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Provincetown, MA – The Pilgrim’s First Destination

Travel Tips | Jim Werner | November 16, 2018

Want to stump guests at your Thanksgiving dinner this year? Ask them where in 1620 the Mayflower Pilgrims first landed in the New World. Chances are, unless someone let them in on the historic secret, they won’t know that the answer is Provincetown.

The Pilgrims first landed and spent five weeks in what is now Provincetown, MA, where they created one of the most famous documents to frame American Democracy – the Mayflower Compact – America’s first declaration of equality and justice for all. Today, that same spirit of freedom and independence is the hallmark of the town known as America’s First Destination.

For a quintessential New England Thanksgiving, join the feasts in casual and fine dining restaurants or sit around the fire with “Townies” (as locals call themselves) for the most special of family and community holidays.

The Pilgrim Monument, founded in 1892, can be seen from nearly everywhere in Ptown, reminding residents and visitors alike that they are walking in the footsteps of the country’s forefathers. The annual “Lighting of the Monument” is one of Cape Cod’s most beautiful traditions. This year the ceremony takes place Wednesday, November 21st from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., the admission is FREE, there will be live entertainment and refreshments served. Last year 1,500 helped to commemorate this iconic event and to witness the Monument festooned with more than 3,100 “landing lights” which shine nightly and brightly through January 2019.

Another special lighting ceremony rings in the holidays on November 24th. Provincetown artist Julian Popko and family build a unique Lobster Pot Tree in the heart of Provincetown’s Lopes Square. Stacked with over 100 authentic lobster pots in the shape of a tree and borrowed from local lobstermen, the tree rises up two stories and is lit with thousands of holiday lights. Come be a part of the lighting, where cookies and hot cocoa will be served at 5:30 p.m. There will be a big crowd counting down as the giant tree topper is lifted and then lowered onto this original favorite ‘tree’ in the center of Ptown.

RELATED LINKS:

7 Tips: Thanksgiving Travel Survival Guide

The Top Five Thanksgiving Sites to See in Plymouth, MA

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