10 Ways to Explore the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum on Cape Cod

| | |

Built from 1907-1910 to commemorate the first landing of the pilgrims on board the Mayflower on November 21, 1620, the 252 foot Pilgrim Monument is the tallest all granite structure in the United States. Visitors can climb all 170 steps and 60 ramps to the top and be rewarded with views as far away as Boston (42 miles north). Today, the monument and adjacent museum are open to the public from early April through early November.

The indoor museum includes five galleries of exhibits featuring Provincetown history, the whaling industry, the building of the monument, and objects from explorer Donald MacMillan’s Arctic voyages. During the winter season, for five weeks in November and December the monument is lit to honor the five weeks the Pilgrims stayed at Provincetown.

Travel Tips: 

  • The monument and museum is open from April 1st through early November. Information on parking and admission rates and hours here and information on special events here. There are discounts for veterans, active military, teachers, nurses, and first responders- check here for more information.
  • There is a large parking lot in front of the main entrance and there is a parking fee per vehicle. 
  • Restrooms are located in a building in between the museum and monument.
  • A small gift shop is located next to the admission desk in the museum.
  • There are no dining facilities on site; good index of nearby restaurant options in this post and this post and this post.
  • The museum is handicap accessible; the grounds of the monument are handicap accessible via an elevator on Bradford Street, but the monument is not handicap accessible; wear sneakers to climb the monument.
  • Kids will enjoy some of these printable activity sheets. 
  • Plan on 2 hours to explore the museum and climb the monument.

10 Ways to Explore the Pilgrim Monument and Museum:

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.

  1. Climb the 116 steps and 60 ramps to the top of the 252 foot monument (you’ll be 350 feet above sea level). Check out the views from the top of the monument (guests can walk the full circle around the top); on a clear day, guests can see as far as the Boston skyline, 42 miles away.
  2. As you climb, look at the 175 plaques commemorating the incorporation year of each town in Massachusetts, and some additional plaques honoring various organizations.
  3. Walk through the jawbone of a finback whale and check out various scrimshaw
  4. Check out Provincetown’s first fire engine built by an apprentice of Paul Revere in the 1830s.
  5. Learn about the beginnings of Provincetown which had a very large Portuguese population and whose population over the years has swelled from 4,000 to over 50,000 during the peak summer months.
  1. Follow the timeline of the Wampanoag people in the Our Story exhibit, starting in 1605 before the pilgrims arrived. 
  2. Read about the thriving theater industry in Provincetown including well known authors and playwrights including Eugene O’Neil and Tennessee Williams.
  3. Look closely at the 20 foot diorama of the Mayflower and check out the various rooms, sails, and public spaces.
  4. Peek inside the replica 19th century Captain’s parlor and quarters and see authentic furniture, cookware, and clothes.
  5. Use the handicap elevator, located on Bradford Street, which allows accessibility to the grounds surrounding the monument. 

Bonuses in town: Make sure to walk to the memorial (about a half mile from the monument) at the sight of the pilgrim’s first landing, with a small area. At low tide, visitors can walk to the lighthouse, but be sure to pay attention to the tides. Kids will also want to play at the Chelsea Earnest Memorial playground, a short walk from the monument. 

Looking for more adventures on Cape Cod? Check out our Cape Cod in the winter guide and our posts featuring the Cape Cod National Seashore, the Whydah Pirate Museum, the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Heritage Museums and Gardens, Ocean Edge Resort and Spa, and Woods Hole Science Aquarium. And follow along on our adventures on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. 

Disclosure: Our family was given a media pass to explore the monument and museum; all opinions expressed are my own.

New England based, part high school English teacher, part non profit founder, part road tripper who LOVES hopping in the family SUV to explore America. Our bucket list includes National Parks, MLB stadiums, presidential libraries, and eating wherever the locals eat!

Similar Posts

  • | | |

    Staying at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada

    On a recent trip to Banff National Park in Alberta Canada, we were lucky enough to spend a couple of days at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in the Lake Louise section of the park. The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is one of the most magical resorts we have ever visited, in one of the best locations we have ever explored.

