Headwaters of the Cape Cod Canal and Cape Cod Bay. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
by Jeff Shaw
If you are looking for a morning or afternoon of free entertainment, look no further than the Sandwich Marina.
The Sandwich Marina, Bay side, sits about two miles north of the Sagamore Bridge. The marina is bustling with activity, both for those with a slip and those without one.
I happened to visit during an Army Corps of Engineers boating safety event. The offerings: free fishing lessons (off the pier), coast guard boat tours and ‘dunk an engineer’ were perfect shoulder season entertainment. While that community event may have sparked the visit, plenty of activities exist without it.
Dunk an engineer kept the kiddos entertained despite the wet weather. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
First, fishing. Unrelated to the event, dozens of anglers were casting or dropping line(s) up and down the pier. The free parking at the marina is a plus.
Second, the maritime traffic in the canal. Not overwhelming, but a steady flow of vessels of all sorts, sizes and sounds. With a half a dozen benches spaced along the waterfront; the marina is a people watchers paradise.
Third, the Cape Cod Canal Visitor Centeris not just for directions, but an interactive walk through exhibit. Three rooms, two of which have stunning (eye level) views of the canal, explain the history of and rationale for building the Cape Cod Canal. Spoiler alert: safer passage for ships compared to the treacherous shoals that surround the peninsula. There is even a retired service boat inside the building visitors can climb aboard and explore.
A stunning view and history of the Cape Cod Canal. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
Fourth, a picture-perfect picnic location. A covered set of picnic tables can be found on a slightly elevated, somewhat hidden bluff, overlooking the head of the channel. The view may even qualify for a Cape-wide top 10 views list.
Finally, the railroad. Wait, what?! Yes, trains from Cape Cod Central Railroad and the Cape Cod Flyer pass over the tracks that cross Freezer Road, the main entryway into the marina. While the Cape Cod Railroad Bridge is on the other side of the Canal, in Bourne, the train may be the best kept secret for a complete view of the channel. Though, the Sandwich Train Station, while historic and still standing, does not stop for passengers anymore.
Slightly tucked away and covered picnic area near the Cape Cod Canal, Cape Cod Bay headwaters. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw
(To be fair, the Cape Cod Canal Bikeway, also an Army Corps of Engineers Service Road, is the most common way to explore the Canal area.)
I hope you are enjoying fall on Cape Cod, the best season; sparse crowds, outdoor festivals, crisp air, and ocean/pond temperature just warm enough for a quick dip. Mix-in those fall flavors and smiles all around! Speaking of flavors and smiles…
…Last week at Cape Cod Doxie Day, I was the big winner of an Octoberfest raffle prize package – featuring, you guessed it, a mix of Octoberfest-style beers. Like, a lot of beers – too many beers – 48 to be exact (no joke, four 12-packs in addition to pint glasses, bottle opener, t-shirt, etc.). Talk about kick-starting ‘Fest season!
The family and I are now regularly hopping around festivals, farms and bakeries, and my self-control is waning with all the tempting food and drink choices. My kitchen (and refrigerator) is now home to bags of freshly picked native apples, boxes of “famous” apple cider donuts, and pumpkins and gourds galore. There are also pies, baguettes and cold apple cider. Last night, I even caught wind of a famous apple fritter on the Vineyard. Apple addiction, admitted.
Apple Picking
Crow Farm, Sandwich
Crow Farm is a 50-acre family farm located outside of historic downtown Sandwich. While they are no longer operating the farm stand, they have expanded their pick-your-own-apples program. Check out their Facebook page for the latest pick-your-own dates and times. The details: Macoun, Empire, Jonagolds, Cortland and Cameo ($25 per bag), pumpkin picking ($0.75 per pound) and a corn maze ($5 per person).
Cape Abilities Farm is one of three innovative social enterprises established by Cape Abilities—a nonprofit providing jobs, homes, transportation, social and therapeutic services for people with disabilities across Cape Cod. “Fall at the Farm,” includes pumpkins, gourds, mums, straw decorations, but for this purpose…apple butter, local apples, and organic apples are also available in the farm store.
