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Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum
Category: Arts & Entertainment Museums Museums [Edit]
High Pole Hill RdProvincetown, MA 02657
(508) 487-1310
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
29 reviews for Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum
Review Highlights
"On a clear day you can see for miles."
(in 5 reviews)
"Cool tower and beautiful ground."
(in 16 reviews)
"The monument, however, is definitely worth a climb."
(in 13 reviews)
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29 reviews in English
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Review from L L.
New York, NY
9/5/2011
Cool tower and beautiful ground... well worth a visit for all.
Look for a coupon for $1 of each adult from one of those tourist books - a minor but appreciated discount. The adult admission was $6 each. -
Review from Cindi W.
Eureka, CA
11/1/2011
Ok, you know that JAMESTOWN is the birthplace of America, not Plymoth Rock, but I bet you didn't know that Cape Cod was the place pilgrims landed when they first arrived here. They were there about 5 weeks and didn't like it and headed to Plymoth. Ok, that is your lesson for the day.
Meanwhile, this place is grand, stunning, a must see in our fine country.
It was built as a monument to those pilgrims who braved the Cape in 1620. as you walk up the 86 or so stairs and ramps to get to the top, you cannot believe how tall the structure is. You can see for miles. You can see Boston on a clear day. You look upon Provincetown and see people milling about and stunning buildings and fine beaches. Inside the monument, are stones,dedicated to the pilgrims from many states in the nation. Some of the stones are from direct pilgrim decendents. I love it. One stone was from California, it was sent in 1906. It was a stone from a building that fell in San Francisco in the 1906 quake. I found that particularly interesting.
The monument opened in 1907,but they did have 100 year celebratory items in the gift shop that said 1910 was when it opened. I guess I need to brush up on that bit of history of the monument.
Love the museum too. Lots of memorablila from the area. Really nice. Be a pilgrim and discover yourself at the Pilgrim Monument. -
Review from Cynthia M.
Aylett, VA
9/12/2011
Climbed all 116 steps & 60 ramps. Admission was $7...$5 if you are a student.
Great view at the tip of the Cape....however, once I got to the top it didn't look nearly as tall as I expected it too.
I also got a sitcker. WOOHOO! -
Review from April D.
8/21/2011 11 photos
We hoofed it up the hill to the monument, we should've drove up. oh well now I know and so do you:)
It was a Sunday afternoon and luckily it wasn't too crowded.
Cute little shop welcomes you. Pay the fee and stroll the museum or go right to it and climb the monument. The museum was interesting, good spot to catch your breath.
The monument was great exercise, I had fun. If your afraid of heights you may have some problems. The top of the monument offers great views of the harbor and town. I was cool and breezy at the top, just what we needed on a hot August day.
Make sure to get your sticker when you make your way back to the gift shop, proof you went to great heights. -
Review from David K.
Pittsburgh, PA
7/16/2011
The big Provincetown tower is basically the town's icon. Even from about 5 miles outside of Boston Harbor, we could see it from our boat. Designed in the style of the Torre del Mangia in Siena, Italy (loosely translates to Tower of Eat. Nobody knows why,) it has a very recognizable shape to it. If you're in Provincetown, at some point you have to wonder what it all looks like from up there.
That was our motive for going... we knew there was a museum there, but expected it to be sort of lame and hokey. We were wrong!
The Provincetown Museum is something worth visiting in its own right, even if you don't care about the tower. It was more interesting than I would have ever expected. It won't take you hours to go through it, but there are some neat artifacts, and some really interesting info about the history of the end of Cape Cod.
The tower itself has no elevator. If you have a problem with your legs, it may be best to skip. However, whoever designed the monument was at least a little bit brilliant: it's almost all ramps to get to the top instead of steps. The hike up 250 feet of tower is surprisingly un-harrowing. Awesome!
