Travel

Massachusetts has the best open air museum in America, according to USA Today readers

It opens for the 2024 season on March 23.

Visitors walk through the 17th-century English Village exhibit at the Plimoth Patuxet Museums on Nov. 18, 2018, in Plymouth. AP Photo/Steven Senne, File

By Kristi Palma

February 27, 2024

The best open air museum experience in the nation is in Plymouth, where guests are transported back to the 17th century, according to USA Today.

How to plan slow travel in Massachusetts in 2024

The publication released a list of the 10 best open air museums in the U.S. on Friday, part of its 2024 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, and Plimoth Patuxet Museums in Plymouth ranked No. 1.

Two other New England open air museums also made the list: Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Conn. ranked No. 2 and Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, N.H. ranked No. 6.

“Open-air museums are a fantastic way to experience history and culture in a natural setting,” wrote USA Today, adding that the museums on its list offer visitors an opportunity “to see how people lived, worked, and played in different times, featuring historic buildings, artifacts, and activities that help recreate the past.”

Here is what USA Today wrote about Plimoth Patuxet Museums:

The Plimoth Patuxet Museums in Plymouth, Massachusetts, feature meticulously reconstructed and preserved structures, including the Mayflower II, a full-scale reproduction of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America, and replica villages representing both the English and Native American villages. Visitors are immersed in a living history experience, interacting with historical interpreters who portray both Pilgrims and Wampanoag inhabitants and showcase daily life of the period.
USA Today’s 10Best

“We are beyond proud,” wrote the museum in a Facebook post. “Thank you for voting and for believing in our educational mission to bring history to life and illuminate the past.”

Plimoth Patuxet Museums opens for the 2024 season on March 23.

For the 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards lists, USA Today travel experts select 20 nominees in topics from food to lodging, destinations to things to do. Then the publication asks readers to cast votes to determine the top 10.

Check out the list of best open air museums in America.