Angel Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 We are taking a group of teens (age 13-18) on a history tour in a few weeks. The main focus of our tour is the history of our specific denomination but we will be doing a couple U.S. history stops as well. We plan to stop and do the Freedom Trail in Boston. Side note: does anyone know how long this will take? We had considered Plimoth Plantation as well, but holy cow it is expensive! $30 per person just about. So if you had 8 teenagers would you spend the extra $30 per person to see Plimoth Plantation? Is it worth the time and money? If it is, how long would we be there, a couple hours or all day? Dh thanks you in advance. ;) He is trying to finalize the itinerary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Plimoth is expensive, but I do think it's worth it. I was looking up group rates, but you need 15 people - can you scare up 5 more (I'm assuming you have a couple of adults along with the 8 teens?) I'd say plan to spend the day. There's the Wampanoag village to visit, then the Plantation itself. In the Plantation, spend lots of time going into each house and talking to the people - each person has a specific role as an actual person from the Mayflower. They use the accent and speech patterns from the specific part of England (even the Pilgrims that went to Holland spoke English, not Dutch) that that person would have used, and can tell you their history, why they came over to America (different depending on if they were a Pilgrim or a "Stranger"), about their families, what their trade is, if they lost people the first winter - really quite interesting. If you ask them about anything modern, they pretend like they don't know what your'e talking about. The Wampanoag village is a bit different in that they're just typical costumed interpreters. Most of them are actual Wampanoag tribe members, but they don't pretend to be people from that time period, they will just tell you about how the Wampanoag lived back then. Then finish up the day heading over the the Mayflower and getting a tour there. It's not docked at the Plantation but in modern Plymouth harbor. The Freedom Trail will take you another full day. I'd advise getting a costumed interpreter on the Common (there's a visitor center on Tremont St.) who will take you around the main downtown Boston sites. Then go to the Paul Revere House in the North End (take a tour) and the USS Constitution over in Charlestown yourself. There's a nice water shuttle you can take from the Aquarium over to the Charlestown Navy Yard that costs $2 or less and gets you a harbor view at the same time. Harbor tours are really expensive otherwise. Eat lunch at Fanueil Hall (food court inside, lots of selection). Are you also planning to go out to Lexington/Concord? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHASRADA Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I would definitely go to Plimoth Plantation, and plan on at least 1/2 the day. If this could be the teens' only chance to visit in their lifetimes, or at least in the foreseeable future, I absolutely wouldn't miss it. That is, as long as you believe they are mature enough to appreciate the historical value of it (not just along for the ride/enjoying the trip but not paying much attention to the content, you know like the majority of PS fieldtrips) :D. Seeing the layout of the village, the size and construction of the houses, as well as touring the Native American longhouse and seeing how they made their canoes really brings the time period and way of life, well, to life! Speaking with the actors in costume is invaluable, as they are very knowledgeable and interact with visitors as if they were truly pilgrims. If possible, I would start by touring the Mayflower replica (not at the Plantation itself), then visiting the Plantation, followed by other Boston historic sites. That way, you get to experience the sites in chronological order. Have a great time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 (edited) FWIW, we will be in Boston in a couple weeks. We are planning to go to Minuteman National Historic Park. Almost all of it is free. Read here about the different talks/tours offered. I'm thrilled that we won't have to pay anything, because with six kids, pay tours get expensive very quickly. (Mostly, I'm excited that the talks are short, because I will have a dd3 and a ds4 with us :D.) I am too cheap even for the duck tours. We will also be visiting Cambridge, including walking around Harvard and MIT of course, and visiting the Corridor Lab there. My kids are young, but I'm discovering that the real way to get them excited about college (and thus enthused about working hard when they get to high school) involves food and dorm rooms. Now, if anyone knows how we can see a dorm room at MIT.... Eta again, if anyone has been to the MIT Museum, it says it's better for middle school and older - did you take your elementary-age kids and was it worth it? Edited July 12, 2012 by wapiti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 It's expensive, but worth it. We took our kids this spring and it was very fun and educational. You can spend a good half of a day there to a full day if you do the Mayflower tour as well. The experience is entirely what you make of it. It's much more fun if you interact with the actors. With the amount of kids you are planning to bring, I bet you can call and get some sort of group discount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paceofnature Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I'm not sure when you are travelling, but on August 31st the Plantation is free (Part of a Free Fridays series at various museums and zoos in our area). I worked there for 10 years and think that it is a great place to visit but is one of those where the more you get into it, the more you will get out of it. I've seen too many folks walk in and walk out not asking questions or interacting and therefore not getting much out of their visit. Tell the kids to not be shy. Ask questions, get into deep conversations about what the interpreter is doing (For example, if you see someone working in a garden, go beyond "What are you growing." Ask how the herbs are used, if they have any medicines that they have made that they can show, how do you decide which herbs to use when cooking, etc.) Interpreters are portraying specific people and would have stories to share that are of importance to that person. Meet Myles Standish...discuss military training and strategy. Come across Bridget Fuller you may wish to discuss herbal remedies and midwifery. Folks found at the Brewster house would love to discuss religion. Encourage the kids to ask if they can help the interpreters with the activities that they are doing. They will have them doing several different activities from the period. Peek in trunks and cabinets, sit in the chairs, test out the beds, try on the armor... Hands on is encouraged :) Also, you won't find every single person portrayed every day. John Howland needs a day off too ;) I usually suggest that people visit either in the morning or in the later afternoon as there are fewer Pilgrims on site during the lunch hours. