Plymouth Plantation and Mayflower II

We went back in time today at the Plymouth Plantation museum.  It was a very cool experience and we all learned a lot that we did not know about the Pilgrims and the Early Settlements in New England.  We learn about the Pilgrims and Native Americans in school, we have seen movies, and documentaries, but until you see firsthand and are able to talk to the people that live there you really do not know.   The tour guides are “in character” and speak to you as though it is 1620.  The Native American Village had traditional artisans creating a canoe, weaving, and cooking all dressed in authentic tribal attire.  We were able to go inside their homes and see how they used to live.  They had gardens set up growing the same foods that were planted in the 1600’s.  It was very cool!  The Pilgrim Plantation was awesome too.  We saw actual people, homes, and farms that would have existed then.  There were chickens wondering around everywhere.  The people spoke the same way they would have and told us about live on the plantation. We watched them thatch wood, prepare meals, sew, and garden.

After lunch we drive into town and toured the Mayflower II, which is a replica of the original Mayflower that brought the Pilgrims to America.  I was amazed at how a small ship it was that brought over 130 people and crew.  The living conditions had to of been horrible.  No light, little food, livestock, and seasickness.  It really gives you a respect for what the Pilgrims went through.  Combine that with the months of preparing homesteads once they arrived, it was not something I would have wanted to do. 

After we toured the ship, we walked to see “Plymouth Rock” and leaned about the many changes it has seen over the years. 

We stopped at a pub on the way back to the car for dinner.  It was not that bad, and Doug and I just wanted to unwind with a drink after last night’s craziness and today’s activities, it was just what the doctor ordered!