The most visited landmark in Plymouth is also, by most accounts, the biggest letdown. A granite boulder roughly the size of a kitchen table sits behind an iron fence inside a neoclassical portico on Water Street, with "1620" chiseled into its surface. There are no Pilgrims stepping ashore, no dramatic backdrop — just a rock in a pit.
That said, it earns its visit on the basis of what it represents. The rock is believed to mark the spot where the Mayflower passengers first set foot on land in November 1620. The portico around it, designed by McKim, Mead & White and completed in 1921, is architecturally handsome. The waterfront setting is pleasant. Spend five minutes, take your photo, manage your expectations, and move on.
Free and always accessible from the waterfront path on Water Street.