Plymouth Rock

Plymouth Rock is a granite boulder on the Plymouth waterfront, traditionally regarded as the landing place of the Mayflower Pilgrims in 1620. The Pilgrims themselves never mention it in their writings; it first appears in the town's boundary records in 1715, and in 1741 Thomas Faunce, then 94, identified it as the landing site. The rock is said to have weighed about 20,000 lb (9,100 kg) originally; roughly a third survives today. It split in two in 1774 during an attempt to move it, and in 1880 the pieces were rejoined at the shore and carved with "1620".

Since 1920 the rock has sat behind a grate beneath a Doric portico by McKim, Mead & White. It belongs to Pilgrim Memorial State Park, where guides are on hand to answer questions from April to November (as of October 2026). The visit is short, and a walk along the harbor is an easy addition. Allow only about 15 minutes for the rock itself.