Event Summary

 

This Thanksgiving season, consider joining a small group of grateful families as we gather together in Plymouth Massachusetts to remember the Lord’s kindness and mercy, just as our Pilgrim Forefather’s did almost 400 years ago. Armed with great faith that upheld them through incredible trials that claimed half of them by the end of the first winter, these 104 hearty souls now have over 30 million descendants! Come spend the week learning, remembering and celebrating the providence of God in our nation’s founding and the birthplace of her spiritual heritage. This remarkable tour will include the celebration of Thanksgiving with a Pilgrim-style feast at Plimoth Plantation. We look forward to seeing you there!


Plimoth Plantation


Mayflower II


Plimoth Plantation Reenactors


Plymouth Walking Tour


Pilgrim Thanksgiving Dinner


Christian Fellowship

The U.S.S. Constitution

Plymouth Rock Monument

Distinctly Christian Historical Teaching

Lexington Green

Concord’s Old North Bridge

Boston’s Freedom Trail

Included in This Tour

  • Opening night welcome reception Monday, November 14
  • Thanksgiving feast at the Plimoth Plantation with the pilgrims
  • America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Parade
  • All venue admissions and guides throughout the tour
  • Electronic headset receiver for ease of hearing guides
  • Transportation on a top-of-the-line motor coach
  • Teaching from 3 top-notch historians: Bill Potter, Richard Holland and Leo Martin
  • Lunch Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
  • Farewell dinner Friday evening, November 18
  • Rich fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ

Ticket Pricing

Child (0-4):Free*
Youth (5-16):$549
Adult (17+):$649
 

* 4 and under free if sitting on lap of family member.

Tour Highlights

Boston

We will begin our adventure Tuesday in Boston traversing the Freedom Trail, visiting ancient burial grounds at The Granary, Kings Chapel and Copp’s Hill, along with historic patriot gathering places like Faneuil Hall, Old North Church and Old South Meeting House telling the stories of the liberty, conspiracy and victory that forged our nation’s independence. We will finish at Old Ironsides, the USS Constitution, America’s oldest commissioned naval vessel and veteran of the War for Independence.

Wednesday, we will walk the battlefields where the first military engagements of the War for Independence were fought beginning with Lexington — site of the “shot heard ’round the world”. We will travel on to Concord and charge over the Old North Bridge, driving the British back where they came before, scaling Bunker Hill to hear the remarkable accounts of that singular battle in the heart of Boston.

You’ll return from your trip with a renewed sense of gratitude and respect for these true founding fathers who sacrificed all they had to forge the liberty we now enjoy.


Lexington and Concord


King’s Chapel


Copp’s Hill

Plymouth

“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together. And… by the goodness of God we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.” —Edward Winslow, 1621

Thanksgiving is America’s holiday and Plymouth is the symbol of where our national celebration began. We will spend Thursday on a walking tour of Plymouth, exploring the many monuments and museums as our tour historians tell us of the brave men and women who seeded the country almost 400 years ago. We will learn about the people, places and events of the beginning of our country as we walk along Town Brook on the same paths our forefathers walked centuries ago. We will visit the grave sites of our ancestors and become acquainted with the thoughts of these remarkable people. Discover why the Pilgrims changed from communal living to land ownership, and how this change led to the beginning of free trade, industry and capitalism in our country. Hear about the relationship between the Pilgrims and Natives and how they worked together in support of each other. Stops include Burial Hill, Pilgrim Mothers Monument, Plymouth Rock, Brewster Gardens, Pilgrim Hall Museum and the National Monument to the Forefathers!

Friday we have a great day planned at Plimoth Plantation, the 17th-Century English Village re-creation of the small farming and maritime community built by the Pilgrims on the New England shore now inhabited by the best Pilgrim reenactors we know. We’re in for a real treat as we partake in a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the New England trimmings among Pilgrim role players at Plimoth Plantation. In addition to our special time at Plimoth Plantation, we will be exploring the solid oak timbers and tarred hemp rigging of the full-scale reproduction of the tiny vessel that bore 102 souls across the sea on a 66-day voyage. . . the Mayflower II and touring the Jenney Gristmill, originally constructed in 1636 on Town Brook and fully operational today.


Plimoth Plantation


Reenactors in Character


Mayflower II


Plymouth Rock Monument


Pilgrim Mothers Monument


Burial Hill

* Photos of Plymouth Destinations Courtesy of TripAdvisor

Event Speakers

Historian Bill Potter

Historian Bill Potter

Historian Bill Potter combines a lifelong study of history with an uncommon ability to captivate audiences of all ages as he traces the providential acts of God throughout the ages. Leading tours of American and European historical sites, he has earned a well-deserved reputation as a gifted communicator, bringing to each event a wealth of experience and knowledge. A seasoned researcher and writer, Mr. Potter possesses a practical knowledge of antiquarian books, documents, and artifacts and has published numerous short books, as well as many articles and book reviews. He and his wife, Leslie, reside in Virginia.

