Pilgrim Monument, Provincetown

First off, don't visit the monument on a full stomach! It's a good climb to the top. Their handouts tell you it's 116 steps and 60 ramps to the top. All in all it's not THAT bad, as you walk some steps, walk the ramp, walk some steps, rinse, repeat. We were barely winded at the top, but maybe that just means we're not THAT old yet! If you've got a bad ticker, this might not be the place to test it. The history of the monument is it was built to commemorate the first landing of the Mayflower Pilgrims in P-town, before they went on to Plymouth Rock. The monument has a museum that accompanies it, and there is some good history there to tell, covering P-town, the pilgrims, Mayflower compact, and some P-town history. The tower itself is just over 250 feet, and the view from the top is the best on the Cape. It's certainly the tallest place on the Cape. The only drawback is the views are somewhat obstructed by grates, Plexiglas, and safety features. You have to put your camera through holes to get unobstructed shots. But the views are still excellent and well worth the climb. It goes without saying that you can see the entire town, schools, ball yards, etc, but also the great dunes of the National Seashore, and a large portion of the cape as well. You can see to the mainland, and well out to sea. The children, including the 4 year old, had very little trouble climbing all the way to the top. The museum was also excellent, with an overview and some detail into P-towns deep history and connection to maritime history and lore. There are some relics and remnants of great explorers of Cape Cod origin, some Native American stuff, and some history of Cape Cod industry, including glass factories and their products. There are some rotating exhibits, so there will likely be something different every time you go there. You should plan budget maybe 2 hours at the monument and museum. It probably takes a good half hour to climb the tower, look around, and get back down, and you�ll want to spend some time reading the exhibits and looking around. There is a small gift shop area as well. There are also some nice views from the pavilion area on the bay side of the monument, and when you�re done spend some time just walking around, looking out at the sea and up at the monument, and snapping those all important photographs. We managed to drive out to P-town from Yarmouthport in the morning, climb the monument and check out the museum, and still make it with time to spare to our 12:30 whale boat. It�s a pretty budget minded activity as well, with adults less than $10, and kids were just a few dollars, and worth every penny.