South of Boston/Plymouth offers indoor & outdoor fun for children and families

The South of Boston region is a gold mine of exploration for families and children. In the Plymouth, a good place to start is the Jenney Grist Mill, a reproduction of a gristmill that served the community in the 1600s. The mill grinds corn into flour while the miller, in period dress, answers questions about life in 17th century Plymouth. Among the most important attractions is Plimoth Plantation, where visitors can roam a reproduction Wampanoag Native American homestead and a 1627 English Village. Also in Plymouth, a reproduction of the Mayflower welcomes visitors. You might be shocked at the small size of the vessel that brought 102 English people to the New World.
This region is cranberry country, and at Flax Pond Farms in the nearby town of Carver visitors can see the cranberry bogs, learn how the berries are farmed, and buy cranberry foods and gifts. Visitors who arrive in September and October could be rewarded with a front-row viewing of the harvesting process. The town of South Carver is home to Edaville USA, with its two-mile train ride for parents and young children. The railroad hosts Day Out With Thomas events through the summer and special activities during the National Cranberry Festival in the fall. Edaville is famous for its magnificent display of lights at Christmas.
The South of Boston region includes the city of New Bedford, where visitors from around the world marvel at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Also in this region, Battleship Cove in the city of Fall River is home to the USS Massachusetts, the submarine Lionfish, and other World War II-era fighting ships. Visitors are welcome to explore the vessels, to visit the museum, and to ride the nearby historic carousel.

Art Complex Museum at Duxbury

189 Alden Street Duxbury, MA 02331 Phone: 781-934-6634

The museum offers a year-round schedule of exhibitions

The Art Complex Museum, located in the historic town of Duxbury 33 miles south of Boston, serves as a regional art center and houses the impressive collection of the Carl A. Weyerhaeuser family. The history of the museum is interwoven with that of the Weyerhaeusers. Carl A. Weyerhaeuser, grandson of the founder of the lumber business, chose a Rembrandt print, The Descent from the Cross by Torchlight as a graduation gift when he completed his studies at Harvard University. He was drawn to works of art on paper, particularly European and American prints. Situated on over thirteen acres of woodland and open fields, the handicapped accessible museum opened in 1971. In addition to a gallery for rotating objects from the permanent collection, and exhibitions spaces that feature painting, sculpture, prints and craft objects created by contemporary artists, the museum houses the Carl A. Weyerhaeuser Reference Library of over 5,000 publications. Located on the grounds is a Japanese tea hut, part of the museum’s Asian collection.

The museum offers a year-round schedule of exhibitions, lectures, concerts, classes, education programs, demonstrations, and tea ceremonies fulfilling the founders’ vision that their family’s many interests be shared with the community as the Weyerhaeuser family envisioned. This unique venue truly offers visitors an inviting place for viewing and learning about art in an intimate and comfortable setting.

Destination Plymouth

Plymouth, MA 02360 Phone: 508-747-7533 Toll-Free: 800-USA-1620

History is just the beginning!

Bring the whole family to Plymouth, MA for some unforgettable fun! Adults and children alike will be able to enjoy their visit to Plymouth with a wide variety of activities on land or on the water. The Atlantic Ocean itself is a playground, and trips such as whale watches, lobster excursions and pirate adventures have proven popular with visitors both young and not quite as young. Our beaches and parks offer families a place to relax and enjoy the great outdoors. Edaville USA is open year-round and features a restored narrow gauge train ride through acres of cranberry bogs, and Plimoth Plantation provides a living history museum depicting life in Plymouth in 1627. Please call 1.800.USA.1620, or visit our website to learn more about these activities and others to prepare for your trip to Plymouth.

Plimoth Plantation

137 Warren Avenue Plymouth, MA 02360 Phone: 508-746-1622

Living History on Land and At Sea

Visitors to Plimoth Plantation’s main campus are welcomed to the museum in the comfortable, spacious and modern Henry Hornblower Visitor’s Center where they can prepare for the quintessential, bi-cultural 17th Century experience. Start surrounded by soft furs, flickering firelight, and artfully woven bulrush mats, learning about traditional Wampanoag family life as well as the arrival of the English from an Indigenous point of view. Then find yourself immersed in the year 1627, just seven years after the voyage of the Mayflower. In the village you will be surrounded by the modest timber-framed houses, fragrant raised-bed gardens, well-tended livestock and fascinating townspeople of Plymouth Colony, the first permanent English settlement in New England.

Now come aboard and learn about the 1620 voyage of the Mayflower, the perils of maritime travel, and the tools of 17th-century navigation.