Years Visited: 2023 & 2024

Time of Year: May & September

This guide is going to be packed with everything you need to know to visit Cape Cod, including tips from my local relatives.

• Fun Fact: My cousins actually own an escape room on Cape Cod, and it’s pretty cool!

I originally was just going to do one article about things to do on Cape Cod, but in my research I discovered there is just so much to know when planning a Cape Cod vacation, that I needed to have a whole article dedicated just to that! The cape is a lot bigger than you might think, and you just can’t see it all in one quick trip.

So here is my guide to help you plan the best vacation ever, based on my experience, research, and local fam.

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What’s in the Article:

• Where is Cape Cod
• History of Cape Cod
• How to Get to Cape Cod
• Best Time of Year to Visit
• Where to Stay on Cape Cod
• Best Things to Do
• Foods to Eat
• Day Trips from Cape Cod
• Local Tips
• What to Read and Watch

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Where is Cape Cod?

Cape Cod is a cape that juts out off the coast of Massachusetts. It is about an hour and a half drive south of Boston to the start of Cape Cod, and it takes about one hour to drive its length to Provincetown (depending on traffic…).

Cape Cod is separated from mainland Massachusetts by the Cape Cod Canal. You can only enter the cape by crossing the Bourne Bridge or the Sagamore Bridge.

Cape Cod Regions

The cape is commonly divided into 4 sections:

• Upper Cape-The Upper Cape is the first part of Cape Cod you come to when you cross over the bridge. It typically includes the area from the town of Bourne past Mashpee.
• Mid Cape-The Mid Cape is the section from about Barnstable to Dennis.
• Lower Cape-The next section goes from about Harwich to Orleans. This is the farthest east the cape reaches, before it turns northward.
• Outer Cape-The final section of Cape Cod is the Outer Cape, the part that turns back northward towards Boston. It goes from Eastham to Provincetown, on the tip.

Cape Cod Towns

There are a lot of little towns all throughout Cape Cod. You probably will not see them all in one visit, but they all have something unique to offer tourists:

• Bourne
• Sandwich
• Falmouth
• Mashpee
• Barnstable
• Yarmouth
• Dennis
• Brewster
• Harwich
• Chatham
• Orleans
• Eastham
• Welfleet
• Truro
• Provincetown

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History of Cape Cod

Cape Cod is full of fascinating history. From Pilgrims to pirates, and everywhere in between.

• Fun Fact: Cape Cod got its name from English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold, who caught a large amount of cod fish just off the shores of Provincetown in 1602.
• He also named Martha’s Vineyard after his infant daughter, who had died.

Pilgrims

You may not know that the Pilgrims actually landed at Provincetown first, before they ended up in Plymouth in 1620. Pilgrim’s First Landing Park and Pilgrim Monument stand as tributes to this history in P-town.

Of course, the cape was already occupied by the Wampanoag tribe, who lived here long before European explorers discovered it. First Encounter Beach, in Eastham, marks the location where the Pilgrims first met with the Wampanoag.

• Good to Know: Sandwich is the oldest established town on Cape Cod. It was founded in 1637. There are lots of historic buildings to see in Sandwich!

Pirates

Many pirates sailed around the cape in the 16 and 1700s. It was a good place for pirating during the summer months, when the weather in the Caribbean was too hot and stormy. In fact, locals even encouraged pirating, since their transport of goods and currencies helped the economy.

The most famous pirate known to sail around Cape Cod was Captain “Black” Sam Bellamy. He was a wealthy and successful pirate, until his ship, the Whydah, crashed just off shore in 1717. You can see actual treasure and gear at the Whydah Pirate Museum, from the wreckage that was discovered in 1984. They are still uncovering more artifacts to this day!

Whaling

Following the decline of piracy, the whaling industry started to take off in the north eastern United States. Elsewhere the Industrial Revolution was changing the economy, but on the relatively isolated cape and islands, whaling became the primary (and successful) source of income. Nearby Nantucket was once known as the whaling capital of the world.

Whales were almost hunted to extinction for their pure oil, used in candles and oil lamps, until other sources of light (ie: electricity) were discovered.

Tourist Destination

Today Cape Cod is a top tourist spot, especially in the summer. Its beaches, unique wildlife, and history, plus its proximity to large cities make it a popular vacation destination.

Cape Cod is a good place to come to relax and unwind, with slow mornings sipping coffee by the beach, and lazy afternoons eating ice cream before dinner.

