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

One of the nicest things about living and working on Cape Cod in the summer is the availability and diversity of fresh, locally grown produce offered at Farmer’s Markets throughout the region. Rich and I try to use only the freshest of ingredients in our breakfast offerings, whether it be native berries for our muffins, fresh eggs and veggies for our omelets, jams and jellies for our popovers, or locally harvested shellfish for Rich’s Lobster Benedict or Hangtown Fry.

If you’re vacationing on Cape Cod this summer, be sure to frequent our Farmers Markets. No doubt there is one near you, no matter if you are staying with us at the High Pointe Inn, or renting a cottage on one of our beautiful beaches. And if you miss the one that’s closest to you, you can always try another one nearby. There is a Farmers Market everyday of the week, except Sunday, beginning June 1 and lasting until late in December. Hope to see you there!

The Mashpee Farmer’s Market

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, the Village Green in Mashpee Commons, across from the new Mashpee Public Library. Opening Day is June 12. The market is managed by Hawks Wing Farm, a member of the New England Regional Foodshed Farmer’s Collaborative.

Bass River Farmers Market

8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursdays, at the Cape Cod Cultural Center, June 10 through the end of October. It has a petting zoo, an educators’ tent and a tie-in with a children’s program at the South Yarmouth library. It will feature farms as well as cultural center artists, and musicians.

Centerville/Marstons Mills Farmers Market

The fraternal (Masonic) lodge, 1987 Falmouth Road (Route 29); 2 to 4:00 p.m. Mondays June 14-Oct. 1

Falmouth Farmers Market

Peg Noonan Park, 300 Main St., Noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays, through Oct.14

Harwich Farmers’ Market

Brooks Academy Museum, Roue 39; 3 to 6 p.m. Thursdays , June 1-Sept.16

Mid-Cape Farmers Market

Hyannis Youth and Community Center, 141 Bassett Lane, Hyannis; 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesdays, June 9-Sept. 8

Orleans Farmers Market

21 Old Colony Way (across from Capt. Elmer’s); 8 .m. to noon Saturdays, through Nov. 27

Osterville Farmers Market

Osterville Historic Society, 155 West Bay Road; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays, June 4-Oct. 4

Provincetown Farmers Market

Ryder Street; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, through Dec. 4

Sandwich Farmers Market

The Village Green, Route 6A; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays, June 1-Oct. 26

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.

In today’s Cape Cod Times, I read an article about one of Cape Cod’s quirky independent bookstores, Parnassus Book Service. Located in Yarmouthport along the Old King’s Highway (scenic Route 6A), the store has always been a curiosity. A Cape Cod institution for the past 50 years, Parnassus is a jumble of old and new. Clearly not subscribing to the Dewey decimal system of organizing book titles, the shelves of Parnassus are filled with a seemingly random array of everything from “how to” to “whodunit”. (more…)