If you live on Cape Cod, or even if you visit regularly, it is unlikely that you will uncover all the wonderful nooks and crannies that make this peninsula unique. Around every corner and with each new road discovered, there seems to be another hidden gem of a spot, which upon discovering enriches my life. Rich and I have owned the our Inn on Cape Cod for six years and have discovered some wonderful spots together, but each of us also has a past history with Cape Cod and the Islands that gives us another perspective on what makes this place great.
In April of 2020 I wrote about the Massachusetts state initiative to assemble a list of 1,000 Great Places. The purpose of the initiative is to increase visitation to the state’s wide range of exceptional historic sites, cultural venues, and natural landscapes. Around that time a local news outlet put together an online survey to give the locals a chance to choose, from a number of notable spots in and around Cape Cod and the Islands, those that truly deserve to be called “great places.” The following, in descending order, were voted the Top 25:
- The Cliffs at Gay Head (Aquinnah) on Martha’s Vineyard
- Highland Light at Highland Links in Truro
- Nauset Beach in Orleans
- Coast Guard Beach in Eastham
- Menemsha fishing village in Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard
- The Cape Cod Canal
- Race Point in Provincetown
- Commercial Street in Provincetown
- Monomoy Island off the coast of Chatham
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth
- Sandy Neck Beach in West Barnstable
- The tidal flats at Mayflower and Chapin beaches in Dennis
- Edgartown Light in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard
- Marconi Beach and Marconi Station in Wellfleet
- Heritage Museum and Gardens in Sandwich
- Main Street on Nantucket
- The dunes in Provincetown
- Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown
- The Rail Trail that runs from Dennis to Wellfleet
- Nickerson State Park in Brewster
- The gingerbread houses of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard
- South Cape Beach in Mashpee
- The Black Dog Tavern in Tisbury on Martha’s Vineyard
- The Boardwalk in Sandwich
- The Sea Captains’ homes along the Old King’s Highway (Route 6A)
Now I don’t see several of my favorite haunts on that list, among which would be Fort Hill in Eastham, Brewster Flats, Chatham Fish Pier, Little Pleasant Bay, Polpis Road Bike Path on Nantucket, Shining Sea Bike Trail, and Gray’s Beach in Yarmouth Port. And I could go on and on, but my point is this: there are at least 2020 places right here on Cape Cod that should be on that list, and probably just as many on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.
So here’s the challenge: The Office of Travel and Tourism is accepting nominations for the “1,000 Greatest Places in Massachusetts” until April 1, 2020. All “greatest places” nominations must be for places that are open and available to the public. Only one nomination per person will be accepted. So I would like to invite you to submit a nomination for your favorite “greatest place“ whether or not it is on Cape Cod.
All nominations will be considered for a final list of “1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts” to be announced in May. Submit your nomination to: www.Massvacation.com/2020greatplaces. Oh, and be sure to let me know what you nominated. I’ll want to check I out.