Thanksgiving: Memory, Myth & Meaning
If you thought Thanksgiving was all about turkey and football,
are you in for a surprise!
Plimoth Plantation's acclaimed exhibit, Thanksgiving: Memory, Myth & Meaning, traces the history of the holiday - in fact, in myth, and in the popular imagination. The story begins with present-day customs and moves back through time to the 1621 harvest celebration at Plymouth (later called "The First Thanksgiving"). As you travel though the exhibit, you will find that the American Thanksgiving holiday includes not only the stories of the Native Wampanoag People and the English colonists of Plymouth (popularly known as the "Pilgrims"), but also the Civil War, one very persistent 19th-century woman, innovations in food, immigrants from all over the world and an evolving sense of what it is to be an American.
To read more about Thanksgiving, you can go to our Historical Background section, or visit our interactive Online Learning Center "You are the Historian." For tasty recipes to add a historical touch to your holiday table, go to our Recipes page.
Entrance to the exhibit Thanksgiving: Memory, Myth & Meaning is free with your Combination or Plimoth-Plantation-Only ticket.
What to Expect, How to Prepare:
Frequently Asked Historical Questions:
Features & Exhibits
WAMPANOAG HOMESITE
Experience a modern perspective on 17th-Century Wampanoag life.
MAYFLOWER II
She turns 50 this year and we're celebrating all season long!
1627 ENGLISH VILLAGE
New Plimoth as it was seven years after the arrival of the Mayflower.
CRAFTS CENTER
17th-Century Wampanoag and Colonial technology-- made live!
NYE BARN
Rare breed animals are an important part of the Plimoth experience.
GIFT SHOPS
Commemorate your visit with unique items from one of our many shops.
WAMPANOAG EDU. SITE
Hands on learning enriched in an authentic environment.
COLONIAL EDU. SITE
Experience first hand what it's like to live like a colonist.
EXHIBITS
Expanding and enlightening our understanding.
DINING
Themed dinners, events, and world class food make eating memories.
PLIMOTH CINEMA
The region's only art-house movies in a state of the art theater.
VISITOR CENTER
Theaters, exhibits, dining, gifts, members lounge, and much more.
QUESTIONS ABOUT VISITING
Prepare for your visit by getting the FAQs.
pilgrim first thanksgiving american history plymouth rock mayflower