  • | | | |

    15 Interactive Ways to Explore the Museum of Broadway in New York City:

    We were thrilled to be invited to the brand new Museum of Broadway in New York City this past weekend. The 26,000 square foot, three floor museum opened in November 2022 and is already receiving a lot of positive buzz.

    The Museum of Broadway is designed to take guests through a chronological history of “the Great White Way” (the nickname for Broadway because of the bright lights of the theater marques), with three major segments: The Map Room, The Timeline, and The Making of a Broadway Show. All three parts include tons of original costumes, scripts, daily itineraries, mock ups of sets, film footage of interviews with casts and crews, awards, and highlights of popular shows from each era. Guests begin by walking up three flights of “backstage stairs” to the dressing room area and following a path through three floors of exhibits.

  • |

    The Best Disney World Dining Recommendations for 2023

    Last week, we shared an updated (for 2022) post featuring our tips for making successful Disney World dining reservations. Over the years, we have learned many ways to make your trip to Disney World as smooth as possible (spoiler: it takes some planning, some luck, and some flexibility).

    This week, we’re sharing an updated list of our favorite dining spots at Disney World (our original list can be found here and we do have some repeats!). We’ve been to Disney World four times and have a few spots we visit on every trip and some spots that have become newer favorites. We hope you’ll check these restaurants out on your next visit to Disney World, and would love for you to leave us a recommendation for a spot for our next visit.

  • | | |

    Playing “I Spy” at Victoria Mansion in Portland, Maine

    Ruggles Sylvester Morse and his wife Olive Ring Merrill Morse were prominent New Orleans hotel proprietors in the 1850s when they decided to leave the summer heat of the South and build a house in Portland, Maine. The house, built in the Italian Villa style, was finished in 1860 and the couple lived there until Morse passed away in 1893. Olive sold the mansion, and all its contents, to J.R. Libby, who lived there with his wife and five children until the parents died in the early 1920s. After the Great Depression of the 1930s, the children could not afford the upkeep and taxes on the mansion and abandoned it. William Holme, a local teacher and historian who loved the Queen Victorian era, bought it to be preserved as a museum, named after Queen Victoria. 

    The Victoria Mansion Museum opened in 1941 to the public, who are welcome to tour two of the four floors of the mansion. Each room has been restored to its original, mid 1860s glory, with authentic furnishings purchased by the Morse family. 

  • | | |

    Exploring Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada

    The Waterton- Glacier International Peace Park is the first “international peace park” in the world and includes Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada and Glacier National Park in America. Established in 1931 with support from Rotary Clubs in both Alberta Canada and the US state of Montana and then officially created in 1932, the goal was to combine some of the resources, as well as preserve and protect the land and over 300 species of animals, including bears, wolves, lynx, eagles, and falcons,  as well as the Blackfeet Indians, Kootenai, and Salish Indian tribes who have lived on the land for thousands of years.

  • | | |

    The Portland Observatory in Portland, Maine

    Earlier this summer, we enjoyed a few days in Portland, Maine, a beautiful seaside city on Casco Bay. One of the highlights of our visit was a guided tour of the Portland Observatory.

    Built in 1807 by Captain Lemuel Moody and one of the oldest marine signal stations in America, the six floor tower was used commercially until 1923 when it was abandoned. It is not technically considered a lighthouse because, although it does light up at night from the interior rooms, it does not emit light outwards. In the late 1930s, the tower was used as a lookout in World War II. The location of the observatory, and the unique octagonal shape, offered numerous views of the harbor. The Observatory went through several restorations throughout the 20th century and finally opened as a museum in 2007. 

6 Comments

  1. Though it has been several years since we visited Provincetown, I am still amazed at all you have explained in speific and interesting detail. I m not sure if we were aware of the museum but the blog gives us more reasons to make the trip. Great information for everyone to enjoy!

    Reply

  3. I have not yet been to this area of the country. The Pilgrim Monument reminds me a bit of the Wallace Monument in Scotland! I’m always looking for historic sites, thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  4. What a cool monument and museum. I love any excuse for climbing up high, so I fancy walking up the 116 steps to see those views. The whale jawbone is amazing too isn’t it!

    It’s also really cool to see the Mayflower! My favourite pub back in London is called the Mayflower, so it is always cool to see it in the context of the new world. 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *