English settlers thought this location, near two rivers, was perfect for a post to promote trade with their neighbors, the Wampanoag Indians and the Dutch from New Amsterdam. Furs, sugar, and other staples, tools, glass, tobacco, and cloth were bought and sold; wampum (carved quahog shells made into beads) served as currency. The Aptucxet Trading Post and Museum that you see...
The hour-long daily dune tours from Art’s Dune Tours in Provincetown have been a favorite fixture on the Cape since they began in 1946. Each vehicle fits six to eight passengers. Ride in air-conditioned comfort as you roll through some of the prime, scenic spots you might not be able to get to otherwise. You’ll have great photo opportunities on...
Eight self-guided trails meander through Ashumet Holly Sanctuary, a 45-acre sanctuary in East Falmouth. (Don’t go without a map — you’ll miss the informative interpretations of what you’re seeing). Catch sight of some of over 130 species of birds known to live here or pass through, including 35 nesting pairs of barn swallows. More than 65 varieties of holly provide...
For those who think the Cape is all about the sun, drop your notions and dip into the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail in Wellfleet. A mixture of sandy trail and boardwalk, this 1.2-mile (round-trip) trail takes you into a completely different world. Cedars and maples grow thickly from this peat-rich swamp, blocking out most of the sun and creating...
What’s in a name? In this case, at the Barnstable Comedy Club, only a fraction of the range of shows this group produces. The BCC is the oldest amateur theater group on the Cape and has performed comedies, tragedies, and everything in between since its founding in 1922. A local favorite in Barnstable, the 200-seat theater was one of the...
The Barnstable County Fair (in West Falmouth) is popular weeklong family tradition. Local and national musical acts, a midway, livestock shows, and horticulture, cooking, and crafts exhibits and contests.
The Baseball League Hall of Fame in Hyannis has a collection of drool-worthy baseball memorabilia from 10 Cape Cod teams, covering more than 100 years of amateur league play. Bats, balls, and cards autographed by minor leaguers stand beside those from the same players once they hit the majors. The Boston Red Sox have dipped into the Cape league for...
Straight as a ruler, the Bass Hole Boardwalk off Centre Street from Route 6A in Yarmouthport, is the prime feature at this small, almost too mellow beach. When you’re not gaping at the scenery, which was once an 18th-century shipyard, check out the fiddler crabs, horseshoe crabs, small fish, great blue herons, and other critters that now ply these waters....
The Beebes, a wealthy family originally from Boston, lived in Falmouth from the late 1870s to the early 1930s. Generous town benefactors, they were among the first to purchase land, now known as Beebe Woods, in Falmouth. The 1878 Highfield Hall was the centerpiece of the property and has been magnificently restored with the vision of Friends of Highfield. (They hold...
Beech trees filter the sun at Beech Forest Trail in Provincetown. Chickadees are known to hop onto your hand if they think you might have some seed in your pockets (so bring some!). Located along the great north-south Atlantic Flyway, this is a favorite nesting site for migrating shore- and seabirds during their peregrinations. Sandy spots attract picnickers and a...
Owned by the nonprofit Salt Pond Areas Bird Sanctuaries, Inc., the 1775 historic Bourne Farm landmark includes a restored and furnished farmhouse, a bunkhouse (now a private residence), a barn, and 49 acres of orchards, fields, and wooded trails. It’s a perfectly tranquil spot overlooking Crocker Pond in Bourne, complete with a picnic area under a grape arbor. It’s about...
After the Cape Cod Canal destroyed the natural herring run into Great Herring Pond, local engineers created an elaborate artificial watercourse — theBournedale Herring Run — to allow mature herring to migrate back to their birthplace. Each twice-daily tide brings thousands of the bony fish slithering upstream, navigating the pools created by wooden planks. In total, hundreds of thousands of herring...
Bud’s Go Karts in Harwich has single or double karts for speedsters large and small. Kids have to be at least 8 years old and 54 inches tall for single karts. The line can be longer than the ride, but it’s still a thrill.
The Cahoon Museum of American Art, like many old 1775 Colonial farmhouses in Cotuit (Barnstable), has had several identities: It did indeed serve time as a farmhouse, has been a tavern, a way station on the Hyannis-Sandwich stagecoach line, a home and art studio, and now pays a Cape-centric homage to American art. (The building was majorly renovated in 2016...
The history of Cape Cinema in Dennis is as dramatic as many of the concerts and films — and filmed performances – that run here. A church-barn design houses a vast, surreal, and colorful 6,400-square-foot mural of the heavens. The mural was underwritten by founder Raymond Moore’s lover, whom he later secretly wed. In protest over the Sacco and Vanzetti...
The Cape Cod Canal (which celebrated its centennial in 2014), and weighs in at 7.5 miles long, separates the mainland from Cape Cod. The canal, between 480 and 700 feet wide at various points, is the world’s widest ocean-level canal. In 1623 Captain Myles Standish, eager to facilitate trade between New Amsterdam (New York City) and Plymouth Colony, was the...
The Cape Cod Canal is edged by level, well-maintained service roads perfect for biking. The mainland side has almost 7 miles of trail; the Cape side has 6.5 miles. Access points along the mainland side of the canal include Scusset State Park off Scusset Beach Road; the Sagamore Recreation Area off Canal Road at the Sagamore Bridge; near the Bournedale...
Cape Cod Canal Cruises departure from the Onset Town Pier (part of the Cape Cod Canal region) and offers 2- and 3-hour tours (with running commentary); sunset cocktail cruises; live music cruises; jazz cruises; and discounted family trips daily during summertime. Reservations only accepted for music cruises, or parties of 20 or more. These tours fill up, so book in advance. .
Geared for pre-schoolers and early elementary ages, the Cape Cod Children’s Museum in Mashpee is more of a play-and-explore space than a museum. Gleefully messy art programs, story times, and an imaginative array of hands-on exhibits make it fun to interact with your small charges. There’s a dress-up trunk and climbable mast in the 30-foot pirate ship, a puppet theater, a...
When it was built in 1797, the Highland Light (or Cape Cod Light) in Truro was more than 500 feet from the cliff. When it was rebuilt in 1853 it was to better serve the more than 1,200 ships per fortnight that sailed past. But by 1996, the hungry sea had devoured enough coastline to bring the lighthouse to within...