25-05-2025
The ultimate insider's guide to Cape Cod
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Hottest table in town
'It's hard to believe we're sitting in the service bay of an old gas station,' our companion, Paul Kelley said, as we spread perfectly salted butter onto a thick slice of house-made sourdough bread at LUNE (
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Families enjoy Coast Guard Beach in Eastham last July.
John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
The beach is everything
Cape Codders pray for sunny weekends so they can pack up their guests for the beach. Forty-mile-long Cape Cod National Seashore gets all the love (
Coast Guard Beach
. (The shuttle has room for beach gear and bikes.) Backed by low grass and heathlands, this long stretch of beach is one of the Cape's finest. Adjacent
Nauset Light Beach
is beautiful, too, and there's a trail to the Three Sisters lighthouses. Both beaches have lifeguards in season and bathhouses, plus matting that smooths the way to the sand for wheelchair users.
Got little beachgoers in tow?
Corporation Beach
in Dennis is an inviting crescent of white sand backed by low dunes on Cape Cod Bay. Family-friendly features include a snack bar, lifeguards, and bathhouses, but you might have to walk a bit from the parking area to the beach.
The view from Morris Island Loop Trail in Chatham in January 2024.
Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
Beauteous beach hikes
Visitors adore the stunning walks at the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, from 1.5-mile Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail to the more challenging 7.2-mile Great Island Trail. But we found a couple of intriguing hikes elsewhere:
Morris Island Loop Trail
(
Sandy Neck Nature Trail
(
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In this Aug. 26, 1963, photo provided by the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, President Kennedy approaches a helicopter at the family home in Hyannis Port, Mass., for the first leg of his journey back to Washington.
Cecil Stoughton
Little museums that pack a punch
The Cape has a surprising number of small, specialty museums that are worth seeking out. Some examples: Kennedy fans will be down for a visit to the
John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum
($14;
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
($15;
People bring lawn chairs and coolers to watch the Cape Cod Baseball League games.
Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Bring on the boys of summer
Considered the best summer league in the United States, the
Cape Cod Baseball League
(
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Scenes from the Harwich Mariners vs. Bourne Braves Cape Cod League Baseball game at Doran Park in Bourne in 2023.
MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
Best brunch on the Cape
Brunch is the best. It gets everybody up and out of the house, and relieves hosts from the pesky chore of cooking omelets to order. The Rooftop at the Pelham House in Dennis (
Best lobster rolls
Everybody wants a lobster roll, the quintessential taste of summertime on the Cape. We've perfected the art of the homemade lobster roll, so we're super-picky about ordering them at a restaurant. Still, there are a couple of places that do it so well, we can hand over a credit card without cringing. In Woods Hole, that would be Quahog Republic Leeside Pub (
The traditional lobster roll with onion rings at Skipper Chowder House in South Yarmouth.
Devra First/Globe staff
Down South Yarmouth way, The Skipper Chowder House (
that
good. Bonus points for the on-site ice cream window and views of Nantucket Sound.
Best shopping on the Cape
Honestly, the Cape isn't a shopper's dream, unless you're looking for an inflatable unicorn or chocolate (the Cape's chocolate shops are great). But if shopping is a treasured part of your vacation experience, head to
Provincetown
. Whimsical, artistic, chic, tawdry — you can find it all on Commercial Street. We love the crazy mish-mash that is
Marine Specialties
,
the overstuffed shelves at
Tim's Used Books
,
the gorgeous jackets at
Cock N Bull Leather
,
the eye-popping art at
Schoolhouse Gallery
— add the great places to eat, excellent people-watching, and proximity to Race Point Beach and you've got the Cape's best day trip, too.
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Classic resorts and a budget-priced option
We'd love to have you stay with us — you're a delight — but sorry, we just don't have the room. When it comes to full-service resorts, the Cape has three biggies: Chatham Bars Inn, Wequassett Resort & Golf Club, and Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club. Numerous Reddit threads have parsed their comparable virtues, but basically, all three are lovely and luxurious. (Note that prices listed are the lowest available — often midweek — and they go up, up, up in high season. Two- or three-night minimum stays may apply. Resort fees are per night.)
Chatham Bars Inn hosts farm dinners.
Diane Bair
Opened in 1914 as a luxury hunting lodge, the Forbes five-star
Chatham Bars Inn
(from $590 plus five percent resort fee;
Wequassett Resort & Golf Club.
Seven Roads Media
The five-star
Wequassett Resort & Golf Club
(from $514 including five percent resort fee;
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Everyone asks about resorts on the Cape. Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club in Brewster offers guest rooms and villas on Cape Cod Bay at a range of prices.
Diane Bair
Located in the picturesque town of Brewster, 429-acre
Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club
offers 122 rooms in its mansion-like hotel plus 220 villas set on a golf course and on Cape Cod Bay.
(Villas start at $235 plus a $30 resort fee in season; mansion rooms start at $500 plus a $35 resort fee in season;
Looking to go less spendy, since you won't be hanging out in your room much anyway? Family-owned, family-friendly
Even' tide Motel
(from $165;
For more highlights, visit
.
Diane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at
