Town centers with character: Falmouth (somewhat suburban feel), Provincetown (eccentric feel), Hyannis (sonewhat urban feel), Chatham (upscale feel), Wellfleet (small and cozy feel).

Sandwich has two of the best standard attractions on the Cape, the Sandwich Glass Museum and the Heritage Museum and Gardens. Good choice.

Some lighthouses to see: Chatham Lighthouse (very limited hours, check these unless you just want to see the outside), Highland Lighthouse in North Truro.

The beaches that make up the Cape Cod National Seashore are among the best in the US. They run along the Atlantic Ocean stretching from Chatham to Provincetown. Water's cold, though.

Many towns on the Cape have a small local historic museum and a windmill or gristmill. Hours on most all are seasonal and fairly limited -- check before visiting.

For thoughts on Cape Cod eats, including seafood shacks, I posted the following on an earlier thread, which I'll repeat here:

I found the clam shack places I tried to be good but pretty interchangeable, all at about comparable level: Captain Frosty's (Dennis), Mojo's (Provincetown), Kream 'N Kone (Dennis), Cobie's (Brewster), Cap'n Cass (Orleans), Baxter's (Hyannis), and Sir Cricket's (Orleans). Baxter's struck me as the most expensive, likely owing to its water view and close proximity to the ferries.

Enjoyed the somewhat pricier sit-down seafood places, and can recommend all I tried, some more upscale than others: Lobster Claw (Orleans), Naked Oyster (Hyannis), Impudent Oyster (Chatham), Lobster Pot (Provincetown), Brewster Inn and Chowder House (Brewster), and Fishmonger Cafe (Woods Hole). That held true for places with less to no seafood emphasis such as Chillingworth (Brewster, expensive fine dining, at least the dessert I got to sample), Columbo's Cafe (Hyannis, an Italian spot), Winslow's Tavern (Wellfleet, fine dining masquerading as a tavern), and Frappo66 (Provincetown, fine dining masquerading as a cafeteria). Red Pheasant (fine dining, Dennis), 28 Atlantic (fine dining, Chatham), Red Inn (fine dining, Provincetown), and Lorraine's (Mexican, Provincetown) are supposed to be excellent, but haven't tried them.

I generally did not care for the pub grub style places I tried. Easily the best was Chatham Squire (Chatham), with Captain Kidd (Woods Hole) and The Lighthouse (Wellfleet) further down the list and both The Yardarm and Land Ho! (both Orleans) the absolute bottom of the barrel for food. One notable exception is the lobster roll at The Raw Bar in Mashpee -- huge and delicious.

The two ice cream places I tried that I liked best were Sundae School (Orleans, also in other spots) and Ice Cream Smuggler (Dennis). Two spots in Sandwich, Twin Acres and Ice Cream Sandwich, were also good, as is Four Seas in Centerville. Many clam shacks offer generic soft-serve ice cream as well.

Good breakfast spots include Cafe Edwige (Provincetown), Original Gourmet Brunch (Hyannis), and Hole in One (Orleans), the last especially for donuts -- and another clam shack spot, Sesuit Harbor Cafe, does a solid basic diner type breakfast with outdoor picnic table seating. Good Starbuck's-style coffee and baked goods places include Hot Chocolate Sparrow (Orleans), Coffee Obsession (Falmouth and Woods Hole), La Petite France (Hyannis), Pie in the Sky (Woods Hole), and Pies a la Mode (Falmouth). There are also standard diner style spots, such as Betsy's Diner (Falmouth) and Marshland Restaurant (Sandwich). There's pizza here too, with the best I tried being Spritus Pizza (Provincetown, gourmet version) and Steve's Pizza (Falmouth, standard division). For tea, there's the Dunbar Tea Shop (Sandwich) and Molly's Tea Room (Falmouth).

Both Roo Bar (upscale pub food) and Persy's Place (breakfast) have branches in Plymouth, and I liked both very much. If their Cape Cod outposts are as good, they'll be worth a visit as well.

"We are unsure of what areas to visit on the Cape. We are interested in history, beaches & lighthouses with green backdrops, & villages with character - really enjoy seeing the things most people enjoy. Plan to eat lots of seafood up & down the East Coast.

Thinking about Brewster, Eastham, and Chatham."
You can have a wonderful time no matter where you are on the Cape but if you are looking for more open space with less modern commercial development then think about basing yourself in Eastham, the first town in the Cape Cod National Seashore. Eastham is known for its world-class ocean beaches, Bay beaches and ponds. Eastham does not have much of a town center but it so small (only 7 miles long and 3 miles wide) that it is neatly sandwiched between several other towns that you will enjoy: Chatham, with its expensive shops and fish pier is 20 minutes south, Orleans with great restaurants and beaches is 5 minutes south, Wellfleet, the Gallery Town with beaches, quant center and boutiqes is 10 minutes north and Provincetown the unique, end-of-the-earth town is 30 minutes north. There are 4 lighthouses in Eastham: Nauset Light and the 3 sisters. The National Park Service gives free tours of these. Additionally, there are many free activities offered by the Park Service. Stop by the Salt Pond Visitor's Center in Eastham to get advice, maps, and schedules for house tours and other history/cultural events. To see more of what the National Park offers to to www.nps.gov/caco

Oops, hit the submit button instead of the preview. Please excuse the typos in my response. Here it is cleaned up!

