Just 35 mi/55 km southeast of Boston, Plymouth, Massachusetts, is where the Pilgrims made their final landing in 1620—supposedly on Plymouth Rock, one of the town's most famous sites. The rock can still be viewed, but be prepared—the legend is larger than what's left of the white-painted stone.
Mayflower II, a replica of the original ship, has costumed guides, and the Mayflower Society Museum explores the legacy of the Pilgrims with a genealogical library and period furnishings. Pilgrim Hall Museum (established in 1824) has furnishings, artifacts and an art collection. For a peek inside a house that was inhabited by some Mayflower passengers, visit the Jabez Howland House, which was built in 1666.
In August, a procession from Plymouth Rock to Burial Hill takes place every Friday at 6 pm. Participants wear traditional costumes to commemorate the Pilgrims who died during the colony's first winter. For your own walk through history, take one of the April-November evening Colonial Lantern Tours, so named because each participant carries a punched-tin lantern to the various sites.
It's not all Pilgrims in Plymouth. Sightseeing and whale-watching cruises are also offered from Plymouth.
Nearby Edaville Family Theme Park puts on a cranberry festival every October, with a 5-mi/8-km rail tour of cranberry bogs.
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