Plimoth Plantation
Plymouth, Massachusetts
Despite its harsh Puritan reputation, Plimoth Plantation, the original settlement of Pilgrims who came to the “New World” on the Mayflower, held a surprisingly mixed bag of beliefs.
“Not everyone was a reformed Christian,” said Richard Pickering, deputy executive director of the historical site. “The community was very mingled. The Pilgrims had fled England to worship in a pure setting, but the merchants and traders who the expedition brought with it also brought in other beliefs to the settlement.”
The Puritans were a dissenting sect from the Church of England and held tightly to the more reformed beliefs of Martin Luther and John Calvin. Some important tenets of their doctrine were strict adherence to the Sabbath, a belief in a soul’s predestination to heaven or hell, the rejection of a church hierarchy and popery, and the need for simplicity when it came to church buildings.
Today, groups that visit Plimoth Plantation can explore this heritage by sitting in on snippets of Puritan church services in the old meeting house, which still stands today at the top of the reconstructed village’s hill. Other aspects of settlement life are re-enacted daily at Plimoth, including period cooking, construction and even interactions with the native people at the Wampanoag village.
For adult and school-aged groups alike, Plimoth Plantation can coordinate a variety of hands-on activities, guided tours and even overnight stays in the village. Special events, including an annual Thanksgiving feast, go on throughout the year at the site.
Old Mission San Luis Rey
Oceanside, California
Many travelers might be unfamiliar with the concept of a California mission.
“There are 21 original missions scattered up and down the California coast,” said Maureen Sullivan, director of marketing and events for Old Mission San Luis Rey. “Our mission is the largest, and in fact, it’s nicknamed King of the Missions.”
These Spanish settlements were similar to forts, but included faith-based structures and housing as well. The missions were established in conjunction with the Catholic Church and the Spanish government to bring military and moral order to Spanish North America.
“Every mission had some sort of population of Spanish soldiers, as well as members of the Catholic Church who would come to evangelize and bring the faith to the new world,” said Sullivan.
Today, Old Mission San Luis Rey has multiple facilities that groups can tour, including a museum and a historic graveyard. The church building in the mission is still used for services, and visitors can attend Mass in English Mondays through Fridays and in Spanish and English on Sundays.
Another way the mission still lives out its roots as a religious settlement is the recent addition to the grounds of the Franciscan School of Theology. About 30 Franciscan friars now live at the mission, and many are students or professors at the school as well.
The mission also has several key events worth attending if groups can time their trips accordingly: In October, the Dia de los Muertes celebration is one of the largest in California, and the second week of June brings an event centered on several local Native American tribes who use the mission for an annual powwow.
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill
Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Founded in the early 1800s, the Shaker settlement in what is now Harrodsburg was one of the longest-existing Shaker settlements, with active residents until 1923. The Shakers were a pseudo-Christian sect that believed firmly in the equality of races and genders, and lived in their community as brothers and sisters — meaning that no one was married or romantically involved.
Of the original 250 building in the Shaker’s first settlement, 34 still exist today and are open to individuals and groups that want to see what life was like in the unique spiritual community.
“One of the buildings that still exists is the main meetinghouse, where the entire community would have worshipped,” said Amy Bugg, director of marketing and communications at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. “The meetinghouse was strategically placed by the main road,” said Bugg, “which was part of their strategy to attract new members. Passersby would hear the worship and come and see what all the noise was about.”
Today, Shaker Village is making an effort to use its 3,000 acres for more modern activities as well, hosting everything from nature walks to yoga clinics on its grounds. Groups visiting the village will want to dine at the acclaimed on-site restaurant, the Trustee’s Table, as well as visit the farm, where guides explain how livestock would have been cared for by the Shakers and guests can interact with the animals.
For groups that want to embark on a multiday Shaker experience, there is a historic inn on-site with 72 rooms. Bugg said despite the many activities for which the village is now used, everything ties back to the Shakers’ original vision of equality and hospitality.