Hart Farm Nursery and Gardens, Dennis Port
The Farm Stand at Hart Farm, open daily (including Sundays), not only offers produce standards, but also fresh apple cider and native apples. If you are a first-timer, check out their “famous” face-painted decorative pumpkins. Fun!
Hand painted pumpkins at Hart Farm. Photo credit: Hart Farm.
Coonamessett Farm, East Falmouth
Coonamessett Farm a 20-acre working farm, agricultural research center and general store located in Falmouth. The store is open from 9 am to 5 pm through fall, and carries freshly grown seasonal produce, native plants, homemade pies, sandwiches, and snacks. Purchase pick-your-own day pass and roam the fields for produce galore! (Alas, no apples.) The farm also holds seasonal activities, including pumpkin decorating for kids. For members, a Jamaican Buffett is offered Wednesdays and they’ve partnered with Buffalo Jump Cafe to offer farm to table breakfast, lunch and reservations-only dinner on the farm.
Farmer’s Markets
All four regions of Cape Cod are well stocked with farmer’s markets. While fresh, often locally grown produce is the main attraction, you never know what seasonal or surprise product may be available. Case and point, take the Falmouth Farmer’s Market, “the market features just-picked produce, local fish, artisanal cheeses, breads, handmade pasta, and such freshly baked treats as apple cider donuts.” The best part, the is a farmer’s market every day (in season), somewhere, on Cape Cod!
Now that’s a catchy ad! Photo credit: Jack and the Beanstalk.
Apple Cider Donuts
Jack in the Beanstalk, Falmouth
It is rare to find a Cape Cod bakery menu have this menu choice: “our famous Apple Cider donuts.” But exist it does, on the Upper Cape. Located next to Falmouth High School, Jack in the Beanstalk is a locally-owned produce and gourmet food store. They started making apple cider donuts in 2016 to much success and fanfare.
Anything but your typical donut shop. From their website, “If you happen upon our back door during the daytime, you wouldn’t think much of it. Just a random, non-descript purple door in the parking lot of a supermarket. However, once the sun sets, the back door swings open. With it, the sweet smells of sugary summer pour out.”
Another hot take: “Everyone from The New York Times to Condé Nast Traveler has waxed poetic about these [Back Door Donuts] sweet treats, and for excellent reason: Fresh, cheap, and available between 7 p.m. and 12:58 a.m. in-season from the rear door of Martha’s Vineyard Gourmet Café & Bakery, these doughnuts might just be the island’s worst-kept secret (as demonstrated by the nightly long lines). Raised and cake varieties are on offer, and favorite flavors include maple-bacon and butternut crunch.”
Top of the menu. Photo credit: Back Door Bakery.
You know what other item is on their menu, “Famous Apple Fritters.” I too, am pacing with anticipation. Just don’t “fall” (seasonal pun) overboard on the ferry ride!
What is your favorite apple product/place on Cape Cod?
The Ridgevale Beach parking attendant shack in May, 2021. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
Author’s Note: Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope you are able to gather safely with family and friends to celebrate and commemorate. In the spirit of this weekend kicking off the unofficial start of summer, below is an essay (long shot idea) asking local leaders to consider participating in a multi-town — better yet Cape-wide — beach parking pass.
The concept is rooted in the mountains (ski areas), but could create new experiences and better understanding of Cape Cod’s natural resources for locals and visitors alike. I’d love to hear your reaction to the idea, so unleash the comments!
All-Access/Multi-Town Cape Cod Beach Parking Pass
Whether bayside or oceanside, salt or fresh water, private or public, beaches make Cape Cod a special place. The same is true for the communities around them.
Yet parking at area beaches during the summer season can be daunting, to say the least. Could a multi-town, even Cape-wide, beach parking pass better promote these natural resources?
Beach access has been on my mind. Recent articles on the “dust-up in Dennis,” where seasonal residents are not eligible for the $50 full-time resident beach sticker and instead must buy an $180 seasonal resident beach sticker. Similarly, Chatham and Orleans continue the longstanding debate of the proper distribution of revenue from oversand vehicle stickers.
Being Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of the summer, most Cape Cod towns updated their beach information and fees for the upcoming summer season. Easier said than understood.
