by Jeff Shaw
Almost everything you may want or need is located in downtown Dennis Port. The only problem; downtown Dennis Port is another case of hidden in plain sight.
Many well-known downtowns on Cape Cod are long, bustling and often traffic snarled (Chatham Harwich Port, Hyannis, Falmouth, Ptown). Dennis Port’s downtown, on the other hand, is short [like one block, short] with both people and traffic flowing like a gentle off shore breeze. [Okay, okay, they’re probably moving briskly, especially in season.]
It begins on the Harwich-Dennis town line at the aptly named, Division Street. Bare left at the fork into a cozy little downtown [don’t blink, or you may miss it] and grab a parking space on the street. None available; no problem, turn left onto Hall Street, where plenty of plaza and on street parking exist.
From either parking area and in just a one block radius, you will find (in no particular order): a coffee shop, pet store, restaurant, home goods store, pizzeria, barber shop, ice cream shop, an arts and crafts store, as well as pocket park featuring local artwork and plantings (to enjoy that coffee or ice cream outside).
Look a little closer, you will find a village green, new-ish playground, town library, seafood market and another beautiful painted maritime mural on a brick building wall.
And if you are up for wandering up to two blocks, you’ll also find Cape Cod Theater Company/Harwich Junior Theater.
Now I wouldn’t suggest spending all day in downtown Dennis, but I also wouldn’t be surprised to hear if you did.
February 3, 2025