Cape Cod Attractions & Activities

Cape Cod: Free Style

Cape Cod offers so much to see and do that you could literally spend weeks exploring its beautiful beaches, great nature trails, and kayaking the numerous creeks and tidal marshes. Museums are plentiful too, as is live theatre, and music at the Melody Tent and other venues. Not to mention sampling all the fine restaurants, clam shacks, farmer’s markets, and ice cream shops that feature the freshest of local fare. And dare we leave out fun adventures like whale watching, seal cruises, and deep sea fishing.

But what if you are on a limited budget, as many of our guests are? What can Cape Cod offer the frugal traveler or those interested in an authentic experience on their vacation. Plenty. So much that boston.com just released their top “25 Free Things to do on Cape Cod” list online this week.

It got me thinking about our favorite things to do on Cape Cod. As innkeepers we get very little free time, especially during the summer months. But having survived 11 years of running an inn, Rich and I have become fairly adept at carving out time for ourselves and exploring all the nooks and crannies that make up this amazing peninsula we live and work on. We quite often jump in the car and see where it takes us. These little adventures have uncovered some great places to while away an afternoon. And many of them offer no cost or low cost entertainment. Here for your enjoyment and consideration, is our “Top Ten List of Free Ways to Spend a Cape Cod Day“.

Hop in the car and drive the Old King’s Highway (Route 6A), rated one of the “Ten Most Scenic Byways in America”.
Pack a picnic and a good book and spend the afternoon at Fort Hill wandering the trails and enjoying an awe-inspiring view.
Stroll the paved multi-use path along the Cape Cod Canal admiring the numerous boat that ply the water.
Grab a net and head for Paines Creek in Brewster when the tide is low to explore the tide pools.
Walk the beach at Sandy Neck looking for sea glass and heart rocks.
Kayak Chase Garden Creek following the tides for an “up a lazy river” experience.
Take an ice cream cone to the boardwalk at Gray’s Beach for a magnificent sunset.
Climb Scargo Tower and take pictures of Cape Cod Bay from the top.
Take a leisurely walk in the 6-acre Spohr Garden on Oyster Pond in Falmouth.
Ride your bike along the 11-mile Shining Sea Bikeway from north Falmouth to Woods Hole.

Where Are the 1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts? Nearly 100 Are on Cape Cod!

The first ever list of 1000 Great Places in Massachusetts was released yesterday, July 12, 2010. Selected from over 12,000 nominations, the range of Great Places shines on every part of the state, but none so much as Cape Cod. Intended to celebrate what is truly special about Massachusetts, the list of 1000 Great Places gives visitors the opportunity to see the variety and richness the state has to offer. For those of us who live and work on Cape Cod, it was a point of much civic pride to realize that nearly 10% of the identified 1000 Great Places are right here on the lovely peninsular we call home.

So here in alphabetical order, are the places known and loved by many that make Cape Cod special, not only to the residents, but to those who come to visit us year round. You can view the whole list of Great Places in Massachusetts online, or visit the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism website.

Barnstable

Cahoon Museum of American Art
Hyannis Harbor
JFK Museum
Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary
Melody Tent
Sandy Neck Beach
Sturgis Library
The Hyannis National Guard Armory

Bourne

Aptucxet Trading Post Museum
Cape Cod Canal Bike Path
Scusset Beach State Reservation
The Herring Run Recreation Area at the Cape Cod Canal

Brewster

Cape Cod Rail Trail
Nickerson State Park
Stony Brook Grist Mill
The Brewster Flats
The Crosby Mansion
The Old Mill

Chatham

Chatham Light
Chatham Village
Monomoy Island
The Chatham Fish Pier

Dennis

Bass River
Cape Cod Museum of Art
Cold Storage Beach
Mayflower Beach
Scargo Tower
Sesuit Harbor

Eastham

Cape Cod National Seashore
Coast Guard Beach
First Encounter Beach
Fort Hill

Falmouth

Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary
Bourne Farm
Falmouth Museums on the Green
Falmouth Shining Sea Bikeway
Highfield Hall
Nobska Point Lighthouse
Spohr Garden on Fells Road
The Knob, Woods Hole
Woods Hole Village

