Welcome to CapeCod.com’s Summer Bucket List series, brought to you by the good folks at Cape Cod Calling. Each week, we will bring you a new idea for you to enjoy your summer here on Cape Cod.
One of the biggest tourist attractions on Cape Cod is the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown. The monument commemorates the landing of the Mayflower in Provincetown in November of 1620, at which time the passengers met the native people who lived in the Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, and Eastham areas.
The Pilgrim Monument was built between 1907 and 1910.
Today, you can enjoy an invigorating climb up the iconic 252-foot granite monument with 116 steps and 60 ramps to take in the breathtaking 360-degree view of Provincetown. The walk takes only about 10 minutes at a leisurely pace. For those who don’t want to climb the monument, the beautiful grounds around it are the ideal setting to watch the hustle and bustle of the busy Provincetown Harbor. Architect Willard Thomas Sears, a prominent architect in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, designed the tower.
The Provincetown Museum exhibits the building of the monument, the arrival of the Mayflower Pilgrims, the town’s rich maritime history and the early days of modern American theater in Provincetown. The museum contains a charming mix of the old and the new.
There is a recreation of a 19th-century sea captain’s parlor at home and his quarters at sea, a diorama of the Mayflower Compact being signed aboard the Mayflower in Provincetown Harbor, and a scale model of the first theater of the Provincetown Players, all as part of the museum’s permanent exhibits. The monument and museum also offer musical events throughout the season, as well as historical walking tours.
The Pilgrim Monument is Cape Cod’s oldest non-profit organization. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt laid the corner stone of the now 252 foot tower, and President William H. Taft led the dedication ceremony after the monument’s completion on August 5, 1910.
Millions of visitors now flock to the monument each year, for its history and its spectacular view. If you’ve never been to the top, this season offers the perfect opportunity to do so. It will be an experience not soon forgotten.
General admission to the Pilgrim Monument is $14 for adults, and less for seniors and children, and tickets can be purchased through the organization’s website, www.pilgrim-monument.org.
Check Out Other Summer Bucket List Ideas on the Cape!
If you are interested in seeing what else is out there to do on the Cape during the summer, check out our Summer Bucket List with some other ideas.
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