The Pilgrim Path

The town of Plymouth, Mass., is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the New England region, with more than a dozen attractions including Plymouth Rock, a full-scale replica of the Mayflower, a re-creation of the Pilgrims’ 1627 settlement, the nation’s oldest public museum, a reconstructed 1636 grist mill and six historic houses. Since many sites are within easy walking distance of each other, you may enjoy the leisurely pace of a do-it-yourself walking tour.

1.               Plymouth Rock – Believed to be the landing place of the Pilgrims, two-thirds of this rock is underground. The classical canopy was designed by McKim, Mead & White; Water Street.

2.               William Bradford Statue – Honors the long-time governor of the Plymouth Colony. Original design by Cyrus E. Dallin, commissioned as part of Plymouth’s 1921 tercentenary celebration; Pilgrim Memorial State Park.

3.               Coles Hill – Scene of the secret night burials of those who died during the settlement’s first bitter winter. Corn was planted over their unmarked graves so that the Native Americans would not know how many had perished. Carver Street.

4.               Massasoit Statue – Statue of Massasoit, the Wampanoag leader who befriended the Pilgrims, crowns the hill; Carver Street.

5.               Spooner House – 1749. Home to same family for almost 200 years, with authentic furnishings from Colonial to 20th century; 27 North St.

6.               Mayflower Society House Museum – 1754-1898. Featured formal gardens, a flying staircase and antique furniture owned by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants; 4 Winslow St.

7.               Town Brook – Availability of fresh water from Town Brook was one of the reasons the Pilgrims settled in Plymouth.

8.               Site of original settlement – The Pilgrims’ first houses were on First Street, now Leyden Street. Plots allotted to the early settlers (on which the houses were built) sloped to Town Brook; Leyden Street.

9.               Pilgrim Maiden Statue – Dedicated to the intrepid English women whose courage and devotion brought a new nation into being; Brewster Gardens.

10.         Howland House – 1667. Only surviving house in Plymouth in which a Mayflower Pilgrim actually lived. Furnished with many typical 17th-century items; 33 Sandwich St.

11.         Town Training Green – Held as common land from the times of the early Plymouth Colonists, the 1869 Civil War monument is erected here; Sandwich Street.

12.         Harlow Old Fort House – 1677. Built with timbers from the Plymouth Fort and staffed with costumed guides who may demonstrate candle dipping, weaving or spinning; 119 Sandwich St.

13.         Plimoth Plantation – A living-history museum, founded in 1947; includes the 1627 Pilgrim Village, Hobbamock’s Wampanoag Indian Homesite and the Mayflower II; Warren Avenue.

14.         1749 Court House and Museum – Oldest wooden courthouse in America; Town Square.

15.         Town Square – The focal point for Plymouth’s civic, religious and commercial affairs from 1620 until after World War II.

16.         Richard Sparrow House – Built in 1640 and believed to be Plymouth’s oldest home. Pottery made on premises since 1932 in adjoining craft gallery; 42 Summer St.

17.         Jenney Pond – John Jenney built the Pilgrims’ first grist mill on this site in 1636. Spring Lane.

18.         Burial Hill – Site of the Pilgrims’ first meetinghouse and fort. Entrance via stone steps next to First Church; School Street.

19.         Pilgrim Hall Museum – 1824. Nation’s oldest museum, with most complete collection of authentic authentic Pilgrim possession; 75 Court St.

20.         Hedge House Museum – 1809. Federal-style home, built by a 19th-century merchant and ship owner. Featuring China trade porcelains; 126 Water St.

21.         Pilgrim Mother Statue – A gift from the Daughters of the American Revolution for the 1921 tercentenary celebration; Water and North streets.

22.         Mayflower II – Full scale replica of the ship that carried Pilgrims to the New World. Interpreters portray actual passengers and crew; State Pier, Water Street.

23.         National Monument to the Forefathers – 1889. Largest solid granite monument in America – it is 216 times life-size. Dedicated to the virtues of the Pilgrims, the major figures on the monument represent Faith, Freedom, Morality, Law and Education; Allerton Street.