Mashpee

Cape Cod Children’s Museum
Old Indian Church
South Cape Beach
Waquoit Bay

Orleans

Academy of Performing Arts Playhouse
French Cable Station Museum
Nauset Beach
Rock Harbor
Plymouth
Brewster Gardens to Jenny Pond
Ellisville Harbor State Park
Historic Plymouth Harbor
Jenney Grist Mill
Myles Standish State Forest
Pilgrim Hall Museum
Plimoth Plantation
Plymouth Rock
The Cordage Historical Society in Plymouth

Provincetown

Cape Cod National Sea Shore
Commercial Street
Fine Arts Work Center
Hatches Harbor
Herring Cove Beach
Pilgrim Monument
Art Association and Museum
Race Point Lighthouse
The Breakwater’s Rock Passage

Sandwich

Benjamin Nye Homestead
Heritage Museums & Gardens
Historic Village and Historic District
Sandwich Glass Museum
Sandwich Grist Mill
The Board Walk
Thornton W. Burgess Society

Truro

Ballston Beach
Highland Light
Highland Links Golf Course
Artist shacks in the dunes
Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill

Wareham

A. D. Makepeace Store
Church Street Historic District
Cranberry Bog Farms Trail
Onset Beach/Village
Plymouth County Cranberry Country Routes 58 and 28.
The Porter Thermometer Museum

Wellfleet

Jeremy’s Point
Marconi Station Site
Mass Audubon Society Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary
Newcomb’s Hollow Beach
The Beachcomber
Town Center and Harbor
Uncle Tim’s Bridge
Wellfleet Drive-in

Yarmouth

Boardwalk onto the Marsh at Gray’s Beach
Cultural Center of Cape Cod
Edward Gorey’s House
Judah Baker Windmill on Bass River

A Cape Cod Treasure: Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary

We were invited to an open house last week at the Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary in Barnstable. We have owned the High Pointe Inn on Cape Cod since 2003 and have often driven down Bone Hill Road to visit friends, passing the sign at the entrance to the Sanctuary. But we had never taken the time to drive in and explore the grounds. So we were curious as to what the place was all about.

View from the Visitor's Center

Wednesday dawned bright and beautiful on the Cape, and after serving breakfast to our guests, we gussied ourselves up and headed out for an adventure compliments of Mass Audubon, who operate Long Pasture. You approach the Wildlife Sanctuary from a long dirt drive off Bone Hill Road. At the end of the drive sits a modest cottage clad in cedar shakes and surrounded by grassy fields and dense forest. Our host, Ian Ives, greeted us at the door and welcomed us to explore the visitor’s center while we waited for the other guests to arrive. I found myself drawn to the large picture window at the far end of the room that framed the most incredible view of Sandy Neck, a dune covered barrier beach that extends seven miles and protects Barnstable Harbor from the open waters of Cape Cod Bay.

Once all the guests had arrived, Ian took us on a tour of the 110-acre sanctuary, along a portion of the 2.5 mile trail network, and through a variety of wildlife habitats, explaining the evolution of the property and its current mission. Sherman Parker, original owner of the property, donated a series of parcels to Mass Audubon beginning in 1973 in memory of his wife, thus protecting over 100 acres of harbor front, wetland, and upland for future generations to enjoy. Of particular interest was the Marsh Boardwalk that provides access into the Great Salt Marsh, the second largest salt marsh on the east coast. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall the wildlife sanctuary offers guided kayak trips, some of which launch from the boardwalk, and all of which are guided by a naturalist. You can do a birding paddle, a twilight paddle, a full moon paddle, and much more for $45 per person ($40 for members) including all equipment. Reservations are recommended.

Also gracing the grounds of the sanctuary are vast tidal flats, butterfly and vegetable gardens, and a small collection of farm animals. On Wednesday evenings they offer marine biology lectures, and weekly throughout the summer teachers and naturalists provide interactive, hands-on learning experiences for children, plus adult and family outdoor programs and lectures. Visit Mass Audubon for a list of scheduled programs at Long Pasture, as well as at any of their other facilities located throughout Massachusetts.

