Side Trips from Boston - Boston 2009 - page 275

Take Exit 5 to the Regional Information Complex for maps, brochures, and infor-
mation. To go directly to Plimoth Plantation, take Exit 4. There's metered parking
throughout town.
The commuter rail ( & 617/222-3200; www.mbta.com) serves Cordage Park, on
Route 3A north of downtown, from Boston's South Station four times a day on week-
days and three times a day on weekends (at other times, service is to nearby Kingston).
The round-trip fare is $16. Plymouth and Brockton buses ( & 508/746-4795 or
508/746-0378; www.p-b.com) take about an hour from South Station. They run
more often than the train, but they cost more ($13 one-way, $23 round-trip) and drop
off and pick up passengers at the park-and-ride lot at Route 3 Exit 5. The Plymouth
Area Link bus ( & 508/746-0378; www.gatra.org/pal.html) connects the train station
and bus stop with downtown. The fare is $1, free for children under 7.
VISITOR INFORMATION If you haven't visited the Regional Information Com-
plex (see above), pick up a map at the visitor center ( & 508/747-7525 ), open season-
ally at 130 Water St., across from the town pier. To plan ahead, contact Destination
Plymouth (Plymouth Visitor Information), 170 Water St., Suite 10C, Plymouth, MA
02360 ( & 800/USA-1620 or 508/747-7533; www.visit-plymouth.com), and request
information. The Plymouth County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 170 Water St.,
Suite 24, Plymouth, MA 02360 ( & 800/231-1620 or 508/747-0100; www.see
plymouth.com), publishes a vacation guide and several other brochures.
GETTING AROUND The downtown attractions are easily accessible on foot. A
shallow hill slopes from the center of town to the waterfront.
Plymouth Rock Trolley ( & 800/698-5636 or 508/747-4161; www.plymouth
rocktrolley.com) offers a 40-minute narrated tour with unlimited reboarding, daily
from Memorial Day to October and weekends through Thanksgiving. It serves
marked stops downtown every 20 minutes and stops at Plimoth Plantation once an
hour in the summer. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for children 3 to 12.
SEEING THE SIGHTS
The logical place to begin (good luck talking children out of it) is where the Pilgrims
first set foot—at Plymouth Rock

. The rock, accepted as the landing place of the

Tips

A Presidential History Twofer

A worthwhile detour en route to Plymouth is the Adams National Histori-
cal Park in Quincy, about 10 miles south of Boston. The park preserves the
birthplaces of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, the house
where four generations of the family lived, and eight other buildings asso-
ciated with the political dynasty. A trolley connects the buildings, which are
open for guided tours daily from 9am to 5pm in season (mid-Apr to mid-
Nov). Admission is $5 for adults, free for children under 16. The grounds and
the visitor center, 1250 Hancock St. ( & 617/770-1175; www.nps.gov/adam),
are open in the winter Tuesday through Friday 10am to 4pm. The center is
across the street from the Quincy Center stop on the Red Line; call or surf
ahead for driving directions.