Family Weekend Getaway in Cape Cod

Friday

1. Stash the gear, don the flip-flops and head to town. Cute restaurants line Main Street in Falmouth. Get in the laid-back mood for the weekend with comfort food from local-favorite and locally owned Liam McGuire's Irish Pub.

2. Grab a homemade ice cream from Ben & Bill's Chocolate Emporium and then recline on the grassy lawn across the street at the Margaret E. Noonan Park. In season from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. all of Falmouth comes out for the town's free Friday-night schedule of family friendly concerts.

3. End the night with a ten-minute drive north on Route 28 to Chapoquoit Beach. Park the car (parking is open to all permit-free after 5 p.m.) and watch the sun as it sets gloriously over the water

Saturday

1. Get the day off to a good start. The Country Fare Restaurant has everything a comfy diner needs: cheerful proprietor, homespun décor, and comfort-food breakfast fixing such as eggs, pancakes, and potatoes.

2. Today's the day for leisurely strolling and beaching. A few minutes up 28 in North Falmouth, Old Silver Beach has white sand, amenities like food stands and bathrooms, and most importantly, parking that doesn't require a permit (it will, however, cost you $20). Come early as there are lots of people vying for those parking spaces.

3. When you're beached out, drive south to Woods Hole. The historic section near the ferry port at the end of the Shining Sea Bikeway is also home to Pie in the Sky where the smell of fresh-baked popovers, among other goodies, is impossible to resist. If you haven't had lunch at the beach, you can also eat up Pie's selection of sandwiches, soups, or quiches.

4. Nearby, the Woods Hole Science Aquarium, purportedly the nation's oldest (depends on who you ask), invites you to get to know some of the local critters. Admission is free; stick around until 4 and you're likely to catch the seals getting their late-afternoon meal.

5. If you're still feeling energetic, head back through Main Street, buy a kite at Kaleidoscope Toys and fly to the unofficially designated kite field at the intersection of Falmouth Heights Road and Grand Avenue.

6. A day in the sunshine and fresh air has no doubt taken a toll on the brood. Head back to the hotel for some down time and clean up before dinner. For nighttime eats, check out Crabapples where the homemade crab cakes and chowder look as yummy as they taste.

7. No Cape Cod day is complete without a good cone of something cold and sweet. End the day in town at Ghelfi's Candies of Cape Cod where you can choose among the local favorite homemade ice cream and chocolates.

Sunday

1. Yes, you'll find the obvious at the Cape Cod Bagel Cafe. But the bagels have chewy outsides, soft insides, and come in creative sandwiches (peanut butter and banana!) that make the menu definitely worth the trip.

2. Drive off the Cape for a 9 am whale watch out of Plymouth on Captain John Whale Watching and Fishing Tours. Yes, it's early—but the great good benefit is that you'll be past the dreaded rotary and over the bridge long before the crowds.

3. After you've made the obligatory trek to the Rock (that would be Plymouth Rock), head to the hard-to-miss Cabby Shack that actually serves Freedom Fries, but will amuse the kids (and moms and dads) for its resemblance of something Jimmy Buffet would have built.