The Sanctuary is open every day, dawn to dusk, and you are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy on the grounds, explore the shoreline, launch a kayak, or just sit back and savor the breathtaking view.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame: The Cape Cod Baseball League

My father loved baseball. He used to brag about being called up to play on the high school team when he was still in junior high. It was certainly something to be proud of, even though the male population of the high school at the time was somewhat shy of a full roster baseball team and in need of players. He was on the high school basketball team for the same reason, but his real passion was baseball.

I think if life circumstances had been different for Dad, he would have been a professional ball player. But first he had to contend with the Depression, then five years of service in the Army during WWII, and eventually the responsibilities of raising two little girls. He should have coached little league, but back then girls weren’t allowed to play, so instead of lobbing fly balls into leftfield on Saturday mornings, he was pushing me and my sister around the yard in a wheel barrel.

It was the Impossible Dream Team of 1967, when the Red Sox stunned the nation by winning the American League East pennant and reaching the World Series for the first time since 1946, that made me a baseball fan. Back then Saturday afternoons were spent watching the game. My Dad and I used to argue who was the most valuable player among a roster that included Rico Petrocelli, Carl Yastrzemski, Tony Conigliaro, Ken Harrelson (the Hawk), George Scott, Reggie Smith, and pitcher Jim Lonborg.

Later in life, when my life circumstances included an apartment in Boston, on occasion we’d snag some tickets from a scalper outside Fenway and catch a home game from behind third base. Though my Dad passed away several years before the Red Sox finally captured the World Series in 2004, thus ending the long drought and rumors of a “curse”, he was always a faithful fan.

I think if Dad were still alive today, he’d get a great kick out of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Set to begin its 2010 season, the opening game will take place this Sunday, June 13th between the Cotuit Kettleers and the Wareham Gatemen at Wareham. Many of the finest college players in the country make their way to Cape Cod in the summer to hone their talents in the Cape Cod Baseball League. The league has a storied history of alumni who went on to the “big show”, among them Mike Lowell, Jason Bay, and Jacoby Ellsbury who currently play in the major leagues.

Many of the fields are within minutes of our Inn and the games are free of charge. I hope to make it to a couple of games this season, if their schedule allows. And if I do, I’ll be thinking about Dad.

Rhodies in Bloom at the Heritage Museum and Gardens

Dexter Rhodies

Just up the street from our inn here in West Barnstable, MA is Heritage Museum and Gardens, formerly known as Heritage Plantation. The beautifully landscaped grounds of the Museum are a naturalized woodland park on the edge of upper Shawme Pond in Sandwich, MA. Founded by the Lilly family, of Eli Lilly and Company fame, to house several of the family’s collections, the grounds encompass nearly 100 acres. Lovely at any time of year, the gardens really come alive in late May and June, when hundreds of Dexter Rhododendrons burst into showy bloom.

Set among the gardens are three unique museums, the most prominent being a Shaker-style round barn near the entrance of the Museum that houses the J. K. Lilly III Antique Automobile Collection. A stunning display of antique automobiles, the museum features over thirty antique American automobiles, including a 1913 Ford Model T, which our grandchildren loved to sit in and pretend to drive. Nearby is the American History Museum, which hosts an impressive collection of military miniatures, antique firearms, and the distinguished bird carvings of master carvers A. Elmer and Cleon Crowell.

The Art Museum houses two exhibition galleries. The first is a folk art gallery with portraits, weathervanes, Nantucket baskets, scrimshaw, shop signs, and other fine examples of American folk art. In the past the North Gallery exhibits included Currier & Ives lithographs and a wide variety of fine art paintings from New England. This year, however, it will feature the art of Frank Vining Smith, one of the last painters to focus his efforts on depicting the Golden Age of Sail.

