• The Academy of Performing Arts, 120 Main Street, Orleans
• The Cape Cod Theatre Project, Falmouth Academy, 7 Highfield Drive, Falmouth
• Cape Playhouse and the Cape Cod Center for the Arts, 820 Route 6A, Dennis Village
• Cape Rep Theater, 3299 Route 6A, Brewster
• The Chatham Drama Guild, 134 Crowell Rd., Chatham
• The College Light Opera Company at Highfield Theatre, 58 Highfield Dr., Falmouth
• Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Falmouth Road, Cotuit
• Elements Theatre Company, 11 Bay View Drive at Rock Harbor, Orleans
• Harwich Junior Theatre, 105 Division St., West Harwich
• Monomoy Theatre, 776 Main St., Chatham
• Payomet Performing Arts Center, 29 Old Dewline Rd., North Truro
• The Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford Street, Provincetown
• Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (WHAT), 2357 route 6, Wellfleet
• Woods Hole Theater Company, 68 Water Street, Woods Hole

Buy your tickets for a fabulous live theater experience this summer or fall. And don’t forget to make reservations at the High Pointe Inn on Cape Cod to complete your vacation.

In the early 1950s, when the Cape Cod Melody Tent first opened as the Cape Cod Music Circus, it attracted major stars from Broadway and Hollywood to its stage, including Ginger Rogers, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Angela Lansbury, Bob Hope, Helen O’Connell, Robert Merrill, Zero Mostel, Kitty Carlisle, Ann Miller, Jane Powell, Victor Borge, Debbie Reynolds, Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Rosemary Clooney, Pearl Bailey and countless others.

This season the Melody Tent will play host to Tony Bennett, Trace Adkins, k.d.lang, Daruis Rucker, Jeff Dunham, Elvis Costello, Michael McDonald, Chris Botti, Sara Evans, Lyle Lovett, and Cape Cod’s new hometown star of American Idol fame, Siobhan Magnus, among others.

We have our tickets in hand for our favorites. Might we see you there this season? Not all shows are sold out. You can purchase tickets online or at the box office daily from noon to 6 PM. Why not make it a real vacation and book reservations at the High Pointe Inn for a memorable Cape Cod getaway.

An Evening with Lucille Ball, “Thank you for Asking” (June 13-25)

Directed by Lucy’s real-life daughter Lucie Arnaz, the show provides a peek behind the curtain of one of Hollywood’s most beloved actresses.

No Way To Treat a Lady (June 27-July 9)

Billed as “an uproarious, and sexy musical that gives new meaning to the phrase “knock ‘em dead’” this comic thriller is a blend of humor, romance, murder and music.

The Graduate (July 11-July 23)

One of the most popular movies of all time, this 60s hit comedy is brought to life onstage. The story revolves around a coming of age college graduate and the mother and daughter next door. You know the plot line, even if you’ve never seen the movie.

Footloose, the Musical (July 25-August 6)

What happens when a small town is turned upside down by a kid from the big city who moves into town and falls in love with the preacher’s daughter? Nominated for Best Musical Score.

Crazy for You. All Gershwin (August 8-August 20)

Billed as “The New Gershwin Musical Comedy”, the story is largely based on the songwriting team’s 1930 musical, Girl Crazy. The musical won the 1992 Tony Award for Best Musical

Unnecessary Farce (August 22 September 2)

A contemporary American farce, full of door slamming, double-entendre, and impossible mix-ups. It’s laugh out loud funny from start to finish.

Reserve your seats now for the upcoming season and make it a true getaway by booking a stay at the High Pointe Inn. The Playhouse is located just 20 minutes down the road from us and this year two new restaurants have opened up on or near the Playhouse campus in Dennis. Stay tuned for my review of Summer Stock and Fin.

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“.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Stellwagen Bank is an 842-square-mile section of shallows lying in the Gulf of Maine just off the mouth of Cape Cod Bay. A prime fishing area, Stellwagen’s unique conditions and topography enable it to support a tremendous diversity of marine life, from single-cell organisms to great whales. A protected National Marine Sanctuary since 1992, Stellwagen Bank attracts the whales due to its abundant food supply, which includes plankton, squid, herring, and sand eels.

