Once a largely blue-collar town supporting the fishing, shipbuilding and rope-making industries, in more recent years Plymouth has become more mixed. Advancements in transportation and large housing developments have brought many young parents who commute to Boston and retirees who appreciate the area's charms. Because of its history, tourism has always been a part of Plymouth. It is a favorite day-trip destination for many nearby New England (United States of America)|New England residents, some of whom just come for a pleasant day walking around town. Others spend a day fishing or enjoying the bike trails or ponds of Myles Standish State Forest. It is also a great place to hire a fishing charter or whale watch, or, if staying, to explore Cape Cod or Boston.'''September and October''' can be excellent times to visit. It is less crowded and is less hot and humid than the summer. September brings excellent fishing as the bluefish have fattened in more northern waters and are migrating back southward. In October the trees put on their colorful show and the air becomes crisp and cool. If you haven't seen a wet cranberry harvest, try to catch that at one of the many bogs in Plymouth or Carver. This area used to be the largest producer of cranberries until surpassed by Wisconsin in the late 1900s. Harvesting starts in late September. Plimoth Plantation, a "must see", is open daily until after Thanksgiving in late November.Of course, '''Thanksgiving''' is Plymouth's big day. The '''Pilgrims''' celebrated the first Thanksgiving dinner here in 1621 with their friend Massasoit, Sachem of the '''Wampanoags'''. However, it was first officially observed in 1637 upon return of members of Plymouth Colony who had gone to participate in a massacre of the Pequots at Mystic. A tenuous relationship between the colonists and the natives ensued until erupting in war for fourteen months of bitter bloodshed in King Phillip's War in 1675. For several decades, Native American groups and their supporters have held their own "Day of Mourning" -- an attempt to reveal the darker side of colonial history often masked in the idyllic telling of the Thanksgiving story.If you will be staying for a week, you'll want to make a day trip or two to '''Cape Cod''' for the charms it has to offer. Before Memorial Day or after Labor Day you may avoid the Cape's weekend traffic congestion which can be maddening at peak times.''Colonial and Pilgrim Genealogy''Plymouth receives many visitors year-round who are researching their ancestry. Whether seeking a tie to Mayflower colonists or not, a trip to '''Plymouth Public Library''' is worthwhile. The library (at 132 South St.) maintains a large room dedicated to genealogy. Of course, for those seeking information about the Mayflower Pilgrims, the General Society of Mayflower Descendants (4 Winslow St.) is the recognized authority and has plenty of resources. There are also plenty of graveyards to wander through (real genealogists enjoy that). As one cemetery superintendent was heard to say, "People have been dying here for a long time."*Plymouth runs a staffed '''Visitor Information Center''', 130 Water St., '' 1'' 508-747-7525 or '' 1'' 800-USA-1620,
http://www.visit-plymouth.com/vic.asp. Maps, postcards, cameras, '''rest rooms'''. They also sell tickets to tours and cruises.*'''Town Wharf''', a location for many harbor excursions and restaurants is across Water Street from the Visitor Info Center. The wharf area extends north from there.*The major local newspaper (published W,Sa) is the Old Colony Memorial, Memorial Press Group, 9 Long Pond Rd, '' 1'' 508-746-5555,
http://plymouth.wickedlocal.com/.'''Plymouth vs. Plimoth''' - No you are not seeing things on Water Street if you notice a sign giving directions to Plimoth Rock and Plymouth Town Hall. "Plimoth", the old English spelling, is sometimes used to denote a historic site (e.g. Plimoth Plantation). Town sites will be spelled Plymouth Town Hall, Plymouth Courthouse, etc. Thus, you may notice an exit sign from Pilgrims Highway that reads "Plymouth / Plimoth Plantation." http://wikitravel.org/en/Plymouth (Massachusetts)