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Originally built in 1912 for one of Brewster’s wealthiest residents, the Ocean Edge Resort & Club (2907 Main Street, Brewster; 800-343-6074 or 508-896-9000; oceanedge.com) has 338 recently spruced-up rooms inside a stately stucco mansion. Families can also opt for stand-alone villas, set either on the waterfront or around the Jack Nicklaus golf course.
A step up from camping, Day’s Cottages (271 Shore Road, North Truro; 508-487-1062; dayscottages.com) aren’t for everyone; the (nonworking) fireplaces bear graffiti marks from former guests, and the cast-iron beds probably date from the hotel’s opening in 1931. But the 22 waterfront bungalows are locally iconic: they’ve been documented by numerous photographers and painters over the years.
Although the dining room itself-set in a former sea captain’s house-could use a facelift, the food at The Cape Sea Grille (31 Sea Street, Harwich Port; 508-432-4745; capeseagrille.com) delivers. Try the seared sea scallops with scallion pancake, napa cabbage, grilled peaches, and smoked bacon.
The recent (some say overdone) renovations at Abbicci (43 Main Street, Yarmouthport; 508-362-350; abbicci.com) set some locals grumbling that it now resembles a gallery in New York City. But the food is still top-notch: check out the oysters with leeks, pancetta, Pernod, and cream, on the Mediterranean-influenced tapas menu.
Buca’s Tuscan Roadhouse (4 Depot Road, Harwich; 508-432-6900; bucasroadhouse.com) serves solid—as its name would suggest—Tuscan food like roasted organic chicken with fennel, garlic, sage, and olives.
Straight out of the North End of Boston, Ristorante Barolo (297 North Street, Hyannis; 508-778-2878; barolocapecod.com) is a red-sauce restaurant in a hard-to-find office complex courtyard.
A simple pizza parlor, Sweet Tomatoes (95 Route 6A, Sandwich; 508-888-5979; sweettomatoesinc.com) makes a mean white-clam pie.
Constructed with wood salvaged from shipwrecks, Landfall, in Woods Hole, is built right over the water. Have a drink on the deck, with the water lapping under your feet, then order the boiled scallops from the no-frills menu (2 Luscombe Avenue, Woods Hole; 508-548-1758; aquarium.nefsc.noaa.gov).
Mattakeese Wharf (271 Millway, Barnstable Harbor; 508-362-451; mattakeese.com) is a great local seafood shack, with outdoor tables set alongside boat slips.
Set on the Wellfleet town pier, Mac’s Seafood (265 Commercial Street, Wellfleet; 508-349-0404; macsseafood.com) is a local takeout institution.
A great place to visit on a rainy day, the Woods Hole Science Aquarium (166 Water Street, Woods Hole; 508-495-2001; aquarium.nefsc.noaa.gov) is the oldest research aquarium in the country.
The vintage family photos alone are worth a visit to the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum (397 Main Street, Hyannis; 508-790-3077; jfkhyannismuseum.org).
The Sandwich Glass Museum (129 Main Street, Sandwich; 508-888-0251; sandwichglassmuseum.org) has a gorgeous collection of vintage glass on display.
Brewster’s Cape Cod Museum of Natural History has demonstrations by naturalists and a resident beekeeper, plus three nature trails through protected woodland and salt marshes and along Cape Cod Bay (869 Main Street, Brewster; 508-896-3867; ccmnh.org).
Of the hundreds of galleries across Cape Cod, one of the best is the 46-year-old Kendall Art Gallery (40 Main Street, Wellfleet; 508-349-2482; kendallartgallery.com), occupying a Greek Revival-style house with gardens. Stop by on Saturdays between 6 and 8 p.m. for the weekly openings.
Set in a former schoolhouse, P-town’s Schoolhouse Gallery (494 Commercial Street, Provincetown; 508-487-4800; schoolhouseprovincetown.com) focuses on photography-but also exhibits prints and paintings by area artists, as well as modern furniture, jewelry, and mobiles in the adjacent design store.
A pair of former New Yorkers owns the Gristmill Gallery, in Eastham, which sells Colonial-era benches and chests, and paintings of local landscapes (2320 State Highway, Eastham; 508-240-0033).
The Susan Baker Memorial Museum (46 Shore Road, North Truro; 508-487-2557; susanbakerart.com) isn’t quite a museum; rather, it’s the atelier of the artist, who creates 3-D paintings inspired by her travels and Cape Cod scenery.
