Welcome to the greenhouse?!? Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
by Jeff Shaw
As the holiday season is upon us, is there no better afternoon than a stroll through a charming downtown, gift shopping in an expansive general store, watching a buzzing model train display and grabbing a pint? Or maybe walk, run, pedal or skate along the Cape Cod Rail Trail and make a stop for hard seltzer? Or a game of corn hole?
Snow’s Cape Cod, since 1877, hardly needs any praise or promotion. But new use of their greenhouse is worth covering. Last year, the father-and-son-duo James and Harrison Snow, celebrated their love of craft beer by opening a tap house in the store.
Welcoming bar overlooking the beer garden. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
This “amazing addition to the destination spots on the Lower Cape for craft beer…”, as written by the Cape Cod Chronicle, features 20 beers on tap from local artisans to brewers all over the country, offering a rotating menu and tap-takeovers, providing exposure for budding craft beer entrepreneurs.
Town Cove Tap House offers their space for private events as well as community gathering, most recently for a speaking series and movie nights.
Just outside is the beer garden, featuring fire pits, Adirondack chairs and yard games. While a layer of frost will likely be found this time or year, check back in the warmer months.
Yard games in the beer garden. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
I stumbled into the place [figure of speech!] while looking for a new fishing net for the kids. They were drawn to the model train display; I was drawn to the hops (just walking through as we were on the beach time clock). While observing the operation, a couple at the bar were chatting with the bartender on how they too, were shocked to find this gem hidden in plain sight. I chuckled at the similarity.
I ended up purchasing the fishing net, but will have to return to “have a cup of cheer.”
There are no shortages of sweet treats on Cape Cod. In fact, there is arguably TOO much temptation in the sugary delight space on Cape. But if that’s your jam — too much temptation and dessert choice — look no further than the Ice Cream Cafe in Orleans.
Screenshot
The Ice Cream Cafe sits just outside the bustling downtown Center, sandwiched between the Orleans/Eastham rotary – the gateway to the Outer Cape – and the Orleans/Town Cove. The Ice Cream Cafe also happens to be next door neighbors to both the Cottage Street Bakery and Cooke’s Seafood Restaurant, and just across the street from the Lost Dog Pub. Point being, you don’t have to go far to eat all three square meals – and have a drink. This is one of those fun cases where it is faster to walk than to drive to nearby locations [though, pre meals, maybe].
The temptation and choice boils down to the menu. It is extensive, expansive, and incredibly edible [incredible edible egg word play here and in title]. Case in point, how many ice cream parlors offers blizzards, and smoothies, and soda fountains, and frozen drinks, and summer coolers, and sundaes, and soft serve, and non-dairy treats? They even collaborate with a next door neighbor (Cottage Street Bakery) to make a homemade chocolate cookie ice cream sandwich. [I’m not sure I’d be interested in any dessert collaboration with fellow next door neighbor Cooke’s Seafood.]
The vibe is also pretty great. Collaboration with nearby businesses is obvious; less pronounced is some of the humor [Good Humor pun not intended] found on interior signage. Of course, the exterior artwork hanging about is kind of irresistible.
Even Dean’s Beans (source of coffee) rhymes! Just little delights at every turn. The umbrellas and most chairs on the patio happen to be colors of the rainbow, too.
“Good drink, good food, good conversation,” pretty much sums up the year-round Orleans establishment named The Yardarm Restaurant. Half pub, half restaurant, “we pride ourselves as being the go-to meeting spot for locals in Orleans.” But outsiders – even those with young kids – are welcome, too.
Since 1972, the Yardarm Restaurant has been serving a mix of entrees, blue plate specials, sandwiches, gumbo, fried seafood baskets and of course, the prime rib special on select days (Thursdays and Sundays).
A Sunday visit did not disappoint. Prime rib, steak tips and the biggest hot dog we’d ever seen.
The restaurant is divided into sections, aptly named, the Channel, the Bullpen, the Pool Room. The décor of license plates and patches of first responders provides a festive and welcoming vibe.
So next time you’re cruising Route 28 through Orleans, or better yet, eyeing a Firebirds game [Eldredge Park is 0.5 miles from the restaurant], go Yard[arm]!
A cornhole tournament ($100 first place prize), 5K road race (9:15am), arts and crafts festival and food truck vendors is the line-up for Canal Day in Bourne on September 21, 2024.