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How to Get to Cape Cod

There are several ways to get to Cape Cod:

• Drive-The best way to get to Cape Cod is to drive. That way you have a car to be able to get around everywhere.
• Fly-You can fly into Cape Cod. They have two airports: Cape Cod Gateway Airport in Hyannis, and Provincetown Municipal Airport in Provincetown.
• Bus–Peter Pan runs buses from Boston (the city and the airport), to multiple locations around Cape Cod.
• Take a ferry-There are plenty of ferries to Cape Cod! You can get ferries from Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket. Most likely, however, you will be taking a ferry from Boston to Provincetown.
• Join a tour-If you do not want to drive yourself, you can find tours from Boston to Cape Cod. Check places like Viator for different tour options.

If you live too far away to drive, you can fly into Boston Logan International Airport, or T.F. Green International Airport in Rhode Island. Then you can ride share, or pick up a rental car, which will be helpful for getting around. You can even plan a fun road trip from Boston (see day trip section below).

How to Get Around Cape Cod

If you are not coming with a tour, you will want a car to get around Cape Cod, but there are also buses and ride share options available, especially during the busy summer months. Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority runs buses around the cape, as does Peter Pan.

Tips for driving on Cape Cod:

• Don’t speed! Cops lie in wait for tourists, who won’t come to court to fight speeding tickets.
• Don’t turn left off Route 6. In the busy summer season, the one road that runs up and down Cape Cod gets very congested. Locals will just turn right three times to avoid turning left and slowing down traffic.
• Try to avoid driving on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, as these are peak travel times on the cape (also leaving the cape on Sunday evening gets congested).

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Best Time of Year to Visit Cape Cod

As I’ve said before (and will probably say again…) Cape Cod is hot spot for summer tourists. It is super popular in the summer (which is of course the best time weather-wise to visit).

The weather is perfect in the summer, but the crowds and prices can be crazy. I think the best months to visit are either May or September. This is before/after peak crowds, but the weather will still be good and a lot of seasonal activities will still be open. September is probably the absolute best time for seasonal activities like whale watching and cranberry bogs.

• Good to Know: A lot of activities/shops/restaurants will shut down or have limited hours during the off-season. Be sure to research opening times before your visit.

Cranberry Season

Cranberry season typically runs from June-December, so keep this in mind if you want to tour a cranberry bog.

According to Cape Cod Cranberry Bog Tours, the bog is in bloom from mid June-mid July, the cranberries are growing mid July-mid September, and the cranberry harvest is typically from mid September to mid December.

• Our Experience: We wanted to tour a cranberry bog when we were in Cape Cod in September, but the one touring company was filled up a month ahead of time, and the other just made a plan the day of, based on the weather. We weren’t able to fit that into our schedule, so we just went out for cranberry stuffed French toast, and walked around the neighbor’s cranberry bog instead. Next time, I guess.

Whale Watching Season

Whale watching season typically runs from April-October, but peak whale watching is from June-September.

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Where to Stay on Cape Cod

I would highly suggest choosing one area of Cape Cod to stay in/focus on, to make the most of your vacation. There are so many things to do, even just in each little town, that you can easily fill up your days, without being overly stressed (of course, that being said, don’t be afraid to day trip around to other places).

Hyannis

I think Hyannis (or somewhere nearby) is the best place to base yourself for a trip to Cape Cod. It is centrally located, so it will be easy to visit anywhere around the cape that you want to see, plus it is a transportation hub. Many ferries and tours leave from Hyannis, and they even have their own airport.

If you like museums, most of the best museums are in or right by Hyannis.

That being said, it is one of the busiest areas of Cape Cod, so if you want more seclusion, maybe look in the areas around/towns near Hyannis.

South Yarmouth & West Dennis

Yarmouth and West Dennis are the towns/areas just past Hyannis, but much quieter. I specifically want to point them out for 2 reasons: One is because we drove through this area after visiting the Wyhdah Pirate Museum to get ice cream from Sundae School, and I thought it was a beautiful and relaxing place to stay (and close to good attractions). And then I read from a local blogger that Yarmouth and Dennis are her two go-to spots to stay on Cape Cod. In fact, they tend to have the best prices on accommodations!

Other Places to Stay

If you don’t want to stay close to all the action in Hyannis, I would suggest just searching places to stay around Cape Cod and finding a cute accommodation that looks fun! I think somewhere in the mid-lower cape region would be best.

Personally, I would not stay in Provincetown. It had a completely different feel from the rest of the cape. Instead of quiet and relaxing, it was crowded and energetic. P-town will be especially busy during the day, as it is the easiest place to visit on a day trip from Boston.