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cshell Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Any ideas of where to stay for a few days with large family??;) (inexpensively!!!):D:D:D:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Any ideas of where to stay for a few days with large family??;) (inexpensively!!!):D:D:D:D It depends on what you mean by inexpensive, but I'll PM you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muttichen Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Eta again, if anyone has been to the MIT Museum, it says it's better for middle school and older - did you take your elementary-age kids and was it worth it? I haven't been to the MIT Museum, but the Harvard Museum of Natural History is amazing! It's one of our favorite places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higginszoo Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 (edited) It really depends on how much you've had the opportunity to be exposed to Colonial living history. We went as a family, but having been to Williamsburg, Charles Towne Landing (we had memberships for years, which probably cost less), Jamestown, and several other living history sites, it wasn't really worth the money for us (neither was Williamsburg for us). But if you're from some other part of the country and haven't had the opportunity to experience what life was like for the settlers from England in the first few years they were here, then yes, it probably would be worth it. And, IIRC, it took about a half day. We lived ~ 3 hours away, and combined it with a tour of the Ocean Spray Cranberry bogs and processing facility nearby (which we liked more, and it was cheap to free -- we went back with visiting family members a few times). Edited July 12, 2012 by higginszoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 It really depends on how much you've had the opportunity to be exposed to Colonial living history. We went as a family, but having been to Williamsburg, Charles Towne Landing (we had memberships for years, which probably cost less), Jamestown, and several other living history sites, it wasn't really worth the money for us (neither was Williamsburg for us). But if you're from some other part of the country and haven't had the opportunity to experience what life was like for the settlers from England in the first few years they were here, then yes, it probably would be worth it. :iagree:I was trying to decide how I could express why we were disappointed. I think you've hit it, we've visited and seen a lot of colonial sites and when we went to PP there just weren't enough costumed interpreters who interacted with us to make it worth the money we paid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myra Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I sort of feel the same way - seen one colonial village, seen them all! But that's just me - my kids aren't the type to interact with the guides or jump into the activities (plus we've been to others living in New England)so it was a bust for us. But .....on the other hand we loved the Freedom Trail in Boston as it was self-guided and self-paced. Myra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Our family felt it was well worth the money. At the time dd was almost 15yo, and ds was 10yo. Dh and I loved it as well. The Freedom Trail can take 2-3 days depending on how much you linger. We like lingering, so it was 3 days for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 Thank you for all the replies! I believe we are going to make time for it. All of the teens we are taking are very interested in history. They are a great group. Six of the eight are homeschooled. I'm getting excited. We were in Boston for the marathon but didn't get to see much. Surprisingly, I loved it. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unity Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 the Harvard Museum of Natural History is amazing! It's one of our favorite places. :iagree::iagree: I love getting down there to visit that one. AND--Plimouth Planation is free on August 31???!!!! That's great to hear! We live an easy drive away but we've never gone....so expensive! I think we'll try to get down there. Thanks for sharing! Oh, and by the way, I don't think you'll really get kids motivated to go to MIT by visiting the dorm rooms. I guess they were nice in McCormick, but the ones I saw in East Campus and Bexley were no great shakes. Harvard, now...those are some beautiful rooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paceofnature Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 AND--Plimouth Planation is free on August 31???!!!! Here is a link to all the great museums/zoos that are participating in the Free Fridays. I have not seen anything on the Plantation website, so I would definitely call ahead to double check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I just visited Plimoth Plantation last week w/my mom and sister (visiting from out of state), and our family is planning a trip this fall, coinciding with our study in history (I'm VERY excited). I definitely think it's worth it (especially the combo ticket that includes the Mayflower II), but not every year or anything. FWIW, I got free tickets using mycokerewards.com - they are out for this year, but they have had them the last 2 years, so if you're cheap (er, frugal) like me and live in the area, that's a pretty good way to get in, especially if you have friends and family save Coke caps for you (the ticket is a combo ticket for 1 adult and 1 child - pretty good deal). I'm hacking together a mini-unit study on Plimoth right now, and I'm collecting resources - I just love the story of a small band of determined pilgrims doing the near-impossible. Gets me charged up every time, and - in my loftier moments, serves as a metaphor for what I feel like I'm doing with my own children by home schooling them. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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