All 15 Cape Cod towns have different prices, options, enforcement dates, enforcement times, and processes for purchasing a beach parking sticker/pass. (I actually compiled a spreadsheet listing all this information and my head hurt about thirty minutes into a 2-hour project.)
Overloaded with 15 different beach sticker programs, I am convinced a multi-town beach sticker season pass is a worthy pursuit. Feel free to ready the rotten tomatoes.
Admitedly, it is easy enough to work-around parking at town beaches without the required parking sticker. You can visit before 9:00 am, or after 4:30 pm in most cases. You can drop off your party and park elsewhere if you don’t mind walking back. Ridesharing eliminates parking problems completely.
The idea of a multi-town or Cape-wide pass is rooted above sea level. A recent trend in the ski industry is the evolution of a multi-resort, “all-access” season or frequency pass. If you are a skier or rider, think Epic/Ikon (season pass) or Indy/Mountain Collective (frequency pass).
A season pass could offer unlimited or limited access to beaches in participating Cape Cod towns. Just look at The Cape Cod National Seashore annual pass as an example. For $60, you have unlimited access to six beaches in four Cape Cod towns. For Cape Cod standards, what a deal!
A frequency pass offers a set amount of days (say, two or three days) to visit beaches in participating towns, with or without restrictions. Just like holiday “black out” dates in December and February at ski areas, the Fourth of July or Labor Day weekends could have restricted access.
Such programs give passholders more options/incentives to visit different places and have new experiences while host communities reap the benefit of increased exposure and related economic activity and hopefully, return shoppers (beachgoers).
Town parking policies would not have to change. A multi-town season or frequency parking pass would still not guarantee a parking space. Parking lot access would still be first-come, first serve. Towns can also dictate which beach(es) participate, so locals only beaches can be preserved. No refunds can still be the policy.
The concept is based on increased value (slight discount, enhanced access, etc.) in exchange for upfront commitment by customers (resident or tourist passholders). Payouts could be distributed equally among participating towns based on passes sold, or by redemptions, meaning each town gets paid when a passholder visits one of their beaches. Technology makes tracking usage seamless.
Snacks bars, food or ice cream trucks, equipment rental shops, and area businesses would gain exposure to new visitors (again, resident or tourist passholders) who would otherwise not have a reason to visit the area. A multi-town beach pass could also make a great gift, especially for those looking to give the gift of experiences rather than stuff.
Finally, Cape Cod has a history of collaboration. From regionalization of schools to recreation trails to wild life management – even beaches. That’s right, precedent for a multi-town beach pass exists in the Upper Cape. Bourne and Sandwich have a reciprocal agreement that grants season passholders access to certain beaches in each town, though there are caps and restrictions.
Summer on Cape Cod can be magical. The parades, baseball games, band concerts, clambakes, are just a few cherished summer traditions that define summer on Cape Cod. The beaches also tend to be part of that story, many of which are consistently ranked in “Top 10” lists nationally.
The “Fruit Loop” roundabout in South Sandwich. A fresh banana peel (center), fresh apple core (right), and rotting banana peels (right) illustrates some monkey business.
Author’s Note:
Regular readers of www.HappyCapeCod.com may notice the occasional pun is, often sprinkled, albeit unnecessarily, into posts. Puns are good for a cheap laugh, and I’m a firm believer that you can’t have enough humor, lame as the attempts may be.
The story below is intentionally littered with puns, most not original, some forced, but appropriate in context of the fruity topic. See if you can catch them all in this a-peel-ing Cape Cod mystery!
A Banana Peel ‘Caper’ in Sandwich
We can all agree littering is bad. Trash is an eyesore, garbage is often gross and worse, carelessly discarded items can be harmful to wildlife and the environment. That said, tossing the occasional, biodegradable fruit peel on the road can’t be that bad, right? Wrong!
In 2013, a roundabout, the slower, one-lane circular cousin to the larger rotary road enhancement, was installed in South Sandwich to improve safety on a heavily traveled Upper Cape road. Known as one of the most hazardous intersections on Cape Cod, the Cotuit Road/Harlow Road intersection was in line for safety improvements. Yet, according to an article in 2012, the roadway redesign proposal got mixed reviews. One resident called the $900,000 project a “boondoggle.” Another said the roundabout was “barely big enough for her Toyota Camry.” Though a third, perhaps more optimistic neighbor, thought it was “an upgrade” to the harrowing intersection.
