Plymouth 400th: Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims 2020

“NO RISK” REGISTRATION: Now is the time to arm yourself with knowledge rooted in the Word of God. We are committed to providing you a safe and valuable tour, so if conditions require us to cancel the tour, or if you cannot participate for any reason, we will refund 100% of your registration costs.

Highlights | Speakers | Schedule | Accommodations | Study Prep

Event Summary

his 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 Forefathers 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 102 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

Best Parade in the USA!

Plymouth Walking Tour

Pilgrim Thanksgiving Dinner

Plimoth Plantation Reenactors

Plymouth Rock Monument

Distinctly Christian Historical Teaching

Christian Fellowship

Militia Drill at Plimoth Plantation

Included in This Tour

All venue admission and guide fees throughout the tour.
New sites including Cape Cod and the 1684 Indian Meeting House
Walking tour of historic Plymouth
Teaching from 3 top-notch historians: Bill Potter, Dr. Paul Jehle, & Leo Martin
Thanksgiving period feast at the Plimoth Plantation Friday, November 20.
Wireless headset receiver for ease of hearing guides
Transportation on a top-of-the-line motor coach
Rich fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ
America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Parade Saturday, November 21

Updates — 10/15/2020

What are the current travel requirements for Massachusetts?

Here is a link to the current MA Covid—19 Travel Order
The hotel may ask you if you are aware of the travel order. They have no role in validation or compliance enforcement. No paperwork is required to check in.

What does the schedule look like now?

Originally scheduled venues
- Cape Cod
  - First Encounter Beach – Open / outdoors
  - Pilgrim Monument– Interior museum and staircase closed
  - Old Indian Meeting House – Exterior open / Interior TBA
  - Sacrifice Rock – Open / outdoors
- Plymouth
  - Mayflower II – Open
  - Mayflower Society House – Exterior only – open
  - All outdoor Monuments / Town Brook – open
  - Leyden House – Open
  - Jenney Gristmill exterior – open
  - Jenney Museum – open
  - Forefather’s monument – Open
  - Jabez Howland house – TBA
  - First Parish Church – exterior open / interior TBA
  - Pilgrim Hall Museum – Open
  - Plimoth Plantation – Open – All reenactors will have masks on, none of the replica homes are open, no militia muster.
  - Banquet at Plimoth Plantation – Open
    - Banquet will not be family-style service, but plated portions of period food served at tables of 6. We have been in communication with the catering manager regarding table size so that families will not be split between tables, but have not received confirmation. Pilgrim reenactors would be placed in the middle of the tables on a riser opposed to circulating among our guests like normal.
- Other venue options we are pursuing as back ups
  - Alden Historic Site – we have a contact that is working on a private tour for our group.
  - Fellowship and teaching venue in the Hotel 1620 or a nearby church.
  - Plymouth Rock Foundation is tentatively planning a reenactment of the signing of the Mayflower compact on Saturday, Nov 21. More details as they develop.
  - Perhaps we will symbolically cast our masks into the harbor as a sign of protest.
- What about the Guides?
  - Bill Potter and Paul Jehle are confirmed. Leo Martin is on standby.

Will I have to wear a mask?

Here is a link to the MA Mask mandate. Note that it is similar to most states in that masks are only required if you cannot maintain social distance of 6’, although many businesses and residents are unaware of that.
If you are unable to wear a mask safely, you are not required to do so.
If you desire to wear a mask, you are welcome to do so. Landmark Events does not require masks at any of our functions or onboard the coach, however, individual venues have their own policies, in which case each family will need to make their own decisions at each point.
Our contacts in town tell us that health authorities and local residents are aggressively enforcing real and imagined guidelines.

Will you cancel the tour if too many people cancel?

We have commitments from enough people to make the trip viable, so we are planning on going unless there is some unforeseen event that would make touring impossible. We need a minimum of 40 people for the farewell feast, so that meal may look a little different depending on our final numbers, but everything else is pretty elastic. Small numbers allow for loads of flexibility and individual interaction with guides.

We hope this helps paint a picture of what you can expect on the tour. In our experience since the panic outbreak, the further north we travel, the tighter the restrictions and the more zealous the enforcement. We really can’t tell you what reception we will get from the locals, so it is important that you come to your own decision. We can tell you we were able to secure a meeting room in the hotel to use for fellowship and discussions with our guides. We anticipate there will be very few people up there, allow us great access to the various sites, and an ability to move at a leisurely pace. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Tour Highlights

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!

The Sarcophagus — One of the Stops on Our Walking Tour

With Dr. Jehle at The Forefathers Monument

Deep Discussion with a Pilgrim!

Harvest Feast at Plimoth Plantation!

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.

Farewell Feast… Pilgrim Style!

When in Plymouth!…

The Tour was fantastic! I had exceptionally high expectations entering the tour and you managed to exceed even this high bar! Well done Landmark Events!! I highly recommend [these tours] to others seeking to learn more of the Godly heritage and the providential history of sacrificial actions that have been handed down to our generation of Americans.” —Scott Z.

Event Speakers

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.