Humpbacks feed for about six or seven months along Stellwagen Bank, and then leave the area, fasting until they return the following year from their wintering ground in the West Indies, where they breed and give birth. For many, humpback whales are the most popular species to watch because they are inquisitive enough to come very close to the whale watching boats and have an engaging tendency to perform.

Whale watching in Cape Cod Bay

When Rich and I first moved to Cape Cod, we were intrigued by the many whale-watching excursions offered throughout the spring, summer, and early fall. Rich, ever the skeptic, thought that whale watching was akin to “submarine races” and other questionable activities designed to take advantage of the ill-informed or naive tourist. That, of course, was until we went on our first whale-watching adventure.

We departed from Barnstable Harbor, just 15 minutes from the Inn, aboard the Hyannis Whale Watcher, a new state-of-the-art jet-powered boat that can literally turn on a dime. It was a perfect summer afternoon. Just outside the harbor we cruised past the quaint cottage colony and lighthouse at Sandy Neck sitting on the open top deck of the boat. In less than an hour, across very calm seas, we reached our destination.

State and federal agencies have strict guidelines for whale-watch boats. On Cape Cod, they are prohibited from coming within 300 yards of most whales and 500 yards of the endangered right whale. As the boat approached the feeding ground, the captain cut the engine and jockeyed for position. The onboard naturalist came over the P.A. system cautioning us to watch for “whale foot prints” on the water, the distinctive pattern left on the surface of the ocean after the whales breach and dive below.

Whale "Footprint"

“Thar she blows” echoed through my mind as I scanned the surface of the ocean, looking for a foot print or a spout from the blowhole of an active whale in the area. I didn’t have to wait long. Within minutes we spotted our first whale, a minke. As the naturalist directed us to this first sighting, eager cries from the opposite side of the boat lured us toward the stern. Soon we were surrounded by humpbacks, finbacks, and the omnipresent minkes. We, and our fellow travelers, found ourselves scurrying back and forth across the deck to catch a glimpse of each whale as it appeared on the scene, and scouring the horizon for more. With each new sighting, the naturalist was careful to enlighten us with fascinating insight on whale behavior, plus commentary on the local ecology and history of Stellwagen. Some naturalists, who have worked around whales for a long time, can identify individual whales by distinctive markings on its flukes, underside, body, or head, and often know specific details of its life, from offspring to travel patterns.

Rich was absolutely in his glory trying to juggle between binoculars and his new digital camera, though I thought the best approach was simply to wait for the “oohs and aahs” of my traveling companions and focus where their fingers pointed me. Several times during our trip, the captain maneuvered the boat so that all aboard could have a front row seat. In the end, we counted dozens of sightings, some a good distance away, but many so close to the boat we could almost reach out and touch them. The most exciting moment during a whale watch, of course, is when (or if) one of the whales shoots straight up out of the water and splashes down into the sea in a maneuver known as breaching.

All too soon it seemed, but actually after more than an hour at the feeding grounds, our captain announced that we must leave. On the return trip, we spotted dolphin, and several basking sharks sunning themselves in the shallow depths near Sandy Neck. And, as an added bonus, we were treated to one of Cape Cod’s spectacular sunsets as we neared the harbor.

Sunset on Cape Cod Bay

Needless to say, Rich is now a total convert, enthusiastically encouraging all our guests to take a whale watch cruise. No one has ever been disappointed, and several have told us stories of mothers and calves breaching together, humpbacks seeming to wave their tail fins, and once, of the captain having to turn off the engines while a humpback scratched its back on the bottom of the boat.

Our Sea Dream and Moonglow guest rooms have views of Sandy Neck Beach and Cape Cod Bay in the distance, but to get up close and personal with the whales, you really need to take a whale watch excursion. Typically the boats run from mid-April through the end of October and are 3.5 to 4 hours in length. All whale-watching excursions guarantee sightings during the season, so on the off chance that no whales are spotted, you’ll be given a rain check to use at another time. We offer a “Whale of an Adventure” package from mid-May through mid-October that includes two nights at the Inn, breakfast, afternoon tea, evening cordials, dinner for two one night, plus two adult whale watch tickets starting at $649 per couple all-inclusive. Visit our Special and Packages page for more details.