time I turned around, I wanted to grab another picture.
There were so many little shopping areas with the quaintest storefronts tucked away in little alcoves almost. I could have spent all day just wandering around!
After lunch, we cut through this park to get to the waterfront. The place where we began (on the opposite side from this angle), really just looked like a normal park and we were just using it as a shortcut. The further in we got, it was absolutely breathtaking! So well-maintained and beautiful! There was even a wedding happening right as we were walking through!
When we made it to the waterfront, we got our first glimpse of the Mayflower II!! I’m not going to tell you how many pictures I took from this spot at every angle, but I’m sure my kids remember it vividly! The view just stretched out forever it seemed.
We even managed to get a rare family picture once we boarded the Mayflower II. These only make an appearance once every 3 or 4 years, so please take note that you are witnessing something very special!
Everything was so authentic, including the sleeping quarters.
If I’m remembering correctly, these sleeping quarters were for the captain and the navigator only. They were very cramped, but this was luxury for this boat.
There were also period actors throughout the boat to explain the history of it, including this Pilgrim who showed us some of the games the kids on the original Mayflower played to keep themselves entertained.
After the Mayflower, we drove over to Plimoth Plantation. The drive was short but gorgeous! The architecture in Plymouth is gorgeous and I was snapping these pictures as we were driving by!
When you arrive at Plimoth Plantation, there is a gorgeous Visitor’s Center that is filled with artifacts, knowledgeable guides, maps and more.
Once you start along the path, you come upon the Wampanog Homesite.
The staff at the Wampanog Homesite are not role playing. They are actual Native Americans (some even Wampanoag!) who are happy to answer any questions from a modern perspective!
You’ll be able to enter their homes and see how they lived on a daily basis.
When you continue along the path, you emerge looking down on the Plymouth colony re-created to look as it would in the 17th Century.
It is a gorgeous view of Plymouth Harbor!
This look-out with the cannons is outside of the fence so they can protect the plantation. It’s an awesome vantage point looking down the hill.
You can walk around inside the houses and there are period actors everywhere to interact with! They are tending the garden, building fences, chatting with neighbors… whatever is part of a normal day on the plantation!
She had the time of her life here. I’m telling you, they loved it!
Be sure to check the calendar before you go. The Plantation closes at 5:00 and we didn’t even arrive until about 3:30. I don’t know that we’ll ever get the chance to go back again, but we would love to just so we could take our time a little more and interact more with the staff.
We ended our day walking along the waterfront and shops where we got a fresh seafood dinner that we ate overlooking the harbor and later some ice cream! We were only in Plymouth for one day, but we all agreed that if there’s a next time we would spend at least 2 maybe 3 days there. My kids were 10 and 12 when we went and it truly was one of our favorite stops!