Heritage Museum Carousel

The real draw of a visit to Heritage, especially for our grandkids, is the hand-carved antique carousel, which was purchased in 1971, ostensibly to entice more women to the museum. Located in the Art Museum, the carousel was made by Charles I. D. Looff. A ride on the carousel is free with admission and sparks ear-to-ear grins and shouts of delight from all who alight.

Also on the grounds is the Old East Windmill, which was originally built in 1800 in Orleans, MA. The windmill was purchased by the Lilly family in1968,and moved to its present location where it was restored and fitted with an electric drive. Surrounding the windmill are gardens of roses, hydrangea, day lilies, and hosta.

We enjoy walking the miles of paved paths throughout the grounds, which are dotted with benches every few feet so that you can sit in the shade and enjoy the view. Parking is free and complimentary shuttles operate in the middle hours of the day on weekends for those not inclined to walk. Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic, or take advantage of the seasonal café. The museum is open from April through October, though several special programs and workshops are offered throughout the year. Occasionally on summer evenings, Heritage hosts a family movie night or music concert in its outdoor concert theater.

Cape Cod’s National Seashore Beaches & Hikes

Cape Cod's National Seashore

Writing about Cape Cod in the 1800s, Henry David Thoreau said, “A man may stand there and put all America behind him.” Thoreau walked the length of the “great outer beach” along the Atlantic ocean long before it became part of the Cape Cod National Seashore.

The National Seashore is one of Cape Cod’s greatest treasures. Created with the passing of a bill on August 7th, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, its designation marked the first time the National Park Service (NPS) created a “National Seashore”, and served as the model for the creation of at least nine additional “Seashores” in the U.S. The bill that created it protects more than 44,000 acres of land along the outer reaches of Cape Cod, including 40 miles of shoreline that stretch from Monomoy Island to Provincetown.

More than 4 million people visit Cape Cod’s National Seashore annually, stopping at one of the two Visitor Centers within the park to acquaint themselves with what the area has to offer. During the height of the summer, rangers offer numerous no-cost activities geared to both young and old, including interpretive nature talks, lighthouse tours, and historical re-enactments.

Cape Cod's National Seashore

Within the park itself are 11 self-guided walking trails, from easy walks over gentle terrain to more difficult hikes through woodlands and soft sand. Listed here by the town in which they are located, the trails are a great way to experience Cape Cod the way Thoreau did.

Eastham

Fort Hill Trail, Governor Prence Road , is a 1.5 mile, moderately difficult trail offering great views and connects with the Red Maple Swamp Trail.
Red Maple Swamp Trail, off Fort Hill Trail, is a one-half mile trail of moderate difficulty with boardwalk sections that wind through the swamp.
Buttonbush Trail, adjacent to Salt Pond Visitor Center, Route 6, is quarter-mile trail with a boardwalk bridge over Buttonbush Pond, and features a guide rope and Braille and large text.
Nauset Marsh Trail, adjacent to Salt Pond Visitor Center, Route 6 is an easy one-mile trail along the shore of Salt Pond and Nauset Marsh over fields and through a recovering forest with great views.
Doane Trail, Doane Road (on the way to Coast Guard Beach) is an easy half-mile paved trail loop through pine and oak forests to large glacial rock with marsh views.

Wellfleet

Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, Marconi Station area is an award-winning 1.25 mile trail descending through a stunted oak and pine forest into a mature woodland where a boardwalk leads through the picturesque swamp. This is a moderately difficult trail with a return route in soft sand.
Great Island Trail, Chequesset Neck Road is a 6- to 8-mile trail that runs along Great Island and Great Beach Hill, skirting the salt marshes and offering great views on the way to Jeremy Point. This is the Park’s most difficult trail due to its soft sand, log steps, and portions submerged at high tide.

Truro

Pamet Cranberry Bog Trail, North Pamet Road, is a one-mile trail with a steep quarter-mile spur to an overlook. The trail is moderately strenuous with many log steps.
Small’s Swamp Trail, Pilgrim Heights area off Route 6 is an easy 3/4 mile loop.
Pilgrim Spring Trail, Pilgrim Heights area off Route 6 is an easy 3/4 mile loop through recovering pine and oak forest. A marker commemorates an area representative of where the Pilgrims first drank.

