by Christina Pomoni

Created on: February 21, 2009   Last Updated: February 27, 2009

Being the first lasting European settlement in southern New England in AD 1620, today Plimoth Plantation is the site of a living museum, dedicated to recreating the way people lived in the 17th- century.

Visiting Plimoth Plantation is quite an experience, both educational and fun. Having recently paid my fifth visit there, it's delightful to watch it growing and adding new information about the settlers and native people.

The site includes basically two main components, which are a reconstruction of the English colonial village occupied by the Pilgrims in 1627 and a reconstruction of a Native American village known as Wampanoag village.

As soon as you enter, is the modern building of the welcome center hosting exhibits of the Plantation, a gift shop, a restaurant, a bookstore, an auditorium where visitors may watch a film produced by History Channel and a craft center where visitors may watch an artisan making some of the reproductions that are used in the villages. There's also a picnic area. The Plimoth Plantation hosts special events, tours, workshops, lectures, theme dinners, and children's and family programs offered throughout the season.

Without a doubt, the main attraction of the Plimoth Plantation is the English colonial village. Visitors enter by the hilltop fort that is built to protect the village and walk down the hill to the farm area to wander through the small houses and interact with the villagers. Homes and gardens are built with meticulous attention to historic detail. Villagers are nothing more than well-trained actors, dressed with authentic costumes of the 17th century, pretending to be the original inhabitants of the native village and performing typical activities such as farming, splitting wood, shelter building, shearing sheep, harvesting and family care. Actors imitate also the speech speaking the poetic language of Shakespeare's England, and the manners of the members of the original community, responding to questions with courtesy and giving the visitors an insight into how the Pilgrims might have inflicted burdens on the inhabitants. The whole interaction with them was a great fun experience.

Strolling out of the village along the Eel River walk takes you to the Wampanoag village. Also known as the Hobbamock's Homesite, the Native village is certainly an after-thought. Visitors are warned in advance about stereotypes that might offend the Wampanoag natives. On the other, it is a great opportunity to learn history as the Native People have helped the Pilgrims to survive the first year they arrived at Plymouth by teaching them to harvest, thrive and use effectively the resources of the land. Compared to the English village, the Wampanoag village looks abandoned and, in fact, this may be historically accurate considering that Native communities were demolished by the contagious European diseases in the early 1600s. However, take a moment to appreciate the skills of weaving and tanning as well as the tools used for construction.

The best season to visit the Plimoth Plantation is off the peak season so that you avoid the crowded villages, stuffed with tourists. In addition, by avoiding the off peak season, you also avoid the high price of admission. To my view, the admission price is totally justified considering the high maintenance cost.

Overall, the Plimoth Plantation is an informative, noticeable, well-designed and thought-provoking experience. So, if you are ever in the area, do not miss it.

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