Venture Out to Plimoth Plantation [VIDEO]

Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, MA, is like stepping inside a history book brought to life.

Reenactment actors dressed in petticoats and buckled shoes roam an a 17th-century English-style village. Heirloom livestock graze within hand-made pens. And a short jaunt through a wooded path brings you to a Wampanoag Homesite, hosted by interpreters with a Native American bloodline. Visitors can also drive down to the State Pier in downtown Plymouth to visit Mayflower II, a vessel created in likeness of the original.

The non-profit strives to educate visitors on the history of two differing, but interwoven cultures. According to Wampanoag interpreter Chichil Moraza-Keeswood, while the English village is run by actors who stay in character, the Native American educators speak in present-day vernacular.

The non-profit has a rich history. Henry Hornblower II started the museum in 1947 as two English cottages and a fort on Plymouth’s historic waterfront, according to the non-profit's website. Since then, the museum has grown to include Mayflower II, built in 1957, and the English Village, built two years later. The Wampanoag Homesite was enacted in the 1970s. The non-profit Hornblower Visitor Center, the Craft Center, and the Maxwell and Nye Barns are the most recent additions.