Cape Cod's Pilgrim Monument: Worth the 252-Foot Climb
We took an afternoon to drive all the way around Cape Cod and see the initial site of the Pilgrim landing at Provincetown (map ). While we don’t know exactly the spot where they landed, there are a couple monuments dedicated to the Pilgrims in Provincetown - one is just a plaque and the other is a tower and museum. After lunch and a quick walk on the beach (at low tide), we elected to see both.
The plaque in the street is interesting, but skippable. The most interesting point is that this point of Cape Cod boasts tidal flats and a shellfish farm. You can walk out onto the main barrier of the shellfish farm.
At highest point in Provincetown stands the Pilgrim Monument and Museum . The museum discusses the Pilgrims, their journey, but also includes a history of Cape Cod and Cape Cod Bay. Access to the museum includes the ability to climb the 252ft tall tower, which Steve and I elected to do. The climb up isn’t too bad, most of the incline is done with ramps around the edge of the tower instead of stairs. There is a step or two in each corner, and if you look down from the top (or up from the bottom), you might get a bit dizzy. The view from the top was AMAZING! You can see practically all the cape and mainland Massachusetts.
