Explore Plymouth

See a map of local Plymouth sites and restaurants!

Things to see and do

1749 Courthouse Museum
Located right in the center of Plymouth, The 1749 Court House is a free museum filled with interesting items from Plymouth's history. It is the oldest wooden Court House and the longest used municipal building in America.

Massasoit Statue
A statue of Massasoit, sculpted by Cyrus E. Dalin in 1921, overlooks Plymouth Rock near Cole’s Hill. Massasoit was the leader of the Wampanoag tribe at the time of the arrival of the Pilgrims. A plaque next to the statue marks where Native Americans have gathered since 1970 to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday to remember the genocide of their people, to honor their ancestors and their struggles to survive, as well as protest the racism and oppression Native Americans still experience today.

Mayflower Society House
Across the street and up the hill from Plymouth Rock is the historic Mayflower Society House, an 18th Century home originally built by Edward Winslow, great-grandson of the Pilgrim Edward Winslow. The story of the Society House extends across three centuries. Hear fascinating stories about the struggles of the Winslow family – Loyalists during the Revolutionary era; stand where Ralph Waldo Emerson and Lidian Jackson Emerson exchanged vows; and imagine the hive of activity this peaceful house would have been when it was used as a Red Cross headquarters during World War II.

National Monument to the Forefathers
Located on an 11 acre hilltop site on Allerton Street, this impressive 81-foot-tall granite statue stands to commemorate the Pilgrims who arrived in Plymouth in 1620. The monument was designed primarily by Boston sculptor Hammatt Billings, whose original design called for it to be nearly twice as tall, and at 150 feet it would have been just under the Statue of Liberty’s height of 151 feet!

Pilgrim Hall Museum
The Pilgrim Society was founded in 1820 to preserve Plymouth’s unique history, and in 1824, opened the doors of Pilgrim Hall Museum to the public. It is the oldest continuously operating public museum in the country and America’s museum of Pilgrim possessions. Pilgrim Hall’s extraordinary collection of 17th century artifacts, some of which actually came on the Mayflower, illuminates the story of early Plymouth Colony.

Plymouth Antiquarian Society
The Plymouth Antiquarian Society, founded in 1919, is Plymouth's largest organization dedicated to preserving historic houses and landmarks. The Society owns and maintains three historic houses from different centuries: the 1677 Harlow House, the 1749 Spooner House, and the 1809 Hedge House, and an ancient Native American site, Sacrifice Rock.

Plymouth Grist Mill
Nestled alongside bucolic Town Brook, and just a short walk from the waterfront and Mayflower II, the Plimoth Grist Mill tells the story of the grist (corn grinding) mill built by the Pilgrims in Plymouth Colony. After more than a decade of laboriously grinding corn by hand in wooden mortars, the colony authorized the construction of a water-powered corn grinding mill on Town Brook in 1636. The mill is a reproduction of the 1636 mill, and was completed in 1970. Many of the parts (the stones, spindle, and stone furniture) are from the early 1800s and were salvaged from a mill near Philadelphia, PA.

Plimouth Plantation (transportation needed)
Plimoth Plantation offers personal encounters with history built on thorough research about the Wampanoag People and the Colonial English community in the 1600s. Today, Plimoth Plantation provides an engaging and experiential outdoor and indoor learning environment on its main campus and at the State Pier on Plymouth’s waterfront, and at the Plimoth Grist Mill on Town Brook.

Plymouth Rock
Located in Pilgrim Memorial State Park on the shore of Plymouth Harbor, this simple glacial erratic boulder has become a world famous symbol of the courage and faith of the men and women who founded the first New England colony. Although no historical evidence exists to confirm Plymouth Rock as the Pilgrims’ actual steppingstone to the New World, the then 10-ton boulder was identified as this spot in 1741. This claim was made by Thomas Faunce, a 94-year-old church elder who said his father, who arrived in Plymouth in 1623, along with several of the original Mayflower passengers, assured him the boulder was the exact landing spot.

Breweries & Wineries

1620 Winery & Wine Bar
As one of the longest standing wineries in Plymouth, with its new name, the 1620 Winery is proud to announce its new location at Cordage Park. “America’s Home Town Winery” has tastings on Saturdays and Sundays, 1-5pm. The bar features live music and an outside fire pit. The patio wine bar overlooks the Historic Plymouth Waterfront and harbor.

Dirty Water Distillery
Dirty Water is a micro-distillery located in the heart of Plymouth, MA. It is run by two brothers-in-law, Steve and Pepi. Steve has a background in computer science, Pepi has a Ph.D. in physics--they basically got together a few years ago and decided this would be something different and new to try.

Independent Fermentations Brewing Company (transportation needed)
Independent Fermentations Brewing (aka IndieFerm) specializes in making craft beers with locally grown ingredients. Many of the beers are inspired by the Belgian farmhouse brewing tradition but they also make other styles. "We brew what we like to drink and that covers a lot of territory."

Mayflower Brewing Company
A brand new tasting room and retail store that are family (and pet) friendly. Try a full range of our different beers, or simply grab a pint  and enjoy the company of friends and colleagues. Tours of the brewery are offered on Saturdays and Sunday during general retail hours.

