Everywhere: Articles: Cape Cod Road Trip

We wanted to get away for a week and decided on revisiting The Cape. We hadn't been there in years, even though it is only a two hour drive down the road.

Race Point Beach by John Linton

Provincetown, MA

04/27/08

Humpback whales can be seen from the shore if you happen to arrive at the right time.

We picked the "off season"-late April-when the rates were cheaper, the roads were less congested, and most of the attractions we wanted to see were open. Brewster, about an hours drive down Route 6 (or The Scrub Pine Highway) from the Sagamore Bridge seemed a good choice for our stay. It is centrally located, 45 minutes from Provincetown and about 60 minutes from Falmouth.

The Cape was just coming into bloom with Brewster gearing up for it's Brewster in Bloom week of celebration that starts on May 2. Brewster is also home to one of the best locations (Stoney Brook Grist Mill) from which one can observe the Herring Run. Every year from late April to early May the herring travel up Cape Cod's brooks to spawn in the fresh water ponds, attracting hordes of gluttonous gulls and more than a few human spectators.

If you love beaches, Cape Cod has wonderfully kept town beaches in every direction. Since it is the "off season" you won't have to worry about a parking space or a charge to park. If you head for Race Point in Provincetown with a pair of binoculars you'll have a good chance of sighting humpback whales off the coast. This year there is an estimated 100 of them to watch. If you don't mind the cold you could even get on a charter boat for a closer look.

Eating is another delight of any visit to The Cape. Just some of the ones we enjoyed were: the Impudent Oyster and Chatham Squire in Chatham, The Old Jailhouse Tavern and Joe's Beach Road Bar & Grille in Orleans, Marshland Restaurant in Sandwich, Grumpy's in Dennis, Vorelli's in Provincetown, and Brax Landing Restaurant in Harwich Port (one of the few we found with a view of the water). Most serve Cape Cod Amber on draft.

Every town seems to have wonderfully preserved examples of the distinctive Cape Cod houses and windmills, as well as museums, shops and art galleries , but if you go during the "off season" you'll find some are closed.

We found that you could see most of what The Cape & Islands has to offer in a week during the "off season." But with the added traffic during the summer seeing most of what The Cape & Islands has to offer in a week is probably unrealistic. No matter when you can go or however long you can stay, The Cape should be on your list of places to see.