I’m cheating a little with this tour – You’ll actually need to get your car and drive over to Plimoth Patuxet, but it’s a short trip, just a couple miles south of downtown, and then you’re doing a lot of walking at the museum, then hopping back in the car for the really short ride to Bramhall’s. Since you’ll spend most of this tour walking, I’m calling it a walking tour. Because I can.
You’ll want to spend a couple hours at the excellent Plimoth Patuxet living museum, and will then be ready for a little nourishment. For, that there’s no better follow-up than Bramhall’s Country Store, where you can replenish your energy store with ice cream or a lobster roll in a picturesque setting.
Plimoth Patuxet Museum
Plimoth Patuxet, formerly known as Plimoth Plantation, is a living history museum depicting the fledgling colony of Pilgrims in 1627, and a community of Wampanoag in Patuxet village.
You can easily spend a couple hours here interacting with the characters, visiting the crafts center where you can watch expert craftsmen, and shopping in the surprisingly large and well-appointed gift shop. See my blog post where I take you along on my own visit.
Open spring, summer and fall right through Thanksgiving (of course). It can be hot in the summer and cool in fall and spring, so dress accordingly.
Bramhall's Country Store
Bramhall’s was founded in 1828 and is still run by the same family – as of this writing on its seventh generation, if I’m counting right. It was any number of businesses through those generations, including (according to its website) a cobbler’s shop, a carpentry barn, and one of the first post offices in the United States.
Today, and for a long time standing, it’s been an eclectic mix of a lobster shack (not on the water, but yes those are fresh lobsters in that tank), ice cream stand (Ben & Jerry’s and Crescent Ridge, your choice), farm stand, mini-museum and more. It’s also a favorite of the Chiltonville crowd, of Plymoutheans as a whole and of those intrepid visitors who wander beyond the well trammeled tourist areas.Â
If nothing else, it’s a most picturesque little red building that requires a photo opp or two or three.
