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South Shore

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The enclosure around Plymouth Rock - Plymouth, Massachusetts

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Overview

As with much of the Massachusetts coast, the South Shore is blessed with historic sites and natural beauty. Seeing firsthand the challenges faced by the Pilgrims who first settled in Plymouth is a vivid reminder of the value of religious tolerance and stubborn endurance – both at the core of the nation's foundation. Generations later, these values were lived out by founding father John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams, who lived in nearby Quincy.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Colonial homes and garden

    Plimoth Plantation

    South Shore

    Three miles south of Plymouth center, Plimoth Plantation authentically re-creates the Pilgrims’ settlement in its primary exhibit, entitled 1627 English…

  • Mayflower II

    Mayflower II

    South Shore

    If Plymouth Rock tells us little about the Pilgrims, Mayflower II speaks volumes. Climb aboard this replica of the small ship in which the Pilgrims made…

  • Pilgrim Hall Museum

    Pilgrim Hall Museum

    South Shore

    Claiming to be the oldest continually operating public museum in the country, Pilgrim Hall Museum was founded in 1824. Its exhibits are not reproductions…

  • Adams National Historic Park

    Adams National Historic Park

    South Shore

    The Adams family sights are accessible by guided tours departing from the Adams National Historic Park Visitor Center. Every half-hour (until 3:15pm),…

  • Plymouth Rock

    Plymouth Rock

    South Shore

    Thousands of visitors come each year to look at this weathered granite ball and consider what it was like for the Pilgrims who stepped ashore on a foreign…

  • Battleship Cove

    Battleship Cove

    South Shore

    ‘You sank my battleship!’ This cry was ne’er heard aboard the mighty USS Massachusetts, a hulk of a craft that survived 35 battles in WWII, gunning down…

  • Presidential Crypt

    Presidential Crypt

    South Shore

    John and Abigail Adams and John Quincy and Louisa Catherine Adams are all interred in the basement of the handsome granite United First Parish Church, in…

  • Plimoth Grist Mill

    Plimoth Grist Mill

    South Shore

    In 1636, local leaders constructed a gristmill on Town Brook so that the growing community could grind corn and produce cornmeal. Today, the replica mill…

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