Celebrate Thanksgiving in Plymouth for $10

November 12, 6:44 PMNY Budget Travel ExaminerSusan Finch

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In 1621, the surviving Plymouth Pilgrims finally finished their first successful harvest and decided to celebrate with our country's first official Thanksgiving. Guests included members of the Wampanoag tribe, and that first harvest has become a symbol of cooperation and interaction between pilgrims and Native Americans.

No one knows for sure what the original menu showcased, except for the documented wild fowl and venison. I personally appreciate my Mom's mashed potatoes, dumplings, and oyster dressing and would skip the venison all together. (And if you're reading this, Mom, we want chocolate peanut butter balls this year).

I'm thinking the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth wasn't like what we celebrate today. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Wine and football. A turkey coma. Staring awkwardly at relatives over the dinner table. And of course complaining about how you had to sit at the kid's table until you were 21. More wine.

But today, Plymouth is home to "America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration" on the weekend before Thanksgiving.  And it sounds surprisingly budget friendly.

On November 22nd, guests can enter the heated Crafters Pavilion to taste and sample local vendors' creations for $10. Kids 5-years-old and under eat free. Concerts are also on the agenda and while drum and bugle corps tickets go for $27 a piece, the parade is free and open to the public. Show up at the historic waterfront area for the 10:30am to catch a glimpse, but expect crowds.

If you want to know what tasty sampling your $10 will get you, here's a list of this year's food festival participants:

• 14 Union
• British Beer Company
• Bostons of Plymouth
• Burton's Grille
• Cabby Shack
• Cabot Creamery
• Cuisine of Mark Connolly
• Ella's Woodburning Restaurant
• Fedele's
• Foppianos
• Hills Home Market
• Jubilee
• Lindsey's
• Panera Bread
• Pinehills, The Market
• Seascape Clamboils
• Sweet Melissa's
• Yankee Trader
• T-Bones Roadhouse
• Moe’s Southwest Grill
• Café Create a Cake

Keep an eye out for taste tests and winners for Best Chowder and Best Soup. This 3-day event runs from Friday, November 21 from 2pm to 6pm; Saturday, 8am to 5pm and Sunday, 9am to 5pm. The actual food festival is on the 22nd. The festival draws over 100,000 visitors, so accommodations will prove difficult, and probably expensive, to come by.  Consider looking to neighboring areas to save. 

Remember that celebrating Plymouth style is a great way to bow out of cooking duties under the guise of celebrating a historic Thanksgiving dinner for a change.

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Email me your budget travel questions and challenges at travelexaminer@yahoo.com.  I'll post them here and help you get on the open road.