The Important Information to Cape Cod, Massachusetts

This geographic flexed arm jutting from the Massachusetts mainland is greater than only a quirky form on the map—it’s additionally a den of coastal charm and salty heritage.

Cape Cod’s sandy stretch of dunes and kettle ponds has lengthy laid out its welcome mat for these in want of refuge and respite, from the early days of the Mayflower’s “saints and strangers,” who anchored in Provincetown Harbor, to generations of native Cape Codders and “washashores” (the time period locals use for individuals are not from the realm).

The spit’s relative isolation has helped protect each its bohemian enclaves, like Provincetown and Wellfleet, in addition to its statelier corners, equivalent to Osterville, Hyannis Port, and Chatham. However the Cape is evolving. A wave of recent full-time residents, drawn by distant work and a post-pandemic life-style shift, has sparked a metamorphosis. 

“The cape is not a bit of sleepy resort city anymore. It is actually a thriving mecca for year-round dwelling,” mentioned Marc Sievers, a cookbook writer and proprietor of Fête Among the many Flowers in Osterville. “It truly is beginning to grow to be a vacation spot that individuals are seeing as greater than only a fast weekend.”

Whether or not you’re chasing sunsets or getting misplaced in a hydrangea-lined village, let the nice instances of Cape Cod butter up your lobster roll.

This is what you must know earlier than planning a visit to Cape Cod.

Finest Accommodations & Resorts

Chatham Bars Inn

Longtime Cape luxurious mainstay Chatham Bars Inn is residence to the top of summer season socializing, the place oysters and rosé at The Veranda can cap a day of studying from a non-public seaside cabana overlooking Aunt Lydia’s Cove. The last word splurge is a spa suite with a non-public steam bathe and hydrotherapy tub.

Wequassett Resort and Golf Membership

Wequassett Resort and Golf Club encompasses acres of hydrangea-filled gardens, and there are many methods to go a summer season day, right here—from kayaking to clandestine cocktails. Wequasset’s visitor rooms, villas, and cottages lately underwent a renovation that was accomplished simply in time for the resort’s 2025 centennial celebration. “When folks assume ‘luxurious’ on the Cape, it is in all probability the primary,” mentioned Gayle Charge, a longtime Cape Codder and New England’s doyenne of dish, who cowrote the Boston Herald’s Inside Monitor gossip column for 25 years.

Awol Provincetown

There’s no higher spot to catch sundown than at Awol Provincetown, situated within the far West Finish overlooking the moors. Visitor rooms and suites at this motel-turned-glam-retreat have an elegant, minimalist vibe that carries exterior to the fireplace pits and pool space, the place neighbors for the week toast with cocktails from the guest-only bar.

Candleberry Inn

This Brewster bed-and-breakfast was named one of many best hotels in the world by Journey + Leisure readers in 2024. You will really feel like a complicated sea captain at this Georgian-style residence that is only a brief stroll from Cape Cod Bay beaches. Breakfast is a decadent unfold, however you’ll additionally discover considerate touches like a customized bundle of goodies awaiting you within the eating room every afternoon after a day of exploring.  

Bluebird Dennisport

Lark Accommodations (the identical dad or mum firm behind AWOL Provincetown) transformed this former motor lodge right into a contemporary, beach-y retreat that offers visitors an elegant, wood-paneled place to relaxation amid a summer season sojourn to the Cape with out all of the bells and whistles—and exorbitant peak nightly charges—of a number of the space’s extra established luxurious choices.

Finest Issues to Do

Go to Cape Cod Nationwide Seashore.

This stretch of beaches, ponds, and wooded trails working from Chatham to Provincetown was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and has a number of the area’s hottest sandy stretches, like Ptown’s Race Level Seashore and Nauset Seashore in Orleans.

“The Province Lands, a part of the Cape Cod Nationwide Seashore, are my favourite escape,” mentioned Ken Fulk, an inside designer who splits his time between San Francisco and Provincetown. “Right here you’ll discover miles of motorcycle trails, tidal swimming pools in which you’ll be able to float alongside like a lazy river, and huge stretches of typically empty seashores—and don’t miss the prospect to hike throughout the immense dunes out to the good Atlantic.”

Stroll via Heritage Museum & Gardens.

The Cape’s iconic hydrangeas are solely a small piece of this 100-acre property, celebrating the rhododendrons initially hybridized by Charles Dexter, who experimented and produced a whole bunch of hundreds of the flower varieties that also bloom on the property in the present day. Flowers could also be the primary present, however the Heritage Museum & Gardens additionally has a classic automobile assortment and a working classic carousel.

See the Pilgrim Monument.

