As we give thanks this Thanksgiving for our blessings, how many of us will count among them, the pilgrims?

One way Americans can pay homage to those 102 sturdy souls who withstood sickness, the squalls of winter and the dangers that come with virgin territory is to visit Plymouth, Mass., the spot where they first stepped foot onto the new land.

Upon entering the town of Plymouth, the first thing that catches the eye of visitors is the Mayflower II, a replica of the 17th century ship that carried the pilgrims in 1620. It sits on Plymouth's rocky shore just beyond the portico on the waterfront that houses an actual piece of the rock designated as the symbolic stepping stone to the new land.

A few blocks from the Mayflower II is Pilgrim Hall Museum, the nation's oldest museum. Though small, the museum holds priceless artifacts — the actual possessions of pilgrims — including, John Standish, William Bradford and the Winslows.

Visitors can sit in a replica of the William Bradford chair while looking at the real thing. A contract dated 1649 signed by Miles Standish — which lists four horse skins and 16½ yards of cotton among the items used as payment for a territory called Bridgewater — is enclosed in glass.

"The reality that the artifacts actually date to 1620 is what really impacts visitors," said

Peg Baker, librarian and director of the museum

.

"It's (amazing) when you are looking at a book that a pilgrim actually read or sitting in a chair that a pilgrim sat in."

Other items belonging to pilgrims include a pine and mother of pearl chest that traveled with William White and held his writing materials and other valuables; a shabby linen napkin bearing the embroidered signature of Richard Warren's wife and five daughters as it was passed down from one to the other; and a cooking pot belonging to Miles Standish.

Artifacts of the Native Wampanoags are also on display, as well as several large paintings, including a portrait of Edward Winslow, the only known portrait of a pilgrim painted during his lifetime.

But just outside of town, history really comes to life at Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum dedicated to the story of two cultures living in Plymouth Colony: the native Wampanoag and the English colonists.

"Don't go to Plymouth without going to Plimoth Plantation," said Pat Hill of Cabot, a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants of Western Pennsylvania. "It's living history. … The re-enactors speak in the dialect of their native tongue and will not talk about anything that they would not have known about before or during their lifetime."

Hill, who descends from Edward Fuller, met her "ancestor" at the plantation, where each Mayflower passenger is represented by an actor who stays in that specific character and learns the details of his or her persona.

The houses are furnished and placed as they were in the 17th century. "They (pilgrims) did not believe in lying down. Their beds were only about 4 feet long," said Hill. "You might find someone resting, another one tending to the animals there — whatever they would have done in 1626."

The culmination of a tour at Plimoth Plantation is a re-enactment of the first Thanksgiving in the autumn of 1621, a secular celebration that included games, recreations and a three-day feast prepared by four women for 50 colonists and 90 Indians.

Other attractions in Plymouth include 19 historic monuments, Burial Hill, where graves date back to 1646 and several historic houses.

"We get 800,000 to one million visitors per year, 20 to 30 percent from foreign countries. We have about 80 events, including a Thanksgiving Day Parade and several waterfront festivals. We are preparing now for the 50th anniversary of the Mayflower II next year," said Dennis Hanks, director of the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce.