Touring Boston – What to Know About Visiting Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II with Kids

In addition to visiting the Plimouth Plantation I would highly recommend continuing the adventure by visiting Plymouth Rock (Free… though… not as impressive as I was expecting) and the Mayflower II.

Plymouth Rock is a fairly small rock, I feel like my toddler could have climbed it, surrounded by a monument and a bunch of fences.  It about a thirty second tour and then you’ve seen it and there is not much else to be done.

On the other hand Plymouth Rock is located on the same beach as the Mayflower II, which is worth a tour.  The Mayflower II is a replica of the original ship (Mayflower).  It was also built in England and sailed to Plymouth.  The ship was tiny!  The original ship had 130 passengers and we learned that the pilgrims all had to stay below decks (100 or so of them) along with all the animals they brought (goats, chickens & dogs.) They ended up landing at Plymouth in December (brrr) and then dying off due to exposure.  Only two people died while sailing over, and half of all the passengers and crew members died after they landed. Yikes!  All in all they ended up trapped on the ship and below decks for 7 months, though sailing there only took 2 months… the rest of the hardship was finding somewhere to live and building shelters.

I learned (probably relearned since I’m sure my history teachers covered it along the way at some point) this from the actors on the boat telling their stories, which were fantastic.  The sleeping space looked awful and tiny, and I am shocked only two people died on the way over… I would have suspected a lot more murders with them being confined to that tiny space.

After we walked around the Mayflower II we decided to take a short walk up the city hill to the local cemetery.  Along the way we were able to see some of the original house and the cemetery was where the first pilgrims were buried.   We ended our tour with a quick run through the grist mill and then we all needed some time off our feet, trying to see the Plimouth/Plymouth Plantation, Mayflower II and Grist Mill all in one day is a fairly exhausting endeavor…

Things to Note:

1) Parking
There are free and paid areas to park, and you can ask where they are when you buy your tickets.  When we went to see the Mayflower II we ended up parking by the Grist Mill and walking a 1/2 mile or so to the ship.  We were happy to do it because the trail was really scenic and we were able to drop by Plymouth Rock along the way.

2) Pricing
There are a bunch of options for pricing depending on how many of the Plymouth attractions you want to see.  They range in scope from about $20 – $30/Person.  You can find out more here: http://www.plimoth.org/plan-your-visit/hours-prices

3) Stroller Friendliness
This part of the Plymouth experience was not very stroller friendly.  We took our stroller on the 1/2 mile walk from our car to the Mayflower II, but from there on you will need to either have someone stay behind with your stroller/young child or you will need to give your stroller to the people at the desk to keep an eye on and carry your child onto the ship.

4) Child Friendliness
Again this part of the tour was not super baby/toddler friendly.  Seeing a lot of the ship requires you to be able to move up and down some fairly steep/narrow stairways and your child/children will likely need a fair amount of help to do it safely.

5) The Experience
The Mayflower II is populated with actors portraying people that actually traveled on the Mayflower.  They spend the time going about their daily business, talk in accents, and answer questions as if they were actually there.  I thought it was a really fun way to learn more about the Mayflower and what conditions on board were like.  I also really liked talking to the woman on the ship and finding out that her parents sent her away on the ship to find a husband… and mostly to get rid of her.  It was both horrible and fascinating learning about that kind of culture.

Summary and Rating ★★★★☆

Four Stars.  This was a fairly expensive history lesson, but one of the best and most engaging I’ve had.  Being about the see people dressed from the time period and interacting with them was a blast.  I loved being able to direct this history lesson and learn more about the things that I though were interesting in the form of personal conversation, rather than reading similar things from a information card.  Again the Mayflower II allows children, and mine really enjoyed being able to touch things and walk around, but they are going to need a fair amount of supervision while on the boat.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Plimouth Grist Mill
6 Spring Lane
Plymouth, MA 02360

Plimouth Plantation’s Mayflower II
State Pier (across from 74 Water Street)
Plymouth, MA 02360

Phone: 508.746.1622
Website: https://www.plimoth.org/

Touring Boston – What to Know About Visiting the USS Constitution (or Old Iron Side) with Kids

The Freedom Trail is pretty well split into two parts, the city part, where everything is pretty close together – you can easily see many famous buildings in a short amount of time, and the monument part (I guess I’ll call it?)…

To get to this second half/monument part you walk away from the main city, over a huge bridge and then are rewarded by seeing the USS Constitution and the Beacon Hill Monument, which are fairly close together.

The USS Constitution, or Old Iron Side, is the oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy.  In order to keep her title she has to sail at least one nautical mile every year, so on Independent Day they sail her half a mile out into the harbor and half a mile back in. She was also named by President George Washington after the constitution of the United States.

The ship was incredible, and fierce.  It totally looked like a pirate ship, and you could walk onto it and see the different levels.  Mostly I just felt like barking orders and saying “Land Ho” which my husband might have found a little obnoxious.  🙂

In any case being able to walk all over the ship and explore it’s nooks and crannies was something I had been missing out on and is easily my new favorite part of the Freedom Trail.

Things to Note:

1) Price
Free… with a suggested donation.  This amazing ship is sitting in the harbor just waiting to be visited by you and yours at whatever price you fancy… or don’t fancy.  You can walk through the gift/shop museum, then past the navy officers stations at the ship right onto the boat.  No charge, but an amazing chance to walk around a very cool ship.

2) Identification
Because this is still a navel ship they require some form of identification for anyone over 18.  This can be in the form of a passport, driver’s license, or state issued ID, and you will have to pass through a security check.

3) Stroller Friendliness
You can bring your stroller through the gift shop, but not onto the ship.  We were able to leave ours with one of the navy people stationed outside the gift shop and we carried our son onto the ship.  It makes a lot of sense since once you’re on the ship there is no space for a stroller and it would be impossible or at least very dangerous to try to bring one up and down the steep ship stairs.

4) Child Friendliness
Yes!  They love kids and they love seeing children being able to explore the ship.  There are giant wheels to see, cannons, port holes and all sorts of interesting things to touch, but you will be on a ship so you’ll want to keep an eye on your little ones to make sure they don’t try to climb on anything to dangerous.

5) Parking
Off street parking is available at the Nautica Parking Garage, located at 88 Constitution Road, Charlestown, MA 02129 (Validation is available at the museum and the National Park Service Visitors Center). The Museum is few minutes walk from the garage. Street and metered parking are available around the area.

Summary and Rating: ★★★★★

Five Stars. I thought this ship was amazing!  I loved being able to walk around and both touch and see it, and being able to do it all at the price I choose was great.  The ship was amazing and though my son was fairly little at the time I think he is only going to be more and more interested in seeing it as he grows older.  I would highly suggest walking the second half of the Freedom Trail to experience this gem.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

USS Constitution, or Old Iron Side
Charlestown Navy Yard, Building 22
Charlestown, MA 02129

Phone: 617.426.1812
Website: https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/ 

 Museum Hours 
 April 01 – October 31 Open Daily | 9:00 – 6:00
 November 01 – March 31 Open Daily | 10:00 – 5:00

USS Constitution Hours 
October 1 – October 28 Open Tuesday – Friday | 2:30 – 5:00 Open Saturday – Sunday | 10:00 – 5:00 Closed Mondays
October 29 – March 13 Open Saturday & Sunday | 10:00 – 4:00* Closed Monday – Friday, *Last tour leaves at 3:30