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Mayflower II |
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This replica of the Pilgrim ship Mayflower helps you understand how much the Pilgrims must have suffered on their voyage to the New World. |
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How, you are sure to ask yourself, was it possible for 102 people—even small ones, even devout Puritans—to fit themselves and all their baggage for a two-month sea voyage and the setting up a new town into the tiny rooms and onto the tiny decks of this little ship? (Part of the reason is that the Mayflower's companion ship, the mis-named Speedwell, proved unseaworthy, and all of its passengers had to be squeezed onto the Mayflower as well.) And how could they stay on this little ship for two months? The only answer that comes to mind is "by courage and dedication," and it's for that the Pilgrims are admired and remembered. The fact that the Pilgrims suffered to get to America will be brought home more forcefully when you tour the Mayflower II, a replica of the original ship built in England in 1955 and sailed across the Atlantic to Plymouth in 1957. After buying your ticket, you enter an outdoor exhibit area with interesting displays about the ship and the voyage, then proceed to the ship itself. An excellent leaflet gives you more information. Guides on the Mayflower II tell you about the boat's workings and answer your questions. Mayflower II, an exhibit of Plimoth Plantation, is only a few steps north of Plymouth Rock.(which is three miles north of Plimoth Plantation itself). The admission fee for the Mayflower II includes free parking, a visit to the ship, an audiovisual show at the theater, and indoor exhibits on Puritanism and early Pilgrim life. If you plan to visit both Plimoth Plantation and Mayflower II, be sure to buy the discounted combination ticket. A museum shop and picnic area are here as well, and there are restaurants and snack shops right across the street. Mayflower II |
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Above, Mayflower
II moored
at Plymouth's State Pier.
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