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Descriptions of Cape Cod Villages

All or most of the towns offer charter/sports fishing, surf and freshwater fishing (license required; hiking/biking; walking nature trails; golfing, town band concerts. Most of the major towns sponsor the Cape Cod Baseball League (many of the players move on to major baseball – Mark Teixeira played for Orleans); Cape Cod Rail Trail – 22 miles of walking/biking from Dennis to Wellfleet, with an 8-mile extension from Harwich to Chatham.

In my opinion, the following towns are MUST SEE’S:

PROVINCETOWN, located at the tip of the Cape is totally unique with its small, narrow streets. Pilgrims first landed in Provincetown November 21, 1620 and is bordered by sand dunes and the sea.

TO DO: Provincetown Visitors Center, Race Point, Whydah Sea Lab & Learning Center, Macmillan Wharf (pirate treasures), Whale Watching, Provincetown Art Association & Museum, Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown Public Library (artifacts), New Provincetown Players (continues legacy of Eugene O’Neill & Tennessee Williams), Pilgrim Monument (pilgrims first landing), Provincetown Museum, Boston/Provincetown Harbor Cruises. Great shopping and restaurants.

EASTHAM: Cape Cod National Seashore Visitor Center, Eastham Windmill, Old Schoolhouse Museum, Olde Town Center Historic District (walking tour), Swift-Daley House Museum (period artifacts), Penniman House (sea captain home), Nauset Lighthouse, Cove Burial Ground (one of oldest), Bridge Road Cemetery (gravestones style), Three Sisters of Nauset Lighthouses (3 towers), Indian Rock at Skiff Hill (used for grinding and polishing implements), First Encounter Beach (where Indians and Pilgrims first met).

CHATHAM: Located on elbow of Cape Cod bordering both Nantucket Sound and Atlantic Ocean.

TO DO: Chatham Lighthouse (Coast Guard Station), Chatham Old Grist Mill, Fish Pier, Mayo House (1820), Atwood House Museum (1752), Railroad Museum, Caleb Nickerson House (colonial life), Chatham Bars Inn (4-Star rated overlooking Atlantic Ocean), Chatham Bars Inn Grille (across from Inn). Great shopping.

HYANNIS: Largest town on Cape Cod.

TO DO: John F. Kennedy Museum, Zion Union Heritage Museum (collections of artifacts and historical documents that portray the African-American and Cape Verdean culture on Cape Cod), Memorial Park, Harbor Your Arts on Bismore Park (art shanties), Mid-Cape Farmer’s Market, Cape Cod Maritime Museum, Harbor Cruise, Cape Cod Duckmobile, Cape Cod Mall, Cape Cod Melody Tent (famous celebrity performers).

SANDWICH: Oldest town on Cape Cod & among oldest in the United States.

TO DO: Heritage Museums & Gardens, Sandwich Glass Museum (1825) Dexter Grist Mill (grinds and sells meal), Wing Fort (oldest house in New England), Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center, Benjamin Nye Homestead & Museum (home of one of first settlers), Hoxie House (17th Century living), Thornton W. Burgess Museum (naturalist and author), Green Briar Nature Center & Jam Kitchen; Sandwich Boardwalk (biking along Cape Cod Bay and marshes), Boyden Farm (wild turkeys, deer, fox, owls, hawks), Doll Museum.

FALMOUTH: Second largest town.

TO DO: Woods Hole Oceanographic, Woods Hole Historical Museum, Nobaska Lighthouse, Falmouth Museum on the Green, Highland Hall (tour), Quaker Meeting House, Falmouth Winery.

BREWSTER: On famous and historic Route 6-A with lots of old homes and known as “America’s Sea Captain Town.” Bit of History: The town separated from Harwich as the northern, more wealthy parish of Harwich in 1693, and was officially incorporated as its own town in 1803 when the less wealthy citizens of Harwich were upset that the town’s institutions were all on Brewster’s main street (Route 6A), including the town hall and churches.

TO DO: Stony Brook Grist Mill & Herring Run, Crosby Mansion, Harris Black House, Higgins Farm Windmill, Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Brewster Historical Society, Cape Repertory Theatre.

HIGHLIGHTS OF OTHER VILLAGES

HARWICH: Quiet and peaceful village and the birthplace of the cranberry industry having the first commercial cranberry operation in 1846.

TO DO: Great beaches. Boat rides out in harbor. Romantic evening sails. Ferry to Nantucket. There are over 615 acres of trails at the Harwich Conservation Trust, and the Cape Cod Rail Trail takes hikers or cyclers pat cranberry bogs, lakes and ponds. There are seven villages that make up Harwich that are chock full of art galleries, cafes, restaurants and shops. The heart of Harwich is Harwich Center and Brooks Park that show free live concerts in the summer. For the performing arts, there’s the Harwich Junior Theater and the Cape Playhouse in nearby Dennis. Visit the Harwich Historical Society, Cedar Spring Herb Farm (herb gifts), Cape Cod Lavender Farm (lavender gifts), excursion tours to Monomoy Island (seals, birds).

DENNIS: Cape Playhouse Theatre (where famous stars began their career), Cape Cinema (showing films not shown in theatres), Cape Cod Museum of Fine Arts, Scargo Tower (built on highest elevation in mid-Cape), Old Shiverick Shipyard (where large ships were built), 6 beaches on Nantucket Sound and 10 beaches on Cape Cod Bay.

ORLEANS: French Cable Station (1891), Orleans Historical Society, Motor Lifeboat (Coast Guard Rescue Boat, beaches on both Cape Cod Bay and Atlantic Ocean.

WELLFLEET: Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Drive-In Theatre & Flea Market, art galleries, and beautiful beaches.

TRURO: Truro Vineyards (wine), Highland Light (oldest and highest), Highland Link Golf Course (Massachusetts oldest), Whitman House Quilt Shop (handmade Amish quilts)

YARMOUTH: Captain Bangs Hallet House (tour), Baxter Grist Mill, Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Gorham Cobbler Shop (handcrafted wooden furniture), Edward Gorey House (author/illustrator), Judah Baker Windmill.

MASHPEE: Formerly Indian Reservation of Wampanoag Indians, Indian Meeting House on Cape Cod and still used by Tribe, Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Museum.

TO DO: Mashpee Commons (shops look like townhouses and whole complex looks like a village, Popponessett Marketplace at New Seabury (Nantucket-like shops and boutiques and outdoor cafes.

BARNSTABLE VILLAGE: Cape Cod County Seat on Cape Cod Bay, government buildings, and picturesque Main Street.

FERRIES:

Hyannis – Hy-Line Cruises to Oak Bluffs and Martha’s Vineyard

Hyannis – Steamship Authority to Nantucket

Hyannis – Steamship Authority Fast Ferry to Nantucket

Hyannis – Hy-Line Cruises Hi-Speed Catamaran to Nantucket

Falmouth – Island Queen to Oak Bluffs and Martha’s Vineyard

Woods Hole – Steamship Authority to Vineyard Haven and Martha’s Vineyard

Harwich – Freedom Cruise Line high-speed to Nantucket

Last updated: May 11, 2011

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