The Edward Gorey House (8 Strawberry Lane, Yarmouthport; 508-362-3909; edwardgoreyhouse.org), the rambling former residence of the famous illustrator, has been turned into a museum. The first floor has an ample display of his pen-and-ink drawings, along with personal photographs and mementos.
Performances at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (1 Kendrick Avenue, Wellfleet; 508-349-9428; what.org) have included productions by David Mamet and Sam Shepard. Last summer, W.H.A.T.—as it’s commonly known in these parts—opened a new $6.8 million stage named after Julie Harris, the theater’s longtime honorary board chairwoman.
At the Cape Playhouse, also home to the Cape Cod Center for the Arts, the emphasis is on Broadway musicals. Bette Davis famously began her career here, as an usher (820 Main Street, Dennis; 508-385-3911; capeplayhouse.com).
With its relatively flat terrain and its network of paved bike trails, the Cape is perfect for family cycling outings. The seven-mile path along the Cape Cod Canal is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Enter at Pleasant Street in Sagamore. The four-mile Shining Sea Bike Path, from Falmouth to Woods Hole, follows the ocean and runs through woodlands, marshes, and salt ponds. For a more active adventure, catch the eight-mile Cape Cod Province Lands Bike Trail at Race Point. It passes through sand dunes and forests and ends at the ocean. Don’t miss the spur that leads to the Herring Cove lighthouse.
It’s not Napa Valley, but during a tasting at the Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod (11 Shore Road, North Truro; 508-487-6200; trurovineyardsofcapecod.com) you can try some decent wines that are cultivated in the area, plus (for adventurous palates) a special cranberry blend. Some of the wine comes in adorable lighthouse-shaped bottles that can be turned into lamps when you’re done.
The Cape Cod Lavender Farm (1/2 mile off Weston Woods Road, Harwich; 508-432-8397; capecodlavenderfarm.com), in Harwich, is a little bit of Provence on the East Coast. In a small outbuilding with an honesty box, the farm shop sells a heavenly lavender-lemon marmalade.
If you’re in the mood for a pint and live music, head to the gritty Chatham Squire (487 Main Street, Chatham; 508-945-0945; thesquire.com), decorated with license plates from around the world. Local bands perform here a few nights of the week, and the bar menu’s quite good.
Grab a plate of fried clams or some oysters from the raw bar at the Wellfleet Beachcomber (1120 Cahoon Hollow Road, Wellfleet; 508-349-6055; thebeachcomber.com), which heats up after dark. On Sundays at 4 p.m., the bands start playing; big names like Yellowman, Ween, and the Tom Tom Club have graced the stage.
The whimsical Oolala Home (45 North Main Street, Falmouth; 508-495-3888; oolalacapecod.com) carries affordable housewares and furniture like an Offi birch coffee table for $180.
Chatham Pottery (2058 Main Street, Chatham; 508-430-2191; store.chathampottery.com) sells heavy ceramic pieces emblazoned with mermaids, shells, and other maritime motifs.
Jobi Pottery (3 Depot Road, Truro, 508-349-2303; jobipottery.com), in Truro, has been making its retro pieces, decorated with small black fish, since 1953.
In a small cottage, Continuum (7 Route 28, Orleans; 508-255-8513; oldlamp.com) is crammed with every kind of antique lamp imaginable.
Set in an old Victorian home, Jules Besch Stationers (15 Bank Street, Wellfleet; 508-349-1231) has a vast and well-edited selection of cards and journals.
Kids love Dr. Gravity Kite Shop (564 Route 28, Harwich Port; 800-438-6419; drgravity.com), the source for board games and inflatable beach floats.
The colorful display outside the beachfront Outer Cape Kites (277-A Commercial Street, Provincetown; 508/487-6133) makes for a popular photo spot in P-town.
Also in P-town is the Northern Lights Hammock Shop (361c Commercial Street, Provincetown; 508-487-2385; northernlightshammocks.com), a one-room shack carrying every kind of hammock imaginable, including crocheted models from Brazil and travel versions that fold up into a backpack.
Chatham’s Marion’s Pie Shop (2022 Main Street, Chatham; 508-432-9439; marionspieshopofchatham.com) specializes in just that—homemade pies.
Candy Manor (484 Main Street, Chatham; 800-221-6497; candymanor.com), also in Chatham, serves fudge in every flavor, from plain vanilla to Marshmallow Fluff to Reese’s.
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