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The Plymouth Destination, which is located in Massachusetts, was first founded by pilgrims in 1620. The city of Plymouth was the first established city in the New England area and is also where the First Thanksgiving feast was held.[1] Other cities within the destination include New Bedford, Falmouth, Middleborough, Brockton, and Wareham. The weather in the region is hottest in August and coldest in February. Rain falls throughout the year but is most likely in December.[6] Near the city of Plymouth, there are many experiences that tourists can participate in such as the Plimoth Grist Mill, the Myles Standish State Forest, the Pilgrim Hall Museum, the Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth Rock, the Brewster Gardens, the Jabez Howland House, the Edaville Railroad, the Mayflower House Museum, and the Jenney Museum.[3] Other nearby activities include the Old Colony History Museum, the Taunton Public Library, the Taunton Antiques Center, the Gertrude M. Boyden Wildlife Refuge, the Massasoit State Park, Hopewell Park, the Upside Down Escape Games, and Forrest's Family Fun Center.[4]
Plymouth, Massachusetts, which is located within the Plymouth Destination, is best known for being "America's Hometown." The Plymouth area was first founded by pilgrims who had traveled on a ship called the Mayflower in 1620. Plymouth is the original place where New England was established. It is also where the First Thanksgiving was held by the pilgrims and native people of the area. The town is named after an English city that shared the same name; Plymouth. Plymouth, England is also where the Mayflower first departed from to get to America. The population of Plymouth was last recorded to be 58,271 people, making the town the largest municipality in the area of Massachusetts. Plymouth is one of the two county seats of Plymouth County and is located about 40 miles south of Boston.[1]
Within the city of Plymouth, there are a number of activities for guests to participate in. Some of these include the Brewster Gardens, the Edaville Railroad, the Jabez Howland House, Jenney Museum, the Mayflower House Museum, the Myles Standish State Forest, the Pilgrim Hall Museum, the Plimoth Grist Mill, the Plimoth Plantation, and Plymouth Rock. The Jabez Howland House was originally built in 1667 for Jacob Mitchell and his family. The house is one of the oldest houses in Plymouth and is a two-story wood-framed house. Plymouth Rock is a symbol of the pilgrims and the journey they took to the New World to establish the first settlement in New England. It is believed that the rock was the stepping stone that the pilgrims used to get off the ship, but there is no historical evidence that supports the theory. More than a million people visit the rock every year because of its fame and representation.[3] Plymouth received 5.4 million visitors and tourists last year, which is higher than the 5.1 million visitors in 2017. The number of visitors helps the economy gain money to support local jobs.[8]
Taunton is another city located in the Plymouth Destination. Taunton is a city located in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It was first founded in 1637 by members of the Plymouth Colony.[5] The city houses many attractions for tourists to visit. Some of these features are things such as the Massasoit State Park, the Old Colony History Museum, the Gertrude M. Boyden Wildlife Refuge, the Taunton Public Library, Hopewell Park, the Taunton Antiques Center, Forrest's Family Fun Center, and the Upside Down Escape Games.[4]
The Plymouth Destination is located in Massachusetts, with the west side of the region going along the border between Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The rest of the region wraps around multiple cities and islands, including Quincy, Foxborough, Attleboro, Fall River, Nomans Land, Nantucket Island, Chatham, Orleans, Truro, and Provincetown. Other settlements within the destination are Brockton, Taunton, Middleborough, Wareham, Plymouth, Falmouth, Barnstable, and New Bedford. The surrounding landscape has hills, lakes, rivers, and forests. Also included in the sector is a part of the North Atlantic Ocean.
The weather in the city of Plymouth has an average high of around 73 degrees Fahrenheit and an average low temperature of about 27 degrees Fahrenheit. The hottest month in the year is usually August, while the coldest month in the year is often February. The city receives rain throughout the year with the highest chance of heavy rainfall in December. The city is humid from June to October with the highest point of humidity being in September. With association to the weather, the best time to visit the city is from the middle of May to the beginning of October.[6]
Plants that grow and thrive near and in the city of Plymouth include eastern white pines, garlic mustard, American pokeweed, sweet pepper bushes, pitch pines, sensitive ferns, Japanese knotweed, chicories, and wild carrots. Mammals that live in the area are white-tailed deer, coyotes, harbor seals, grey seals, muskrats, striped skunks, red foxes, fin whales, harp seals, orcas, squirrels, mice, rats, and American black bears.[7]
The Plymouth Colony was the first permanent colony in Massachusetts, and it was also the first colony in New England. First founded by the Plymouth Company, the Plymouth Colony was founded during the Great Puritan Migration. The Plymouth Company was first formed by King James I, who wanted to establish colonies along the east coast of North America. Many of the members of the Plymouth Company that traveled to North America were first outsiders with different religious beliefs before being recruited by the pilgrims.[2]
On a ship called the Mayflower, the Plymouth Company first left in September of 1620. They landed on the coast of Massachusetts in November. The colonists had initially been planning on going to Virginia but had been pushed off-course over time. When they reached Massachusetts, they decided to stay because the winter was approaching, and they had minimal supplies.[2]
The pilgrims first arrived at what is today's Provincetown but were forced to relocate to the nearby Plymouth by the Native American tribes that inhabited the area. The land they arrived on was originally a Native American village called Patuxet. The inhabitants of Patuxet had died from the diseases that came from 1616 to 1618. The pilgrims found cornfields that the Native Americans had already planted, along with areas that had been cleared where they could build their homes.[2]
The Plymouth Destination is the place where the pilgrims initially landed. When the pilgrims landed, many of them had been weak and sick from a lack of food and water. Some of them were also distressed by disease. Over the first winter they spent in North America, nearly half of the party was lost because of infection. Current historians believe it was caused by diseases such as scurvy, which is caused by a lack of vitamin c. Another illness that was thought to cause these deaths was pneumonia, which was likely caused by the cold weather.[2]
Around March 6 of 1620, a Native American named Samoset approached the pilgrims. He spoke some English, and the pilgrims were amazed by this. Samoset told them about the Native Americans that were living in the area and told them of another Native American who could speak better English. Samoset also arranged for the pilgrims to meet the leader of the nearby tribe, Massasoit.[2]
Squanto, another of the Native Americans, taught the colonists essential skills like how to find nuts and berries, how to grow corn, and how to catch fish. To thank the Native Americans, the colonists held a harvest celebration in 1621 and invited 90 of the Native Americans to feast with them. This feast is now known as the first Thanksgiving.[2]
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