The cross-bay rivals of Plymouth and Provincetown lovingly spar over who has a greater declare because the Pilgrims’ preliminary arrival vacation spot. Guests will discover one thing a bit extra spectacular on the almost 253-foot granite Pilgrim Monument that lords over Provincetown. It was constructed within the early twentieth century to honor the Pilgrims’ five-week stint on the Outer Cape, and it is a good various to the (quite infamously) underwhelming Plymouth Rock. Plus, you may climb to the highest and soak up sweeping bayside and Atlantic Ocean views.

Catch a present at The Cape Playhouse.

This Dennis, Massachusetts, stage can really feel like Broadway’s summer season camp, given that everybody from Bernadette Peters and Julie Andrews to Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda has carried out right here since its 1927 inception. At this time, you may anticipate finding regionally orchestrated productions of hits like “Lease” and “Waitress.”

Watch the sundown at Chapin Memorial Seashore.

Deciding which Cape Cod seaside is one of the best for taking in a sundown with a sip of one thing fabulous can really feel like selecting a favourite youngster. However the expansive tidal flats and seclusion of Chapin Memorial Beach can really feel actually otherworldly. “When you can catch low tide at sundown, your head will explode,” mentioned Adam Dunn, who co-owns The Pheasant restaurant in Dennis along with his spouse. “There’s this jaw-dropping view on the market.”

Finest Purchasing

Cuffy’s

Certain, there are outlets hawking Cape Cod-emblazoned t-shirts and merchandise all through your complete peninsula, however Cuffy’s is an area establishment that now has a boardwalk-themed flagship filled with all of the swag wanted to outfit you, your loved ones, and any good friend again residence that wants a thank-you present for checking your mail.

Fête Among the many Flowers

These in search of a bit of Cape design inspiration will discover simply the best residence accents at this Osterville specialty food and floral shop that additionally sells throws, candles, and different small items. It is the proper place to seek out that treat-yourself splurge. 

Sandwich Antiques Middle

Whether or not you’re in search of a Tiffany lamp or a framed ultimate menu from the Queen Mary, odds are you’ll discover it (and a slew of different classic treasures) at this 5,000-square-foot emporium of eccentric finds. You might also want to select up a classic suitcase to cart your items again residence.

Browse Industrial Avenue in Provincetown.

It’s laborious to select a particular gallery, boutique, or espresso store to go to on Industrial Avenue, however we’ll strive.

“Just a few of my favourite outlets embody The Captain’s Daughters for the proper t-shirt, Clove and Creek for one of the best presents, and the hidden John Derian store tucked in an impossibly charming shed behind his home—you’ll need all the pieces,” Fulk mentioned.

Different locals within the know at all times swing by for seaside provisions at Pop+Dutch, the city’s go-to spot for sandwiches and sass. You will discover feast staples at Perry’s Fine Wine & Liquors, an it’s-an-insult-to-just-call-it-a-wine-shop form of institution hawking all the pieces from hard-to-procure champagne and caviar to charcuterie and dips (plus, there are complimentary treats for the numerous four-legged guests that come to city).

Nightlife

Wellfleet Beachcomber

Dune erosion means you by no means fairly know what the parking zone goes to appear like every Memorial Day opening weekend on the Wellfleet Beachcomber, however the good instances are at all times the identical. Imbibing with a rum-forward Goombay Smash to the sounds of an area rock band efficiency is virtually a ceremony of passage for a Cape Codder’s summer season Saturday night time. “I should have been a young person once they first opened it, and so they’ve been pumping out dance music and oysters ever since,” Charge mentioned.

The Atlantic Home

The Atlantic House, or the A-Home, has been Ptown’s most iconic watering gap for greater than 200 years—and has one of many best-known LGBTQ+ dance flooring for an excellent chunk of that span. The drinks are robust, and the ceilings are low (to not point out the lopsided dance ground). However the line snaking down an alley and up the primary street is an indicator that that is the place to spend a raucous night time all 12 months lengthy.

Finest Eating places

Ceraldi

The seven-course tasting menu at Ceraldi is a celebration of regionally sourced components and staples from the ocean with an Italian twist (assume: beef shank with Cape Cod blueberries and polenta arriving after a lobster risotto course). Preserve a hawk eye on availability, as an open seat at this Wellfleet chef’s desk doesn’t come round typically.

Sal’s Place

An additional plate of meatballs or platter of cauliflower Caesar salad at all times appears to seem whereas diners debate who has one of the best entrée (hen carbonara or lobster alla vodka, anybody?) en route at this candlelit Italian treasure in Ptown’s West Finish. “It’s the clubhouse for the city’s luminaries and washashores alike,” Fulk mentioned.

The Pheasant

Fried seafood baskets have lengthy been Cape menu staples, however the arrival of The Pheasant in Dennis performed a significant function in elevating the repute of the native eating scene. Caviar service can kick issues off earlier than indulgences like lamb osso bucco and blood orange cheesecake.