The 66th Annual Antique Car Parade will happen on August 25, 2024 in West Dennis.
“Show off your prized wheels and join us for a cruise from Dennis Port to Dennis Village. The parade leaves West Dennis Beach at 11 am and winds through the villages of Dennis, ending at the Cape Playhouse where you can enjoy refreshments and visiting the car owners. There are many viewing areas along the way.”
Mashpee Chamber of Commerce will once again support the 2024 Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 14. Celebrate the magic of the holiday season from 5:30-6:30pm with this holiday tradition in Mashpee Commons thanks to sponsorship from local businesses.
The Orleans Pond Coalition and the Town of Orleans will once again host the 14th annual Celebrate Our Waters Festival. The event occurs during the weekend of September 13-15.
Last year, the event featured over thirty free events highlighting the natural wonder, scenic beauty, and recreational pleasure of Orleans’ priceless waterways and the unique character of the community.
Over this fun-filled weekend, people can paddle beautiful Arey’s Pond at sunset, take a morning yoga class at Nauset Beach, tour Town Cove by kayak, bike around town, walk scenic pond trails and even tour our sparkling new Wastewater Treatment Facility.
The oldest Cape Cod town embraces its ‘tasty’ name with its 15th Annual Street Fair. Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 5, 2024!
Last year, the festival featured over 90 street vendors, local artists, craftsmen and retailers, children’s activities, food and more. Event hours are 10am-4pm along historic and picturesque Water Street/Downtown.
Sponsorship levels vary from Premier ($2,500) to Contributing ($50)
The distance between the teams located farthest from one another is 47 miles. Photo credit: Google maps.
The month of June is known for many things; graduations, maximum daylight, outdoor concerts and endless replays of Alice Cooper’s Schools Out [for summer]. But on Cape Cod, the month of June means the beginning of a wonderful tradition and summer rite of passage: the Cape Cod Baseball League.
If you need a refresher, ten teams located between Wareham (just off-Cape) and Orleans, (Lower Cape), compete annually in this officially NCAA sanctioned summer league. (Though, as many books point out, the origins of organized baseball on Cape Cod are local and amateur.) Most professional scouts love to be assigned to the Cape League because of the concentration of teams. As an example, the distance between Wareham and Orleans, the two farthest outposts of the 10-team league, is a mere 47 miles. Conversely, teams in leagues in larger geographical areas may be separated by 47 miles each!
Indeed, closeness and geography makes the Cape Cod Baseball League special. So why not see for yourself and visit each team’s ballpark this summer? Below is a plan to do just that…in a single weekend. You read that right, it can be done:
Double Header Weekends. The weekends of June 17-19 (Father’s Day) and June 24-26 both have double headers on Sunday. The earliest double header begins at 2pm (at Cotuit) and the latest double header begins at 5pm (at Chatham). Meaning you can easily catch three complete games and probably see even more games if you only stay for a few innings and move along. Watching three complete games sounds like the ultimate ‘summer catch’ [Cape League-based movie pun intended]!
Last Weekend. The July 29-31 games are the last regular season weekend games. If you are savvy, you can catch games (heading East) at Hyannis (6pm) Harwich (6:30pm), Orleans (6:30pm) and Chatham (7pm) on Friday; start Saturday in Brewster (4pm) and then proceed West to Wareham (6pm—crossing the bridge should be okay on a Saturday), then head back over the bridge and down to Falmouth (6pm). On Sunday, start in YD at 4:30pm, then head West to the second half of the Cotuit game (4:30pm) and then the middle of the game at Bourne (6pm).
Unique Game Locations. Four Cape League teams will travel off-Cape for regular season game play. The first game between YD vs. Hyannis will be Wednesday, July 20 at 11:00am at Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford, home of the Class AA Hartford Yard Goats, affiliated with the Colorado Rockies. The second game between Bourne vs. Wareham will be Monday, July 25 at 6:45pm at Polar Park in Worchester, home of the Worcester Red Sox. And of course, don’t forget the All-Star Game on Saturday, July 23 at 6:00pm in Wareham.
Pinned locations of all ten Cape Cod Baseball League teams, color coded by West and East Divisions. Photo credit: CCBL.
Below are the addresses to the fields of all ten teams.