After you push through a few people and their kids to get a view out of one of the windows at the top, the view is spectacular. There is something worth seeing in every direction, and you can see almost the entire cape. We were actually able to make out the Boston skyline on the horizon to the Northwest. I love standing in high places, so the monument was a great way to indulge that.
The Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum is a Cape Cod staple, and if you're there for any time at all, you should definitely do it. -
Review from Ling L.
5/18/2011
I wish I knew about this before making the arduous hill climb from the bottom of P-Town to the monument. the $10 parking is refunded if you climb the monument.
It's not obscenely expensive to climb the monument, when you think about it. $7. But with a student pass (and it doesn't have to be a local or Massachusettes school), you get to go up and to the museum located in the gift shop for $5. However, I don't know how they can stop you from going into the museum even if you don't pay to go up the monument. I don't suppose they do.
Anyhow, this climb of 116 steps is relatively easy. Much of it is ramp, which makes shuffling to the top bearable. But the nice part about it is the cool breeze that greets you as you get closer to some opening in the tower. I was there in early May so it's still a tad cold.
The views are great but it's not an open viewing area. You have to peer through hard plastic "Gateways" to look out. It certainly doesn't encourage any lingering. -
Review from Brian s.
Sanford, FL
Updated - 8/3/2010 31 photos
One
Hundred
Years
This week is the one hundredth anniversary of the Pilgrim Monument. When they built this incredible tower back in 1910 it was a real big deal. President Theodore Roosevelt showed up for the laying of the cornerstone and President Billy Taft showed up for the completion ceremony. Lots of other big shots and tons of great food and drink. Quite a party.
The tower is still the tallest all granite structure in the country and is an impressive sight that dominates P-town. The monument is patterned after a tower in Torre Del Mangian in Italy and came under some severe criticism when it was selected. I guess everyone wanted something different but one hundred years later the design seems quite appropriate and everybody is use to it.
It costs 7 bucks to go up but the price also includes entrance to a very cool museum at the base. Lots of great old artifacts and displays, the museum would be worth the price even if you didn't get to go up the tower, If you hang around P-town a lot you can even get a pass for 35 dollars that gives unlimited free admission and even 10% at the Museum store so you can buy lots of crummy t-shirts and trinkets.
Of course the tower is the real cool part. At 252 feet tall and over 350 feet above see level, the views are incredible in all directions. Since the monument has ramps and not just stars, it is surprising easy to get to the top, only takes a few minutes if you hustle. Unfortunately they put up screens so you can't really hang off the top and look straight down but they do let the wind and smell of the ocean come through. I have been up it when it was blowing over 50 knots and the feeling is refreshing.
A fantastic Monument that is well deserving the one hundred year celebration. With the huge granite blocks and solid construction, I have a feeling in nine hundreds years they will be having the one thousand year anniversary. It' would be worth hanging around just to see it.Listed in: If these walls could talk....., Cape Cod
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/4/2009
Massive tower of granite, dominates the P-Town sky. Everytime I go to P-town I want to climb to the… Read more »
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Review from Deb K.
Boston, MA
9/29/2008
"We're a tourist, we have to climb the phallic monument in town." I say that every vacation-y place I go that has a monument to climb. Because, let's face it, they are all phallic. Provincetown did not disappoint with their monument.
One of the easier ones to climb, as it had ramps in between the stairs and wasn't ridiculously high. The stone block walls are also intermixed with stones etched with the names of towns and cities that donated to build the monument. It's pretty cool to see what some of the Massachusetts cities used to be called, before their Native American name was changed and to look to see if your favorite town bucked up some money. Make sure to look up when you get to the "observatory" deck, there are some fun gargoyles to be seen. -
Review from Tina C.
8/15/2009 2 photos
A winding spiral staircase leading all the way to the top of the tower which gives an amazing view of Provincetown. Granite tower that is historic to New England by President Teddy Roosevelt. Visitors obtain a sticker "I climbed to the top!" after reaching the top of the tower as a reward. There are breath-taking views of Mid-Cape and Lower Cape.
