j_whoaaaa

Hi all,
My husband and I are dropping our kids off at Northeastern college summer programs and have a kid-free week in early July! We are planning a trip to the Cape and are having trouble deciding which areas to stay. To help filter some ideas here is what we are looking for- not overly commercialized/ kid crazy areas, not extremely remote and sleepy we do like a little buzz of activity, love great food, walking and biking, art galleries, not museum lovers. A day exploring beaches, hiking or biking followed by a great meal and a drive-in movie or live music sounds excellent. We are driving in and out from Boston. Any thoughts on below routes? Thank you in advance for any insights!
Sandwich (worth a stop or a stay?)
Falmouth
Chatham
Wellfleet/Provincetown
Day trip to Martha's Vineyard or too touristy?

HappyTrvlr

You have described Chatham!

HappyTrvlr

Stop and visit the JFK Library on your way from the Boston area south to the Cape. You may be interested in stopping at the Plimouth Plantation too. Model of the Mayflower is in the port.
Stay in Chatham. Lots to explore, nice shops, restaurants, a lighthouse too. Beautiful beach. Or stay in Brewster, also very nice, but on Bay side. . You can’t go wrong with either place.
You can take a ferry over to Martha’s Vineyard. I would never use the word “touristy” when describing Martha’s Vineyard. It is popular but doesn’t have the negative description of “ touristy.” You will need to find a way to get around the island. Car reservations for the ferry are booked solid for the summer.
Yes, Sandwich is certainly worth a stop. The drive out to Provincetown is long but it is an interesting, unique spot.I would skip Falmouth except to see the Woods Hole Science Aquarium.
The JFK National Seashore has preserved a lot of the Cape's shoreline. Very worthwhile to go there.
The Cape is surrounded by major bodies of water, Cape Cod Bay, Atlantic Ocean, Nantucket Sound. Be aware of weekend traffic jams getting on and off the Cape.

j_whoaaaa

Oh perfect thanks!

j_whoaaaa

thank you!

Inakauaidavidababy

I am a Woods Hole/ Falmouth girl. We visit twice a year in off season. We usually stay at Sandsoftime.com. It is dated but fresh and clean. You can walk to town and the ferry, leave your car behind and enjoy a full day on the Vineyard. I would dock in Oaks Bluff and head up to the Tabernacle and check out the gingerbread houses and maybe take the bus or bike to Edgartown. We enjoy sitting on our balcony watching the boats come and go. They have a nice pool. We also stay at innonthesquare.com in Falmouth. A lovely place just a stroll to town which has good seafood, Mexican and greek dining and a great French bakery. And a trip wouldn't be the same without going to Quisset Harbor and the small hike at the end of the road.. lighthouse on surf road. Swans, egrets, lots of birds and a garden stroll at the end of Oyster Pond Rd.
haven't yet stayed but friends loved falmouthtides.com

So I wouldn't skip Falmouth.

I love Chatham but don't know the lodging there. I think mostly BnBs. And the grand dame Chatham Bars Inn. Great area and downtown and a good jumping off place.

And there is only one Ptowm, Truro, Wellfleet. and the seashore. With its diverse culture there is much to take in.

So I personally would choose WoodHole and Ptown area for lodging

Good luck!
You ay have sticker shock because the Cape only has 3 months of high season, hence why we go off.

bfamilyfun

On our first trip to Cape Cod we stayed in Eastham and found it to be a good jumping off spot for exploring most parts of the cape. Random thoughts: We enjoyed a good meal at The Bookstore in Wellfleet and found Chatham to be a quaint town but not sure I would make it my home base. Fun stop at the fishing pier to watch the delivery of fish. Provincetown is a unique place but even in September was quite crowded. We ate at the often cited Lobster Pot and went on a Whale Watching Boat. Guessing July would be even more so as would any travel up and down the Cape.
We looked into a day trip to Nantucket but found the ferry ride expense over the top; something like $200/per person. Don't quote me on that. Not sure of ferry to Martha's Vineyard as we were drawn to the walk ability of Nantucket.

happy_traveler_too

Chatham is what immediately came to my mind as well! That’s so funny. I’m on the “other island”.

happy_traveler_too

I won’t quote you on that because that’s not the price. That’s the price of a one way vehicle ferry ride. The fast ferry, which takes an hour, is $89 round trip and then you can walk to your hearts content. The traditional ferry, which takes 2 hours and fifteen minutes, costs $354 round trip for a vehicle for non residents. Residents pay a lot less.

bfamilyfun

Sorry to mislead about the ferry to Nantucket.
I guess I was recalling what it would have cost for my husband and myself. It would have been $89 x 2 so close to $200. But you’re right, not $200 PER PERSON. My error.

coral22

This sounds like a wonderful trip!
My first advice would be to get reservations for somewhere with refundable rates ASAP, you can always keep looking.
Cape Cod has a very short "season" and if you are bumping up to the 4th of July, things will fill up fast.

I am a big fan of Chatham. I love the cute town, the central location and the proximity to Lighthouse Beach.
What is your budget and your style?
You can stay at high end resorts or there are many old school motel accommodations, and everything in between.
A lot depends on if you want water views, beach access, walkable towns, a pool, a room with a kitchenette, or an apartment.
We stayed at a rental house with 2 other couples which was a block from Chatham Tides hotel , right on Pleasant Street Beach, a lovely long beach with killer sunsets. The hotel seemed nice, but not walkable to anything. Would you consider staying in 2 different towns to experience different ambiances?

I also recommend stopping at the JFK museum, it is very interesting and has a beautiful site.

Provincetown is great but I would not stay there. It is very crowded and is such a long way out.
Leave early to get there when everything opens, so you can get parking, and make reservations at Pepe's Wharf for lunch for the reasonably priced food and the fabulous views. The lines to get in there get to be a mile long.

Go to the brunch at the Chatham Bars Inn Veranda.
Go for a drink at the Wequassett Resort.
Have dinner at Pelham House Resort's Rooftop Restaurant.
Walk or bike the Cape Cod Rail Trail, 25 miles of beautiful, peaceful, shaded paths.
Enjoy!

oldemalloy

We prefer the area near the National Seashore, so Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, North Truro. Easy access to both visitors centers, Provincetown, and bike/walking trails.

Do take a whale watching trip out of Provincetown.

EatSleepTravel

A day trip to Martha's Vineyard is ideal. The Steamship Authority ferry from Woods Hole is just $20 round trip for a walk-on passenger. Or the Island Queen boat from Falmouth is $28. Oak Bluffs is a great starting point for a day trip. You can schedule an island tour from there or just walk around Oak Bluffs, see the Flying Horses carousel, gingerbread houses and shops on circuit avenue. Great ice cream stores in the town and lots of good food options. It's an easy bike ride (can rent bikes in OB) to Edgartown which is charming and quaint. There are small in-town beaches there (Fuller st and Lighthouse beach) as well as amazing shops, art galleries and excellent restaurants. You can actually see a lot in a day