Richard Holland

Richard Holland

Born and raised in Boston, Richard Holland founded CTB Tours in 1994 after performing tours locally and abroad for over 20 years. In addition to earning a Masters in Education from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, he is a perpetual student of colonial and recent history of Boston. His depth of knowledge and passion for providential history translate into tours that are entertaining and educational, making history come alive.

Leo Martin

Leo Martin

Leo Martin, an educator and expert on the early history of our nation, is a true patriot and compelling tour guide, who has been ranked #1 on Trip Advisor for the past seven years. Leo is the Education Director at the Jenney Museum in Plymouth, MA, where he is known for his service giving historical tours and lectures dressed in Pilgrim costume. He is a champion of our nation’s founding values displayed in the National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth. A sought-after speaker, his book Pilgrim Pursuit of Happiness describes the various kinds of liberty brought in seed form by the Pilgrims to Plymouth. Leo and his wife Nancy have been married for forty years, have three grown children and four grandchildren. They have been working together at the Jenney Museum in Plymouth for the past 12 years preserving the Christian heritage of our country.

Event Schedule

Note: Schedule days and venues subject to change.

 

Monday, November 14
7:00pm Introductions and Tour Overview
(Best Western Cold Springs, Plymouth)
Tuesday, November 15
  Freedom Trail!
8:00am Depart for Boston Via Motor Coach
9:00am Arrive at Freedom Trail — Walking Tour
(lunch provided at Chipotle)
  Freedom Trail Walking Tour Stops Include:
Boston Common, Granary Burying Grounds, Massachusetts State House, Park Street Church, King’s Chapel, Old South Meeting House, Commonwealth Books (premier antiquarian bookstore), Old State House, Site of the Boston Massacre, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere House, Old North Church and Copp’s Hill Burying Ground
5:00pm Depart Boston for Plymouth
6:00pm Arrive in Plymouth (Dinner on Your Own)
Evening Fellowship upstairs at Best Western
Wednesday, November 16
  Battlefields
8:00am Depart for Boston Via Motor Coach
9:00am Arrive Lexington Green
11:30am Old North Bridge – Concord
(box lunch provided)
2:15pm Bunker Hill
3:30pm USS Constitution
5:00pm Depart Boston for Plymouth
6:00pm Arrive in Plymouth (Dinner on Your Own)
Evening Fellowship upstairs at Best Western
Thursday, November 17
  Plymouth Walking Tour
9:00am Depart Hotel
9am-4pm Walking Tour of Plymouth
(lunch provided downtown)
6:30pm Dinner on your own
Friday, November 18
  Plimoth Plantation
  Free time in Plymouth
1:00pm Shuttle from Best Western to Plimoth Plantation
5:30pm Farewell Pilgrim Dinner at Plimoth Plantation
7:30pm Return to Best Western
Saturday, November 19
  America’s Hometown Parade

Accommodations

Landmark Events has have secured a number of rooms at the Cold Springs Best Western Plus for $135 per night including tax. For more information or to reserve a room, please contact us via email at info@landmarkevents.org, or by phone at (210) 885-9351. The hotel is currently sold out so you would need to secure your rooms through Landmark Events.

Tour guests are welcome to book rooms wherever suits them best, however, bear in mind that on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings the bus will depart for Boston from the Best Western. While the tour officially ends on Friday, November 18, Plymouth’s fantastic Thanksgiving Parade takes place on Saturday, November 19, so you may consider staying over that night.

Alternative accommodation ideas can be found at VRBO.com and Airbnb.com where there are several houses and apartments to choose from. Guests are responsible for their own transportation around Plymouth.

Study Preparation

Key People

John Adams

Samuel Adams

Governor William Bradford

William Brewster

General Thomas Gage

King George, III

John Hancock

Sachem Massasoit

Rev. Cotton Mather

James Otis

King Phillip

Major John Pitcairn

Paul Revere

Pastor John Robinson

Betsy Ross

Squanto

Miles Standish

General Joseph Warren

Mercy Warren

Governor John Winthrop

Key Issues and Topics

The Doctrine of Providence

The Mayflower Compact

The Virginia Company

Wampanoag Confederacy

The City on a Hill

Commonwealth

The Old Deluder Satan Act

Colonial Charter

Township Selectmen

The Battle of Bunker Hill

The Intolerable Acts

The Sons of Liberty

The Stamp Act

Writs of Assistance

Plymouth Plantation

Continental Congress

Suggested Reading

Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford

John Winthrop, by Francis J. Bremer

The Puritan Experiment, by Francis J. Bremer

The Puritan Family, by Edmund Morgan

The Mathers: Three Generations of Puritan Intellectuals, 1596-1728, by Robert Middlekauff

Worldly Saints: The Puritans as They Really Were, by Leland Ranken

The Guise of Every Graceless Heart, by Terrill Elniff

The Minutemen and Their World, by Robert A. Gross

Now We Are Enemies: The Story of Bunker Hill, by Thomas J. Fleming

Paul Revere’s Ride, by David Hackett Fischer

The Boston Campaign, by Victor Brooks

Driven to Resistance, Vol. 1, by R.A. Sheats

Upcoming Events

Mobile Bay Tour
March 20-23, 2024

Cradle of Liberty Tour
Aug 15-20, 2024