Plymouth Bay Winery
A collection of wines, produced from locally grown, native grapes and berries, made in the Winery in Plymouth, MA. "Our wines are fun, versatile companions to a wide range of dishes at every meal."

Plymouth Beer Company
Located within Dirty Water Distillery, Plymouth Beer Company is the first micro brewery within downtown Plymouth. In good weather look for the open garage door. In cooler weather look for the main entrance in the middle of the building as you face it from the street.

Outdoor activities

Brewster Gardens
Town Brook passes through numerous small ponds, the Plimoth Grist Mill at Jenney Pond and the Brewster Gardens before emptying into Plymouth Harbor. A nature trail runs along the entire length of the brook. Created in the early 1920s, the park covers the original garden plot that was granted to Elser William Brewster in 1620. Located in the park is bronze statue, The Pilgrim Maiden by Henry Hudson Kitson (1922) and a stainless steel sculpture honoring Plymouth’s immigrant settlers from 1700 to 2000, The Immigrant Memorial by artist Barney Zeitz (2001).

Ellisville Harbor State Park (transportation needed)
Ellisville Harbor offers a unique coastal experience on the South Shore. Explore the rolling meadows and red pine forest. You can see fishing boats and even harbor seals from the shoreline, even in the winter months.

Nelson Memorial Park
The newly renovated Nelson Memorial Park is a popular destination for many Plymouth residents and visitors. It features a playground, picnic area, a new small boat ramp and a bike path that follows the harbor to Hedge Road in North Plymouth. Many visitors enjoy stopping by for the spectacular ocean view.

Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary (transportation needed)
A vast expanse of cold-water streams, ponds, forest, and woodlands, Tidmarsh is a 450-plus acre landscape permanently protected and open for all to enjoy. Once a working cranberry farm, this landscape underwent the largest freshwater ecological restoration ever completed in the Northeast. Walk the trails to learn about the landscape’s transformation and the importance of habitat protection, ecological restoration and climate change response.

Arts

The Art Complex Museum (transportation required)
The Art Complex Museum, located in the historic town of Duxbury, serves as a regional art center and houses the impressive collection of the Carl A. Weyerhaeuser family. Weyerhaeuser, grandson of the founder of the lumber business, chose a Rembrandt print, The Descent from the Cross by Torchlight, as a graduation gift when he completed his studies at Harvard University. He was drawn to works of art on paper, but his collecting interests soon expanded to include Shaker furniture, American paintings and Asian art. In addition to a gallery for rotating objects from the permanent collection, and exhibitions spaces that feature painting, sculpture, prints and craft objects created by contemporary artists, the museum houses the Carl A. Weyerhaeuser Reference Library of over 5,000 publications. Located on the grounds is a Japanese tea hut, part of the museum's Asian collection.

Fuller Craft Museum (transportation required)
The Fuller Craft Museum focuses solely on collecting contemporary craft, which is rooted in the creation of functional objects and dates back roughly to the end of World War II. Makers who work primarily with their hands in materials that are tactile and familiar (wood, metal, glass, ceramics, and fiber) have stretched the boundaries of these functional everyday objects into the conceptual, the personal, the virtuosic, and wildly imaginative studio craft scene.

Priscilla Beach Theatre
Located in the Priscilla Beach section town, PBT is one of the original barn summer stock theatres in America. It was founded in 1937 by Dr. Franklin Trask and has been a rigorous summer stock training ground for generations of actors. Some of PBT alumni include Paul Newman, Pat Carroll, Sandy Dennis, Dan Blocker, Jean Seberg, Al Brooks, Rob Reiner, Kitty Winn, Peter Gallagher and Jennifer Coolidge. PBT produces six shows from May to October.

The Spire Center for Performing Arts
The Spire Center for the Performing Arts is located across from the 1820 Court House in downtown Plymouth. This is the home of the Plymouth Community Theatre and Mark Bryant’s Seasound Audio and Telecom studios.

Take a tour

Baystate Brew Tours
BayState Brew Tours, LLC offers several tour options and they vary week to week, each visiting 3-4 breweries and the cost includes some samples at each stop. There is a tour of each facility with the staff, time to ask questions and also buy additional beer and/or merchandise. The result is a complete educational and fun experience on each tour. Tours include samples, safe educational transportation, and also a bottled water and snack.

Captain John Boat Tours
Offering Plymouth and Provincetown whale watches, deep sea fishing, harbor and sunset cruises and a fast ferry to Provincetown.

Dead of Night Ghost Tours
Plymouth’s #1 tour for history and haunts! Join us for a truly unforgettable time of ghosts, history, excitement, and fun!

Plymouth Night Tour
The Plymouth Night Tour is the ghost tour where guests are encouraged to join into the paranormal investigation. New England’s best historical guides are trained in the paranormal to bring a true ghost tour to all. Guests will hear of the history and encounter the haunts which make Plymouth, Massachusetts the oldest and most beloved town in America.

Get away!

Looking to spend a weekend away? Visit Provincetown and have a blast enjoying some of Cape Cod’s best beaches. Plenty of cool boutiques, restaurants and art galleries give this town a fun and funky vibe. It’s an exceptionally LGBT-friendly destination as well. Take the ferry from Plymouth after the conference for an easy trip!

Official conference hashtag #acrlnec18