Throughout Plymouth Guide you’ll find Local Picks, favorite local spots and activities recommended by our staff members, insiders who have lived and worked in Plymouth and its surrounding towns for countless years.
The National Monument to the Forefathers, located on Allerton Street, is a perfect place for a picnic, with good parking and a view of the harbor.
The Plymouth Harbor jetty provides a good walk with a great view. On weekends it’s fun to watch folks launch their boats at the state boat ramp adjacent to the jetty.
Burial Hill provides the best view in town. Grab a cup of coffee and sit on one of the benches. It’s also the best cemetery in town if you enjoy reading the often-poetic inscriptions on old headstones.
Stephen’s Field, located just south of the town’s center, but within walking distance, provides a nice playground and picnic area. It has a beautiful view of the harbor, but is not a good place to swim.
Plymouth Beach is a definite favorite of our insiders. In addition to great swimming, it provides a pristine place to walk at low tide. The view of the sunset across the harbor (on the back side of the beach) is breathtaking.
Forges Field, located on Jordan Road about 12 minutes from downtown, is a perfect place for kids to burn off some energy on a great playground. There’s also a lengthy, paved walkway, nice for walking and inline skating.
Manomet Point is a notable location south of town (take Route 3A south). Follow Manomet Point Road, which steepens and curls along the coast toward the point, and you’ll come upon The Lobster Pound, a small, weather-beaten building that purveys all sorts of seafood. You can park behind the pound and take in the view of Plymouth Bay, or step to the edge of the rocky cliff and look down several hundred feet. If you’re lucky, you may see seals on the rocks or a storm rolling in across the bay.
Fresh Pond in Manomet is a great place to take the kids on a hot summer evening. The water is clear and warm that time of day, and while the kids cool off, you can plop yourself in a chair on the little beach, and listen to the water lapping against the shore. The wet sand is perfect for digging and playing, so take along a bag of beach toys, a few towels and a couple of dollars for the ice cream truck when it comes around.
Billington Sea provides the best freshwater recreation, according to one of our insiders. Through the end of October you can rent a kayak ($20 from Billington Sea Kayak, www.billingtonseakayak.com), and head out on this 269-acre pond.
Kisakadee Coffee on Main Street is the place to head if you’re looking for great coffee, service or a venue to hear local musicians.
Plimoth Plantation is a fantastic place to walk, if you really have a hankering for it. The wooden bridge that wraps around the plantation is wonderful.