N.B. There is no elevator or wheel chair access as one needs to physically climb approx. ten to twelve minute on a spiral staircase.
Admission fees allows access to the tower combined with Provincetown Museum. The gift shop have a lot of artistic nick nack New Englandy treasures.
http://www.pilgrim-mon... -
Review from Matthew A.
Salem, NH
6/29/2008
The Ptown Monument! YEH!! We made it to the end of the CAPE!
This tower is a beacon to freedom and lights and leads the way to Ptown both day and night.
I have made the climb several times over the years up the narrow staircase to the top where the magnificent view of all of Ptown, the harbor, and the lower Cape is revealed.
The museum is also a fun way to spend a few hours to see and learn about local history, shipping and trade industry, fishing, and how the pilgrims and first colonists made their way in the new America. They have some cool displays which definably should be seen.
A fun thing to do when it rains or a cloudy day on the Cape. -
Review from Belle F.
Boston, MA
10/11/2011
Museum was definitely interesting, with lots of cool artifacts - including a silk banner flag with a codfish on it which was carried by the Provincetown volunteer regiment into the Civil War. However, the best part is the 360 degree view at the the top of the monument! Definitely worth the $7 for just the view alone once you reach the top! It's a series of steps and ramps to the top but worth the climb. Also, if you park on the premises, it will cost you $10. However, if you have a paid admission to the museum and leave in under 2 hours, you get your parking fee back. (If you want to leave your car there, Commercial Street and the waterfront area is only a 5 minute walk away).
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Review from Shaina P.
8/17/2008
Great view in all directions of the tip of the cape.
Tallest granite monument in the United States.
Home to a Peregrine Falcon.
Good for viewing lighting storms (when it's far...)
Interesting small museum.
A must do in Provincetown.
Did I mention that it's ... tall? It's really tall. And if you're walking to begin with, you gotta get to the top of a hill before you start walking up the many many flights of ramp-stairs just to get to the viewing point. The ramps help, but it's. still. tall. Bring some water and take you're time if you think it might give you a heart attack.
There's also not a ton of room at the top if it gets crazy busy but chill out, sit on the benches, enjoy the breeze, and of course the views. -
Review from Chris P.
6/14/2009
An interesting piece of history in and of itself - the cornerstone was laid by President Roosevelt (Teddy, that is) himself. Cheap to get in, and admission gets you the tower and the adjoining museum.
The tower takes about 7-10 minutes to ascend and provides some pretty stunning views. There's a nice breeze up there and on a clear day you can see the 43 miles to Boston to the northwest.
The museum has a good deal of artifacts from North Pole expeditions - Admiral MacMillan was from Provincetown - which are interesting to look at. There are exhibits on fishing, life in the new world, and of course, a good deal on the pilgrims and their interaction with the native Americans.
EASILY worth the price of admission, schedule and hour or so to do the two attractions. -
Review from Andrew W.
8/22/2009
If you're in P-Town, you have to go here.
If you're parked downtown, you can walk up the hill to get to the monument. But, you probably want to drive up, especially if it's a hot day--there's plenty of parking up there.
I overheard that it takes 8 minutes to get to the top. I didn't time myself, but if that took me 8 minutes, I'd be amazed. It's a lot easier than climbing a lighthouse, since it's a series of ramps. But, on a summer day be prepared to sweat. Inside the monument, you'll find stones donated by many of the towns in New England inscribed with the year they were settled. The view from the top is amazing.
The museum is a lot bigger than I expected and you'll find everything from whale tusks and polar bears to a diorama of Provincetown that shows "Fort Useless" and "Fort Ridiculous" from the Civil War. Make sure to budget some time for the museum. -
Review from J D.
Red Bank, NJ
6/29/2007
Love the monument! It's a fun climb up the tower, and the museum is nice to get a little background about Ptown's history. Most people think the pilgrims landed on Plymouth rock first but they are WRONG WRONG! Ptown is where the pilgrims first landed, but many factors pushed them westward(such as the rocky Cape soil, not so good for planting!)
