This Popular Attraction In New England Is Considered One Of America's Most Disappointing Tourist Traps

Massachusetts is full of famous attractions, like baseball's iconic Fenway Park or the chic island of Martha's Vineyard. From Harvard University to Salem to the Boston Commons, the sixth state to become part of the Union boasts a vast variety of sites for history buffs and cosmopolitan travelers alike. Along with historic villages with serene trails, the state is also home to picturesque seaside towns like Cape Cod and hidden gems like Cape Ann, a scenic beach town with world-class art and cute shops. 

One particularly famous Massachusetts attraction, however, is viewed by some as one of the country's most unsatisfying sights for state residents and tourists alike. Plymouth Rock looms large in the early education system of the United States, and is widely acclaimed as the site that the Pilgrims landed on upon reaching North American shores. However despite tall tales, disappointed visitors have pointed out that there is little to no actual evidence that points to Plymouth Rock being the exact location of the Mayflower's landing in 1620 (via TripAdvisor). Rather, the Pilgrims are believed to have actually first touched down in what is now Provincetown, M.A., at the northern tip of the Cape Cod Bay. As a child learning about Plymouth Rock in elementary school, you may have envisioned a boulder large enough for the Mayflower to pull up aside, but in reality the rock is now just that, a relatively small rock. 

Not only is Plymouth Rock described as being vastly underwhelming, but it's also been broken down over the past centuries by different agencies and museums looking to display a piece of history. What was once a much larger rock has been chipped down to almost a third of its original size. Housed beneath a portico overlooking the Plymouth Bay, the once-larger glacial boulder may have previously weighed in at almost 20,000 pounds. However over the centuries, the rock has been moved and transported multiple times, causing the stone to crack and break into pieces, one of which is now housed in the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

For those still interested in viewing this debated piece of historical significance, the good news is that Plymouth Rock is available to see free of charge. Plymouth, M.A. is only about 40 miles south of Boston, making the town about halfway between Boston and Cape Cod and therefore an easy pit stop on the way to the famous harbor town. About 15 minutes north of Plymouth sits an often-overlooked beach town that's worth visiting beforehand if you're driving south from Boston. Plymouth Rock is about a 20-minute drive or a 5-minute walk to the National Monument to the Forefathers, for those interested in more historical sites nearby. About a 6-minute drive south of Plymouth Rock is the popular Plimoth Patuxet Museums, featuring New England's oldest town as a living museum where costumed actors replicate life in the year 1627.