You can have a wonderful time no matter where you are on the Cape but if you are looking for more open space with less modern commercial development then think about basing yourself in Eastham, the first town in the Cape Cod National Seashore. Eastham is known for its world-class ocean beaches, Bay beaches and ponds. Eastham does not have much of a town center, but it so small (only 7 miles long and 3 miles wide) that it is neatly sandwiched between several other towns that you will enjoy: Chatham, with its expensive shops and fish pier is 20 minutes south, Orleans with great restaurants and beaches is 5 minutes south, Wellfleet, the Gallery Town with beaches, quaint center and boutiques is 10 minutes north and Provincetown the unique, end-of-the-earth town is 30 minutes north. There are 4 lighthouses in Eastham: Nausea Light and the 3 sisters. The National Park Service gives free tours of these. Additionally, there are many free activities offered by the Park Service. Stop by the Salt Pond Visitor's Center in Eastham to get advice, maps, and schedules for house tours and other historical/cultural events. To see more of what the National Park offers go to www.nps.gov/caco

State Route 6A (the old King's Highway) parallels the modern US 6 (dual carriageway) and winds through one scenic village after another. YOu can make a day of stopping and looking in the shops and local history museums, of which every town seems to have one. Do you know Edward Gorey? He was an eccentric American cartoonist a bit like Ronald Searle. His house is on this road, in Yarmouthport, I think. As you go toward the Outer Cape, many of the side roads to the north lead to interesting beaches, boatyards, marshes etc.

Thank you. Lots of info. I will certainly print off bachslunch's list of eating establishments. Have never eaten a lobster roll, sounds good, will have to try one or two. Thinking about going from Hyannis up to Yarmouth Port, Dennis, Brewster, Eastham & Salt Pond Visitor's Center, and finally Chatham before returning to Hyannis. That should give me a good full day of activity.

Ackislander beat me to it - was going to suggest winding along Route 6A! It's got all the quaint old coastal charm that kind of got overwhelmed along busy Route 6 and commercial Route 28. Look for Gingerbread-style architecture and plenty of small art galleries and antique shops along the way.

Edward Gorey's house is indeed in Yarmouthport. Google him if you don't know his works; quirky, macabre humor. (I love it!) Also in Yarmouthport, I may have mentioned before is Hallet's general store, complete with its old-timey soda fountain counter. Bachslunch's ice cream rec's are spot on* (my faves are Four Seas and Sundae School), but you can always add more - Hallet's serves its own too! I believe I also mentioned Jack's as a Yarmouthport place for a sit-down bite if you're still hungry(!). Lastly, there's also a botanical garden in Yarmouthport, though the gardens in Sandwich are more spectacular.

Remember that 6A runs along the Bay side of the peninsula, which has a very different feel than either the Sound or the Outer Beaches. The beaches on this side aren't as ideal, so the area tends to be quieter, dare I say introspective.

Route 28 will bring you closest to the family-oriented beaches along the Sound, and some mid-20th-century kitch still remains in places like South Yarmouth. Look for motels with faux windmills attached or decorated in vibrant shades of turquoise and sea-green; mini golf empires; neon-splattered soft-serve ice cream stands and fried clam shacks.

*I'd have to pretty much agree with all of Bachslunch's food rec's - well done!

This thread got me very hungry and realizing how long its been since I have been to the Cape...Great thread.

Hallett's does not make their own ice cream -- it's Richardson's Ice Cream they serve, which is indeed good -- and their website even says that's the case.

http://www.hallets.com/id1.html

But as far as I can tell, they likely do bottle their own soda.

I prefer the beaches on the bay side, north of 6A, to those on the sound. The water is a bit cooler, but it is wonderful for swimming, the tide goes out for a long way and creates lovely sand flats for walking. In Brewster and Eastham, you can only swim at the bay beaches at high tide; in Dennis, you can also swim at low tide.

Yes but in Eastham and Brewster, you can swim at high tide and walk the wonderful sand flats at low tide! ...a two-fer! In Eastham, you also have the option of the National Seashore ocean beaches (Coast Guard Beach and Nauset Light Beach), just 3 miles to the west of the Bay beaches. For history, visit First Encounter Beach on the Bay and take a house tour in the Fort Hill Area at the Captain Penniman House. One of the nice thing about Eastham, for visitor's who have only a few days to explore, is that the beaches, lighthouses and Visitor's Center are all within a few miles of each other, and getting to other locations is straight forward because of the easy access to Rt 6. But of course, IMO, a day anywhere on Cape Cod beats a day at work!

Ugh, in summer it's the horseflies on the upper Bay side (Yarmouthport, Dennis) that really prevent me from recommending those beaches to visitors. Part of the reason the flies are so noticeable is because, being surrounded by land on three sides, there's virtually no sea breeze. To be clear, the beaches are fine if you want to go for a stroll, but less enjoyable for sunbathing (and too cold for my tastes for swimming)!

Of course, that means also means a much less crowded beach, which IMO is never a bad thing!

That said, Eastham would be my pick. There's also some good, easy hikes you can do on the Bay side there.

bachslunch, that's what I get for trying to be concise! Thanks for the clarification on the Hallet's ice cream.