Provincetown

Beach Forest Trail, Race Point Road. The trailhead begins at the parking lot 1/2 mile from traffic light on Route 6. This is a one-mile easy walk in sand, past a pond and sand dunes.

Cape Cod National Seashore beach

In addition to some great hikes, the Cape Cod National Seashore is known for its wonderful beaches. All have paved parking, showers, rest rooms, changing rooms, and lifeguards seasonally. Coast Guard Beach in Eastham and Herring Cove in Provincetown, are handicapped accessible and have wheelchairs capable of traveling over sand. In 2009, Dr. Beach, aka Stephen P. Leatherman, named Coast Guard Beach one of the Top Ten beaches in the U.S., and declared it one of the best sand beaches in the U.S. in 2010. Here, in no particular order, are the National Seashore beaches along with some hints about parking.

Coast Guard Beach, Nauset Road off Route 6, Eastham. The parking lot fills quickly on nice summer days. However there is a shuttle from a satellite lot a half mile away.
Nauset Light Beach, Nauset Road off Route 6, Eastham. The parking area always fills before 9:30 AM during July and August, except in bad weather.
Marconi Beach, off Route 6, Wellfleet. This parking area rarely fills during late June and July, although in August it will fill occasionally in August. Marconi is arguably one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire region.
Head of the Meadow Beach, Truro. This is a great beach for young children and the parking area rarely fills.
Race Point Beach, Race Point Rd (off Route 6), Provincetown. The parking area rarely fills during June and July. This is a great beach for watching sunset and very popular with fisherman.
Herring Cove Beaches, off Route 6, Provincetown. The parking area fills between 10AM and noon most days throughout the summer. This is another great beach to watch the sunset.

The Cape Cod National Seashore is a “must do” for visitors to Cape Cod in any season. Less than a half-hour’s drive from our Cape Cod bed and breakfast, the stunning natural beauty of the area, combined with the pounding surf against the shore, especially before and after one of our infamous nor’easters, is hypnotic. Grab your beach bag or your hiking boots and make a day of it!

Whale Watching on Cape Cod

In today’s Cape Cod Times newspaper, there was a photo of a whale swimming about a half mile off Race Point Beach in Provincetown yesterday afternoon, March 18, 2010. That marks one of the earliest sightings of whales returning to Stellwagan Bank just off Cape Cod Bay, and heralds the beginning of the whale watching season here. Many types of whales are found here in season, including finback (the largest), humpback (the most playful), right (the most endangered), killer, pilot, and minke. Each species has its own distinct habits, but, generally, the whales begin arriving in this area in early spring and leave for warmer waters in early winter. Read the rest of this entry »

Cape Cod Spring Flower Festivals

Forsythia about to bloom

Spring returns to Cape Cod and the rest of New England this weekend, Saturday, March 20th to be exact. And none too soon as far as I’m concerned. We’ve just endured 3+ days of torrential rain and wind from a classic Nor’easter. But even as the temperatures climb into the 50s and the days grow longer now that we’ve turned the clocks ahead for Daylight Savings Time, the spring that I yearn for is weeks away.

When I was little, my Mom used to clip branches of forsythia to force into bloom starting in February. Those seemingly dormant branches sitting for days on end in a tall vase beneath our picture window in the living room were pathetic to look at, I thought, until they burst into brilliant yellow bloom on some sunny afternoon in March. March is the cruelest month, some say, and certainly the longest. Though the gray of winter is beginning to show some signs of greening up around the periphery, the sun has yet to warm the earth enough to put forth the dazzling display of blossoms that April brings.

Being born in April, I tend to think of it as the most hopeful month of the year, for it certainly brings with it its share of promises: tulips and daffodils and flowering trees…the easter bunny…the Boston Marathon…and opening day of baseball season. If you are a Red Sox fan, as I am, opening day signifies an opportunity for dreams to come true. Gone are last year’s slumps and injuries and tragic losses. What lies ahead are new records to break and MVPs to be found and, yes, the chance, the hope, for a pennant race and a series win.

