"America's Hometown," little PLYMOUTH , on the south shore of Massachusetts Bay forty miles south of Boston, is given over to commemorating, in various degrees of taste, the landing here of the 102 Pilgrims in December 1620.

A solemn pseudo-Greek temple by the sea encloses the nondescript Plymouth Rock , where the Pilgrims are said to have touched land; as they had already spent two months on Cape Cod, and there are no contemporary references to the rock, it is of symbolic importance only. Two worthier memorials make no claim to authenticity, but meticulously reproduce the experience of the Pilgrims. Both the replica of the Mayflower (the Mayflower II ) in town, and Plimoth Plantation three miles south, are staffed by costumed "interpreters," each of whom acts out the part of a specific Pilgrim, Indian or sailor. The charade visitors are obliged to perform - pretending to have stepped back into the seventeenth century - can be a little tiresome, but ultimately the sheer depth of detail in both endeavors makes them fascinating. At the Plantation, everything you see in the Pilgrim Village of 1627, and the Wampanoag Indian Settlement, has been created using traditional techniques (both April-Nov daily 9am-5pm; Mayflower II until 7pm in July & Aug; tel 508/746-1622; Mayflower II alone $8 and Plantation alone $20, Plantation and Mayflower II $22). A reasonably interesting way to pass time is at Cranberry World (May-Nov daily 9.30am-5pm; $2), a slick little museum sponsored by Ocean Spray, which details how the tart crimson berries are harvested from local bogs and then processed into various products. The frequent tours end with free samples of juice; if you've always wondered what "Cran-Raspberry" or "Cranicot" taste like, here's your chance to find out.

Plymouth's visitor center , located on the Waterfront at no. 130 (tel 508/747-7525 or 1-800/USA-1620, ). Plymouth & Brockton (tel 508/746-0378, ), provides a regular bus service to and from Boston or the Cape. There are also express ferries from Plymouth to Provincetown (June-Sept daily 10am; $27; tel 508/747-2400 or 1-800/242-2469, ). Standard motels include the Blue Spruce Motel , 710 State Rd (tel 508/224-3990 or 1-800/370-7080, ; $50-75); the Cold Spring , 188 Court St (April-Dec; tel 508/746-2222 or 1-800/678-8667; $75-100); and Clear Pond Motel , 233 Carver Rd (tel 508/746-4520; $50-75); while the Governor Bradford Motor Inn , 98 Water St (tel 508/746-6200 or 1-800/332-1620, ; $75-100), overlooking the harbor, has slightly better facilities, including a heated outdoor pool. The Lobster Hut (tel 508/746-2270) and McGrath's (tel 508/746-9751) are good, reasonably priced seafood places on the waterfront; Al's Restaurant (tel 508/746-3383), also on the waterfront, specializes in pizza.