Historian Bill Potter

Dr. Paul Jehle

An ardent student of history, Dr. Paul Jehle serves as the Executive Director of the Plymouth Rock Foundation, an organization dedicated to the remembrance of the Pilgrims and the Christian heritage that was forged in the wake of their influential devotion to God and the Bible. Paul has travelled across the nation and to a number of foreign countries, hosting seminars and teaching on America’s Pilgrim and Patriot heritage. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from Barrington College, and a Doctorate degree in Education from Whitefield Theological Seminary. Paul began giving walking tours of Plymouth and its monuments in 1978, and in 2004 he published Plymouth in the Words of Her Founders for visitors to the Plymouth area, allowing the Pilgrims to interpret the monuments erected in their honor through their own words. Dr. Jehle also serves on Plymouth’s 2020 Commission in preparation for the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Pilgrims. Paul and his wife, Charlene, have two grown children.

Dr. Paul Jehle

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.

Leo Martin

Event Schedule

Note: Schedule days and venues subject to change.

Tuesday, November 17

Cape Cod! – Tour Stops Include:
Provincetown, First Encounter Beach, Pilgrim Monument, Old Indian Meeting House, Sacrifice Rock.

Wednesday, November 18

		Plymouth Tour – Part 1
		Tour Stops Include: Mayflower Society, Mayflower II, William Bradford, Pilgrim Mothers Monument, Massasoit Statue, Coles Hill, Sarcophagus, Town Brook, Leyden House, Jenney Gristmill, Jenney Museum.

Thursday, November 19

		Walking Tour of Plymouth – Part II Tour Stops Include
		Forefathers Monument, Burial Hill, Jabez Howland House, First Parish Church, Pilgrim Hall Museum…

Friday, November 20

Plimoth Plantation!

Morning Free Time in Plymouth

1620 Village and Thanksgiving Period Feast with Pilgrims

Saturday, November 21

		Parade (cancelled due to Covid)

Accommodations

Hotel 1620
(180 Water St, Plymouth, MA 02360)

We have reserved a block of rooms at the Hotel 1620—the best location in town, overlooking the harbor. Call the hotel directly at (508) 747-4900 and request the Landmark Events rate, or reserve online and enter the code “Landmark” in the “promo code” box. If you choose to stay elsewhere, keep in mind that the coach will leave from the Hotel 1620 for Cape Cod on Tuesday, and we will host our optional after-dinner discussions at the hotel. Being able to walk to the venues in Plymouth is important to us and the 1620 is situated 100 yards from the bay! We recommend you make your reservations soon as the town will be filling fast for this historic event. Rooms must be reserved by September 16 to take advantage of the discount.

Room Rates

Monday-Thursday – $139/night*
Friday & Saturday – $169/night*

* $20.00 per person additional charge for third and fourth adult in room.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nearest Airport

Boston Logan Airport: About an hour north of Plymouth – double that at rush hour.
Travel Tip: Southwest Airlines often has GREAT rates if you book in advance. No charge for bags, no penalties for changing your reservations. They are NOT on Expedia, Travelocity and the other 3rd-party web sites, so you need to go directly to their site, but worth checking.

Transportation Options from Boston Logan Airport

There are three options we recommend, depending on your preferences.

Rental Car: While not necessary, a car provides you with great flexibility and freedom, particularly in the evenings and Tuesday morning. The waterfront is less than ½ mile from the Best Western and there are many restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. Free parking available at the Best Western.
Plymouth Brockton Shuttle Bus: Leaves Boston Logan airport and drops off at Plymouth Park & Ride – Rte 3 – Exit 5 (Long Pond Rd) – behind the Information Center. Adults $22 / Children (5-12) $11. Round trip is $40 adult / $20 child. Take cab from Exit 5, they are usually at the Info Center or call Pilgrim Taxi at (774) 269-3709 for the 10-minute ride to the hotel.
Train: Take free shuttle bus ( Silver Line SL1) from all arrival terminals at Boston Logan to South Station (15-minute ride with about 4-6 stops depending where you get on). Take Commuter Rail Kingston / Plymouth line from South Station to Plymouth Station. $11.50 per person. Take cab from Plymouth Station, they are already there waiting for the train, to Best Western, or call Pilgrim Taxi at (774) 269-3709 for the 10-minute ride to the hotel.

What to Wear

Our desire is to communicate charity and respect to those around us by dressing modestly in coverage and fit whether we are on the battlefield or in the banquet room. Jeans and shorts are fine, as are appropriate t-shirts.
Consider period dress for a day or two, even if it is just a hat. You will be amazed the impact it makes on you and others as you walk the same ground in the same attire as our predecessors, and it’s a lot of fun! Saturday, Monday and Tuesday are particularly good opportunities for Pilgrim garb in Plymouth. You will likely be be barraged with questions if you dress up—it’s a great opportunity to share the truth!

What to Bring

Earbuds or headphones, hat, comfortable walking shoes as we will walk a lot, journal, camera, umbrella. We provide a wireless audio receiver and disposable earbuds that allow you to hear the guide’s voice in your ear. Many folks prefer to bring their own earbuds or headphones.

Dietary Restrictions

We will communicate dietary restrictions to the relevant venues so they can prepare our meals accordingly.

What to Expect

The general protocol for our days will be instruction on the bus or while walking to our venues, a brief explanation/interpretation at the venue and then a time to explore on your own or take the “house tour”. Our emphasis will be on the hearty souls that forged a nation out of wilderness and God’s work through them in the establishment of our country. We refer you to the local docents and literature to inform the more brute facts such as the height of the steeple or materials the bricks were made of.

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