Take your kids here! They will love it. They can get some exercise and have fun climbing up the monument, then you can take them into the fun little gift shop at the end where you can get various trinkets, toys and souvenirs -
Review from Brian F.
Boston, MA
8/21/2010
Before you go to Tea Dance and dive into your Planter's Punch - you absolutely must take journey up the Pilgrim Monument and get a bird's eye view of the gorgeous Provincetown landscape. Not only are the views magnificent, but the climb (and, yes, it's a climb) up to the top is part of the fun, too, with the names of Massachusetts towns carved all the way to the top. Great for kids and adults and a great way to feel like you did something besides shop, drink and dance while in PTown (not that there's anything wrong with that!).
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Review from Jeremy D.
Brooklyn, NY
Great views from the tower! Seems like one of those things that you just ought to do at some point in your life. It's neat going up it, because all along the way there's stones inside with the names of various MA towns and their dates of incorporation. My 79-year-old grandmother did it, so you can do it too!
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Review from Gourmet G.
San Francisco, CA
11/27/2005
This granite tower constitutes the entire skyline of the town, considering it's a low-lying seaside resort with most structures no taller than two stories. Sixty gradual inclines and one hundred sixteen steps take you to the top, from which you can get a bird's-eye view of Cape Cod and, in the distance, Boston's downtown skyscrapers. At the monument's foot is a museum that focuses on the town's dual personalities, those of major fishing port and creative arts center. Among the curios and oddities you'll find a stuffed polar bear, a replica of the shacks that once dotted the dunes, paintings by local artists, and vintage programs from the famed Provincetown Playhouse.
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Review from Arnab M.
New York, NY
6/28/2008
Only $7 full-price, and $5 for students, the Pilgrim Monument is totally worth the hike up the hill and then up to the top for the spectacular 360-degree views of Provincetown. The piers and the beaches are particularly beautiful. I do wish though that the top wasn't entirely closed off with glass and grills. Oh, it is also surprisingly windy just 250 feet above ground and a good 10 degrees cooler and less humid. Definitely a must if you are in town!
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Review from Amy U.
Brick, NJ
9/29/2010 1 photo
Truly a great place with lots of history. Definitely stop by and check it out when you're visiting P-town.
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Review from Kiwi H.
5/27/2008 3 photos
A definite stop if you're in Provincetown and have not yet been. We managed to take in the museum and the tower in just about an hour, which was perfect timing for us. It normally closes at 5pm, but luckily for us they extended their hours til 7pm for Memorial Day weekend - so we could go and browse the museum, climb to the top of the tower, then go have a seafood feast for dinner afterwards. :)
I could imagine this being fun for both kids and adults. It was pretty cool to see all the items in the museum - for such a small museum (on either side of the gift shop/ticket area for the tower, actually!) it was really well done, I thought. The staff are really nice too. In one room, the artwork, carvings, and eskimo stuff (like the seal float!) was very cool. The other room was my favourite though. The whale jawbone is impressive (don't walk through it thinking it's just an archway - it's huge!), and although the taxidermy stuff freaked me out a little I really loved that part - it was amazing to see all those animals, and very cool to read about how they were brought there by that explorer and how their adventures took place. Polar Bear, walrus, ox, fox, and more.
It was also really great to see how the whaling ship captain's rooms looked, and the room with the images on the Mayflower and the history surrounding it was really interesting too. Look out for the old pic of Richard Gere in a newspaper/info style section in the bit with the theaters and arts history! Overall, the museum is really well-done, a perfect bite-sized amount of the history surrounding it that left us satisfied, and really gave us a feel for those times without being cheesy or overdone. Really great.