Fresh banana peels rest peacefully in the “Fruit Loop” roundabout. Photo credit: Gene M. Marchand.
Fast forward to 2021. The town of Chatham is nearing completion of a similar roundabout project along busy Route 28, with a familiar bunch of mixed reviews. However, unlike the 2013 Sandwich Roundabout, which was completed ahead of schedule, the Chatham Roundabout project has been marred by delays and is still only now nearing completion despite receiving approval ten years ago.
After the Sandwich Roundabout opened, people started to notice banana peels in the circular center. Evidently, a bunch of banana peels is a more accurate description. In a recent Cape Cod Times article, the Sandwich Public Works Director described the intersection candidly, “I believe you are referring to our illustrious roundabout, aka, the “Fruit Loop,” to some locals, or the “Bane of My Existence “as I prefer to call it!” The director went on to say, “while the first 1,000 banana peels thrown may have been somewhat comical, it has gotten very old and turned into an eyesore.” An una-peel-ing situation, for sure!
A Sandwich Enterprise article provided more details about the frequent drive-by peelings. “On any given day, there may be 10, 12, or more peels littering the circle. Some are yellow in color, signifying their recent disposal into the circular center of the roundabout, and some are brown from rotting. In addition to peels there has been at least one anecdotal report of a spiral ham being tossed onto the traffic circle, as well as sightings of orange peels and apple cores.” As local storyteller and adventurer extraordinaire Eric Williams reflected, “this distressing banana news was hard to digest.”
A soggy Fruit Loops was the final resting place of an apple core (center left) as well as a half dozen rotting banana peels. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
But why bananas? Was it because it is easy to throw a banana and split? The answer may require a side trip to the Outer Cape.
Bananas have a unique place in Cape Cod history. Lorenzo Dow Baker was born in Wellfleet in 1850, later becoming a sea captain who pursued profits in the tropics. In 1870, he brought a party of gold prospectors to Venezuela. On the return trip, Baker stopped in a Banana Republic (Jamaica location) looking for moneymaking cargo to carry back home. As the story goes, the port master in Port Antonio, Jamaica, suggested an odd-shaped local fruit that was unknown in the United States. That fruit led Baker to found the United Fruit Company, later Chiquita Brands International. Perhaps the banana shenanigans are actually a nod to the impact of the fruit in Cape history.
Theories as to who is behind this monkey business and why abound. The best guess is that an individual who travels through this route daily, eats a banana every day for breakfast while commuting to work. This strict routine results in him, or her, finishing the banana at the exact moment of passage through the roundabout. According to Kristen Long who uses the road to get to work, “There used to be a bucket labeled ‘Bananas’. Though, “No one ever got them in there.”
On April Fool’s Day, 2020, this dancing gorilla brought joy to surprised faces of the Upper Cape community. Photo credit: Karen B. Hunter.
More comical theories suggest the culprit is the person who gets paid to clean up the bananas. The idea is that it would provide job security. If so, that’s a lot of banana peels! An even more humorous theory references the Adam Sandler movie, “Billy Madison,” saying that the peels must have been left by someone trying to “off” the O’Doyle family. In the movie, that family’s car goes off a cliff after driving over a banana peel left in the road.
Maintaining the peels-as-weapons theme, several people suggested that the roundabout was being used to play real-life games of “Mario Kart,” where players of the video game can chuck banana peels on the race track to slow their opponents. Indeed, it is a slippery situation. Local neighbor Nancy Casale wasn’t buying any of it. She noted, “It’s been going on for a while. It’s stupid.”
The most sinister theory is that the peel chucking began as a way for someone to express frustration with the Sandwich Roundabout project. (This bodes poorly for the Chatham Roundabout project mentioned earlier.) Further, Sandwich Police confirm this issue has been ongoing for years, and that numerous individuals are likely participating. As Eric Williams so accurately pointed out, Cape Codders must unite if there is any chance to “Stop the Peel.”