Fenway Park, Home of the Red Sox

So I’ll patiently wait to turn each page of the calendar throughout the rest of March and into April, knowing that as each day’s sun sets, a new one will rise in the morning, and we’ll all be that much closer to our own dreams of spring.

In the meantime, here are a couple of great weekend festivals to welcome spring on Cape Cod. Book your stay at the High Pointe Inn in West Barnstable, MA well in advance to enjoy these fun-filled weekend fests!

Nantucket’s Annual Daffodil Festival Weekend, April 23-25, 2010

Nantucket’s traditional welcome to spring, the annual Daffodil Festival celebrates the return of over three million daffodils that blanket the island in springtime. Special events include the Antique Car Parade and Tailgate Picnic, Daffodil Flower Show, Children’s Daffodil Parade, Daffy Hat Contest, Window Decorating Contest and Daffy Dog Parade.

Nantucket Daffodil Parade

Brewster in Bloom Festival, April 30-May 2

An exciting local Cape Cod festival, Brewster in Bloom is a town-wide celebration featuring an antique fair, fine arts & crafts show, band concert, and more. The festival runs for three days and culminates in a Bloom Parade down Main St.

Cape Cod’s Shining Sea Bikeway

Rich and I just got back from having our bikes tuned-up for the season. We take them over to where we first purchased them at Art’s Bike Shop in North Falmouth. Run by a former elementary school teacher, Art’s is a full-service bike shop offering rental, repair, and retail, including all manner of accessories. It’s hard to walk out of Art’s without some new trinket for the bikes. Rich has his eye on a new rack and bag system that is sure to set us back a few bucks. Cha ching, cha ching. Read the rest of this entry »

Golf on Cape Cod

View Cape Cod Golf Courses in a larger map
Few resort destinations can beat Cape Cod when it comes to great golf. Everyone from a beginner to a handicapped pro will find a course to challenge their particular skill set at any one of 27 public and 15 private courses. Dotted here and there among Cape Cod’s numerous quaint little villages, the courses run the gamut from friendly Par 3s to professionally designed clubs of tournament quality. Combine the natural beauty of Cape Cod with the region’s mild climate, and it is no wonder golfers can be found on the fairways here nearly 52 weeks a year.

My husband fell in love with me on a golf course. We used to play once a week on summer evenings after work with a mutual female friend of ours. I was the novice in the crowd, Rich a good, if erratic player, and our friend experienced enough to be among the best in her league. It was a friendly game among colleagues out for some after-work camaraderie and a few laughs. The evening usually ended with a light supper and a beer at nearby hamburger or pizza joint.

We were all single at the time, myself divorced, our friend unattached for the moment, and Rich separated from his wife and in the throes of the final dissolution of his marriage. My friend and I used to call Rich “our boyfriend” and the three of us shared some great times together.

I was unaware that Rich’s feelings for me were evolving into something more than friendship. Happy just to be out with friends enjoying the freedom from work and an emotional holiday from a failed relationship, I was oblivious to what should have been obvious signs. Needless to say, things worked out in the end, but somewhere along the way we “hung up the clubs” so to speak as we set forth together and became innkeepers.

I dusted off our clubs the other day. Buried among the rubble that is our basement, there they were beside the snowshoes and hiking poles that have also been collecting dust of late. Determined to regain the freedom I used to feel on the golf course, I’ve started to assemble a wish list of courses to tackle this spring, summer, and fall. All located within a 5 to 25 minute drive of our Inn, these 7 courses include several Par 3s and are among some of the most scenic on Cape Cod. See you on the links!

Read the rest of this entry »

Cape Cod: Free Style

Where Are the 1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts? Nearly 100 Are on Cape Cod!

A Cape Cod Treasure: Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary

Take Me Out to the Ballgame: The Cape Cod Baseball League

Rhodies in Bloom at the Heritage Museum and Gardens

Cape Cod’s National Seashore Beaches & Hikes

Whale Watching on Cape Cod

Cape Cod Spring Flower Festivals

Cape Cod’s Shining Sea Bikeway

Golf on Cape Cod

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