Having been born and raised in New England, there are certain places- some more historic than others- that become seared into one’s brain as a child due to how often we were corralled onto a school bus on any given weekday to go and visit them for mandatory field trips. There seemed to be a period of time- I’d say mostly in middle school- where we’d visit the same locations year after year until we’d take off to Junior High and never gave them a second thought again.
Plymouth Rock was one of those places.
Plymouth itself is an absolutely beautiful town- filled with lovely shops, fantastic restaurants, breathtaking homes, and a gorgeous view of the ocean. There are so many fun and interesting things to do in Plymouth- although I wouldn’t necessarily classify Plymouth Rock or even the nearby Plimoth Plantation (spelled differently, I know) as one of them.
Listen, if you love history as much as I do then sure- stop by- but definitely plan other things to do while you’re in the area (like the aforementioned restaurants and shops) because Plymouth Rock is, well, underwhelming. It’s quite literally just a rock on the ocean- surrounded by metal fencing and a pretty impressive pillared structure to protect it from vandalism- with 1620 engraved in it. That’s it.
Sure, you can stroll the surrounding park and take a look at the Mayflower II (an anchored replica of the original ship) but even that can only keep you busy and entertained for under an hour.
How do I know? Because I happened to be passing through Plymouth this past weekend- and stopped to visit the famous landmark for the first time since my last field trip there in the sixth grade (also in November. There was always some sort of “First Thanksgiving” lesson to be had in the process although admittedly a LOT of pertinent details about the first settlements were omitted.)
And of course I snapped some photos for anyone reading from out of State- just so you can see what I’m talking about!
I think one of my blogging goals for 2021 is going to be highlighting some of the other things to do in cute New England towns like Plymouth so visitors can have a bit of a local guide if they’re ever visiting the area and want to see some interesting, off-the-beaten-path sites on top of any touristy things, too!
I’ll just add that to my New Year’s resolutions right now while I’m thinking of it.
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 