About Cape Cod

Having grown up in the northeast, it’s hard to imagine meeting someone who has never been to, let alone heard of, Cape Cod. But alas, it happens. For those who are not familiar with Cape Cod, here is short overview and list of what a visit or vacation may look like, from an admittedly biased observer.

Cape Cod is a peninsula off the southeast coast of Massachusetts jutting out about 67 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. “The Cape” consists of 15 towns beginning at the Cape Cod Canal, two islands (Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket), and the area around Buzzards Bay. While most people experience Cape Cod during the busy summer months of July and August, the shoulder seasons (spring and fall) are increasingly popular times to visit and even winter is becoming stocked with events and activities to keep people coming back throughout the year. About 200,000 people live on the Cape year round, with the population more than doubling in the summer months.

While there are many classic Cape Cod traditions to experience such as, watching a double feature at the Wellfleet Drive-In, riding, running or walking the Cape Cod Rail Trail, enjoying the raw bar at The Beachcomber or chowder at The Squire, exploring 63,000 acres of the Cape Cod National Seashore, climbing the steps of the Pilgrim Monument, catching a Cape League Baseball League game at one of ten fields spread from Orleans to Wareham, or  visiting the Kennedy Museum, to name a few (and I didn’t even mention all the festivals and celebrations), these places may not always be there, as we learned painfully with Liam’s due to erosion at Nauset Beach. Take advantage while you can.

Here’s a short list of a few activities that make the Cape, well, the Cape for adults and kids a like:

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  Driving by familiar town and neighborhood sights;

• Enjoying fresh seafood where ever you turn (if you’re not into that, don’t fret, the Cape is littered with tasty twists on traditional cuisines);
• Packing up for multiple lazy beach days where you often forget what day it is;
• Getting dragged with your family on a whale watch only to realize you really enjoyed it, even if you puked;

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  Competing with your fellow beachgoers in just about any beach game like paddleball, corn hole, scoop golf, Waboba surf water ball, best sand castle, you name it;

• Playing the role of wanna be local fisherman or typical tourist for a day of fishing on the boat or clamming in the flats;
• Boating whether charter or some kind of tour, getting out on the water;
• Re-discovering your appreciation for a deck of cards, board games and puzzles on rainy days;
• Realizing soft serve ice cream cannot be beat;

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  Watching a Cape Cod Baseball League is just about the best way to spend a summer evening on Cape Cod;

• Treating yourself to something sweet; homemade fudge, salt water taffy and at least one banana split;
• Building up the nerve to sign-out a sailfish (single) sail boat and not capsize – or drift out to sea;
• Photographing and touring a few of the dozen or so lighthouses spread throughout the Sound and Bay sides;

  

• Finding your inner “Tiger” on the back nine during a competitive game of mini golf;
• Listening to (my) favorite, Ocean 104.7, custom crafted for Cape Cod’s news and ideas (radio station);
• Soaking up summer sounds of the town(s) band concerts on summer evenings;
• Going on breakfast run for fresh brewed local coffee and baked goods, returning as a hero to your family or group of friends;
• Appreciating nature: beautiful gardens, blooms, sunsets, tides the occasional rainbow;

  

• Collecting sea shells, sea glass, and other wash’a shore items; and
• Cursing yourself repeatedly for deciding to depart the Cape on Sunday after 10:00am (traffic!).