The monument itself is very cool. This isn't like the Coit Tower in SF - you have to climb to the top, there's no fast-track lift! It seems like a long climb but it's fun and I wasn't wheezing when I got to the top hehe, so that was good. Seeing all the little plaques of the date of establishment and name of all of these new England areas on your way up (along the staircase walls) was really fun, and kept the 'hike' up exciting - especially when looking for 'your' town if you're from around here, or places you've visited even if you're not. It really does remind me of the famous Torre del Mangia (bell tower) in Siena, Italy and I've now been fortunate enough to see both - I have to say, both are cool! The view from the top is beautiful, and provided an excellent view of the 'arm' of Cape Cod, P-Town's beaches curling around from the pier to the tip and the spaces beyond. Really great view overall, and you can also see how large the cemetary is, over all the land it covers. A great slice of history, a great view, and worth a visit for sure. -
Review from Terry C.
Los Angeles, CA
9/3/2008 1 photo
This is a wonderful monument and testament to Masonic Labor! The views from the top of the tower are so worth the trek up the 116 steps and 60 ramps. Plus if you make it, you get an awesome sticker that you can proudly wear! On a clear day you can see for miles. This structure is the tallest all granite building in the United States. It's reminiscent of the piazzas tower in Sienna or Florence and has 4 awesome gargoyles. It is a touch windy, but so worth it for the views! The museum at the base has some cool little artifacts and neat factoids about early colonial life in Provincetown. It's an amazing place!
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Review from Michael P.
Chicago, IL
9/21/2009
Fun way to spend a cloudy day. Interesting artifacts and history information. No elevator, so be prepared to walk the steps. Maybe the ticket price should be $5 instead of $7??
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Review from serena l.
Medford, MA
7/14/2010 5 photos
what a wonderful experience!
though it took us a while to find the museum, we got to see a bit of the surrounding streets. it's close to the pier so the walk isn't bad.
my husband and i are grad students so we only paid $5 each for the museum. the museum has amazing relics from the pilgrims' landing. after looking at everything, we decided to brave the hike up the monument. it was not bad at all! the ramps definitely made a difference as stairs would've been WAY too difficult! once up there, the view is amazing!
it looks daunting but not to bad. well worth the walk up. just be careful of young brats spitting over the edge! -
Review from Anya S.
Cambridge, MA
8/17/2010
I can't say that the museum is super exciting. It's ok. The monument, however, is definitely worth a climb. (WARNING, THIS IS NOT FOR SMOKERS! YOU WILL NEED A SET OF CAPABLE LUNGS TO GET UP THE STAIRS) You can take great photos from up above & decide which restaurant looks best from birds-eye view.
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Review from Rob F.
Reading, MA
7/29/2009
This is a fun experience, even on a cold rainy day in June. The winding "stair" case is mostly sloping ramps, making it an easy climb, even for those not in great condition. The view from the top, I am told, is amazing on a clear day. The museum is well worth visiting.
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Review from Kristine M.
West Newton, MA
7/22/2009
Very cool little museum and big, tall tower. We decided to go on a rainy day since it was an indoor activity, but I want to go back when the weather is nice so we can actually enjoy the views. The gift shop has lots of fun New Englandy gifts.
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Review from Liza M.
Reading, MA
5/20/2010
definitely a worthwhile stop. $7 fee gets you in the tower and in the museum. the museum is cute with various pilgrim info and also other cape related stuff. little gift shop area too. the bathrooms are super nice. the tower climb isn't too bad. the massive stone keeps it cool. not a lot of stairs, mostly ramps. on the way up you can see names of MA towns etched into the stone. the view from the top is great. wish there weren't so many grates and bars on the windows though. it was a clear day so you could really see pretty far. nice to sit on the benches at the top. what was really a plus was the parking lot. it was free, and we wound up leaving our car there all day without issue. no signs or anything saying you couldn't. maybe cause it's off season?
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Review from Kevin C.
Kansas City, MO
9/6/2009
Nice museum and the view from the top of the tower is amazing.