“It’s this fabulous previous construction with plank flooring, shiplap partitions, and previous oil work, however then they’ve a fully killer wine listing and a fully over-the-top, inventive however nonetheless earthy menu,” mentioned Sievers.

Sesuit Harbor Café

Clearly, one can’t go to Cape Cod with out splurging on at the very least some fried seafood. Sesuit Harbor Café serves heaping piles of fried entire stomach clams, shrimp, scallops, and oysters (plus lobster rolls, after all) with waterfront views from picnic tables. Plus, it’s BYOB. “We’ll carry a tablecloth, glassware, wine, and make it a factor,” mentioned Erica Dunn, who’s married to Adam Dunn, and co-owns The Pheasant with him.

Sundae Faculty

Selecting a favourite ice cream store on the Cape is as heated a debate as something you’ll discover on Capitol Hill. Sundae School provides all of the classics (don’t miss the ice cream pies or the oh-so-popular banana splits) at areas in each Harwich Port and Dennisport.

Finest Time to Go to

The summer season season runs between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends and is greatest for individuals who need the comfort of extra frequent ferry service from Boston or airline service into Cape Cod Gateway Airport (HYA) in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Some seasonal eating places and outlets don’t remain open exterior this timeframe, however the shoulder season from Labor Day via Halloween is an more and more standard time to go to. Most retailers and eating places stay open, lodge and Airbnb charges are decrease, and sunny seaside days are nonetheless doable.

The best way to Get to Cape Cod

Driving to Cape Cod over its two fundamental entry factors (the Bourne and Sagamore bridges) and the following summer season exercise is a part of the “appeal” and simply the most well-liked strategy to get to trip. However 90-minute ferries from Boston—which has the closest main airport, Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS)—are a straightforward strategy to eclipse the Outer Cape site visitors. Cape Cod Gateway Airport in Hyannis has seasonal service on choose main U.S. carriers, plus year-round Cape Air service. The Hyannis Transportation Middle has weekend rail service to Boston within the summers and year-round bus connections.

Cities to Go to

Provincetown

The Cape’s longtime haven for the bohemian, the eclectic, and the LGBTQ+ neighborhood has additionally grow to be considered one of its toniest—whereas nonetheless sustaining the appeal that attracts folks within the first place.

“Provincetown is as shut as I ever really feel to being a child once more,” Fulk mentioned. “We experience bikes recklessly down the slender road, leap with abandon into the chilly harbor, then nap like a child curled up with moist canine. May there be extra pleasure?”

Chatham

This lace-curtained enclave of the luxurious and fabulous additionally has boutiques for trendy post-beach dinner garb and housewares in addition to jaw-dropping waterfront actual property for these seeking to actually splurge on a summertime residence.

Wellfleet

This artist neighborhood beckons these in search of galleries to peruse, waterfront cocktails, and even a spherical of nine-hole golf with a waterfront view.

Dennis

Dennis is a seaside lover’s dream, and it has ample spots to dip your toes within the sand on each the Cape Cod Bay aspect (simply thoughts the occasional oyster farm) in addition to the Nantucket Sound aspect.

Hyannis

The Cape’s transportation nexus, Hyannis, can also be the final cease for big-box purchasing in case you’re heading onward to the Outer Cape. Hyannis Essential Avenue has a mixture of memento purchasing and enjoyable bars and eating places, whereas neighboring Hyannis Port is the place the Kennedy clan’s compound served as a significant backdrop to Camelot.

Falmouth

One among Cape Cod’s largest communities, Falmouth is a significant connecting level for these seeking to hop on a ferry to discover Martha’s Winery or Nantucket. 

The best way to Get Round

Relying on what a part of Cape Cod you’re heading to, you may attain it by land, by sea or by air.

• Ferry: 90-minute quick ferries are a handy strategy to get from downtown Boston to Provincetown. They sometimes run in the course of the summer season or shoulder seasons with Boston Harbor City Cruises and Bay State Cruise Company. Spherical-trip companies are $100 with Boston Harbor Metropolis Cruises, whereas Bay State service is $128.
• Prepare: CapeFlyer prepare service connects Boston’s South Station to Hyannis on the weekends in the summertime.
• Bus: Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority runs bus service inside Cape Cod; Peter Pan Bus Lines connects Hyannis to Boston’s South Station; and the Plymouth & Brockton Bus Company connects Hyannis to Boston Logan Worldwide Airport.
• Air: Cape Cod Gateway Airport is the biggest airport on the peninsula and sees seasonal service from main airways like American Airways and JetBlue, whereas Cape Air serves the airport year-round. Provincetown Municipal Airport (PVC) has seasonal Cape Air service in the summertime.
• Rideshare: Service is proscribed, particularly on the Outer Cape from Orleans north to Provincetown, however you may often hail Uber or Lyft drivers. If you cannot catch a experience share, Cape Cab is likely one of the largest taxi suppliers within the space.