Must-see attractions in South Shore

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

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…

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

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

‘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…

The centerpiece of New Bedford, this excellent, hands-on museum remembers the town's heyday as a whaling port. The museum occupies seven buildings…

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…

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…

Across from the Whaling Museum, this small chapel was a refuge from the rigors and stresses of maritime life. Melville immortalized it in Moby-Dick, where…

Opposite the United First Parish Church, Hancock Cemetery is the final resting place of many notable Quincy residents, including most of the Quincy and…

About 6 miles south of Plymouth, this 16,000-acre park is the largest public recreation area in southeastern Massachusetts. It contains 13 miles of biking…

This is the only house in Plymouth that was home to a known Mayflower passenger. John Howland lived here with his wife, Elizabeth Tilley, and their son…

Plymouth's oldest house was built by one of the original Pilgrim settlers in 1640. Today, there is a small art gallery in the more recent addition, while…

On pretty North St, this 18th-century house was the home of the Spooner family for more than two centuries. Nowadays, the two-story house still contains…

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…

You can't miss this grand, Federal edifice overlooking Plymouth Harbor. Originally built on Court St for a sea captain, it became the home of merchant…

The offices of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants are housed in the magnificent 1754 house of Edward Winslow, the great-grandson of Plymouth…

'The other rock' is an ancient landmark where Wampanoag travelers would place branches and stones as offerings in exchange for safe travels. It's about 6…

A half-mile east of Town Brook, this is one of the few remaining 17th-century structures in Plymouth. Furnished with early-American artifacts, it's open…