This Sandwich roundabout gives new meaning to the acronym “BYOB.” Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
Last spring, a self-described “semi-public person” (official?) in the Upper Cape community dressed up in a gorilla costume and danced around the Sandwich Roundabout. It was April Fool’s Day and, “I wanted to give people a distraction and something to laugh at,” the gorilla said. “All while making fun of the littering that happens at the rotary.”
So, on this one-year anniversary of the dancing gorilla, let us ride our peel-a-tons to fitness goal glory and dream of a better day, when the only Froot Loop is a colorful cereal box.
For those playing “count the puns,” there were 12. Still crazy for banana content? Check out this commercial from Lexus.
The colorful and clean signage attracts visitors to this must stop ice cream shop! Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
Author’s Note: It is hard to believe another Labor Day weekend is upon us. Yet here it is. As written before, it is HappyCapeCod company policy to keep “summah” alive until at least September 22, when the autumnal equinox occurs. As a reminder, the equinox is the time when day and night are of equal length, in this case, marking the start of fall. But before then and with the Labor Day weekend forecast projecting low 80s and upper 70s and sunshine, let’s all bask in the joy of summer a little longer.
Thank you summer for helping me cope with this otherwise horrible time in world history. The water, the sand, the breeze, the trees soothed. Outdoor visits allowed visits with family and friends. In time, I hope the fall foliage, fresh snowfall and eventual spring blossoms, will provide similar opportunities, appreciation and renewal.
Twin Acres Ice Cream Shoppe, Sandwich
“Putting smiles on the face of those in our local communities is our primary goal.” I’m constantly looking for ways to smile; ice cream will do the trick.
Timed this stop perfectly with no line! Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
Tucked away on bustling Route 6A, the slower east to west thoroughfare spanning the charming northern side of the Cape spanning from Sandwich to Orleans, near the Sagamore Bridge is an ice cream shop. If you drive too fast around the bend (heading east), you will likely miss it. Yet in between the nearby landmarks of the Sagamore Inn and the British Beer Company (Sandwich location), is the must-STOP Twin Acres Ice Cream SHOPPE. (Rhyme intended.)
Despite being located off a busy main road, the Twin Acres Ice Cream Shoppe property is a bright, clean and well-manicured two [twin] acres (get it?). As the story goes, it all started in the mid-1970s, in a one-car garage, next to a cottage community built after World War II. In 1990, the business was redesigned to offer customers a park-like setting with lush gardens of dogwoods, hydrangeas, daisies, roses, lily’s and more, beneath old-growth shade trees. There is ample seating behind the building, which reduces the noise of the busy road and bustling parking lot.
Ellen patiently waits to order an appropriate distance from other customers. Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
While ice cream is the main attraction, Twin Acres Ice Cream Shoppe also offers lobster rolls, sausages and hot dogs, with the essential side of Cape Cod potato chips. But back to the ice cream. They offer over 70 flavors that includes premium hard, soft serve, sorbet, sherbert, vegan and sugar-free ice cream. (The popular seasonal peach ice cream (big chunks) sold out for the season on August 23.) Non-dairy frozen options of mango, raspberry or lemon sorbets are also available. Even vegan ice cream, coconut-based, is available – vanilla, strawberry, chocolate and cookies and cream. There are also milk shakes, specialty sundaes and dog friendly “pup cups” with a dog biscuit, to ensure everyone in the family has something to enjoy.
Twin Acres Ice Cream Shoppe actively supports local community projects. You may notice collection boxes for diapers and baby wipes for families in need, through the Help a Baby Center. They also provide gift cards for police departments to reward children seen “doing the right thing” in their communities. They sponsor the Rotary Club of Osterville’s Good Works Fund to support local nonprofits and the Jimmy Fund, raising money for cancer research.
Sometimes just a simple cup of vanilla soft serve is all you need! Photo credit: Jeff Shaw.
With my Upper Cape time limited, the typical move is to swing by Twin Acres Ice Cream Shoppe on the way off Cape, the last, sweet taste of Cape Cod before heading back to the mainland. Twin Acres Ice Cream Shoppe is located a mere 3 minutes from the Sagamore Bridge, so stop by on your next trip on or off Cape Cod!