Search for hotels on:

• Booking.com
• Airbnb
• Cape Cod official travel website

This article about the best places to stay on Cape Cod is really helpful! The blogger breaks down the feel and vibe of each town, with plenty of recommendations from her own experience.

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The Best Things to Do on Cape Cod

I have a whole article dedicated to things to do that goes into more detail, but here are some of the highlights for your visit to Cape Cod.

• Relax on the beach
• Go lighthouse chasing
• Shop local in the little downtown areas
• Tour a cranberry bog
• Explore the Cape Cod Rail Trail
• Visit one (or more!) of the many museums
• Climb Pilgrim Monument
• Go on a whale (or seal) watching cruise
• Go kayaking or SUPing

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Foods to Eat on Cape Cod

Cape Cod is well known for their seafood; especially their lobster rolls! The entire state of Massachusetts is also known for cranberries.

Here are some foods you should definitely try on a visit to Cape Cod:

• Lobster (especially lobster rolls!)
• Clam chowder… er…chowda
• Cranberry everything (I had cranberry stuffed French toast, and chocolate covered cranberry ice cream!)
• Ice cream! Because Cape Cod is a summer destination. So there are lots of ice cream places. And ice cream is obligatory on vacation. Sundae School is one of the best spots.
• Donuts! Because I love donuts. And because some of the best donuts ever are right by my cousins’ escape room (Duke’s).

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Day Trips from Cape Cod

Another great thing to do when you’re visiting Cape Cod is to day trip around the area. The best day trips are to take a ferry to either Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket (or both!). But you can also day trip to (or from) Boston, as well as other fun historical places in the area.

Here are some of the best places to day trip to from Cape Cod. You can find more detailed information in my things to do article.

• Martha’s Vineyard
• Nantucket
• New Bedford
• Plymouth
• Boston

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Local Tips to Visit Cape Cod

I just want to end with a few tips from my local relatives about visiting Cape Cod.

• Don’t speed on the cape!
  • My uncle reiterates this every time we talk about Cape Cod! Because there are so many tourists who won’t come back to fight traffic tickets in court, cops love to catch them speeding once they cross over onto the cape.
• Don’t turn left.
  • There is only one main highway that goes up and back on Cape Cod, and it can get very congested during the summer months. Locals will turn right 3 times just to avoid making left hand turns off of HWY 6. And they hate when the tourists turning left back up traffic!
• It gets crazy busy in summer.
  • Speaking of which, the cape gets incredibly busy during June, July and August. While these months have great weather for visiting, try to come in May or September for better prices, and much, much better traffic & crowds!
• Are there sharks on Cape Cod?
  • In recent years, the seal population around Cape Cod has surged (due to environmental protections). But with the resurgence of the seals, comes the resurgence of their predators, the Great White Shark. Their population has also increased in recent years, especially around the eastern shoreline (bordering the Atlantic). The Sharktivity app helps track sightings. The official Cape Cod website has shark and beach safety tips.

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What to Read & Watch Before You Visit Cape Cod

I always love reading about places (and watching movies) before (and after) I visit! Here are some ideas of books to read and movies to watch before you visit Cape Cod!

Books to Read:

• Moby Dick-The classic whaling tale begins in New Bedford and Nantucket, and gives an accurate (though sometimes boring…) depiction of the 19th century whaling industry.
• Cape Cod-A travel log by Henry David Throeau, of his exploits around Cape Cod.
• The Daring Exploits of Pirate Black Sam Bellamy-Learn the fascinating history of real life Cape Cod pirate Sam Bellamy.

Movies to Watch

• JAWS-Ok, I’ve never seen Jaws, and probably never will…! But if you want to, it was filmed in nearby Martha’s Vineyard (this coffee table book shares locals’ stories of working on the film crew for the movie 50 years ago)!
• Natives of the Narrowland-(If you can find it…) This 1992 documentary shares the untold story of the first Cape Codders.
• Pirates of the Caribbean-Because pirates 🙂

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There you have my guide to visit Cape Cod. I hope this helps you plan the best, relaxing, enjoyable trip to the cape (and surrounding areas).

Further reading:

• Check out my full guide of things to do on Cape Cod.
• Learn how to plan a magical day trip to Nantucket!

Any more questions?

If you have any more questions about visiting Cape Cod, or suggestions of things to do (or tips!), feel free to email me or comment below!

Planning to visit Cape Cod?

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