msrosied

My husband and I will be traveling to Cape Cod at the end of September with another couple. We already have a place to stay. Any suggestions on things to see/do? How about dinner suggestions?

Michael

Visit the library in Provincetown

KarenWoo

Where are you staying on the Cape? That makes a big difference.

We love Wellfleet. It has a very pretty center with art galleries, shops and restaurants. You can have dinner at Winslow's Tavern in the center. They have outdoor dining if the weather is nice. This is not a clam/lobster shack but a nicer restaurant if you want something special. We also love the Bookstore and Restaurant, right across the street from Mayo Beach. And the Pearl Restaurant by the harbor. Moby Dick's on Rt 6 is a good clam shack with indoor and outdoor seating.

Chatham is a lovely town for dining and shopping.

There are lots of good easy hiking/walking trails. Some we like are in Fort Hill in Eastham. The Great Island Trail in Wellfleet - can be as short or as long as you like.

https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/n...e/69601056007/

Provincetown is a fun place to visit. Brewster has a country store and bookstore.

gomiki

Adding to KarenWoo's good suggestions is Mac's Shack in Wellfleet, great sushi, oysters and seafood.

We really need to know your location to give suggestions. It's about two hours from Falmouth to P-town and all the towns have different things to offer. Do you want museums? www.discoverpirates.com (fascinating and in West Yarmouth), www.edwardgoreyhouse.org (in Yarmouthport on 6A), www.cahoonmuseum.org (in an historic house in Cotuit).

And on and on. So please give more details and we will have more suggestions.

PrairieHikerI

Bicycle or walk on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, esp. the more scenic sections like Harwich to Orleans. https://www.shoalscapecodinn.com/Thi...ail-trail.html

suze

I agree would help us to know where on the Cape you'll be? "Cape Cod" covers a large area with lots of different towns. And assuming you have a rental car?

I guess one thing I would say is definitely do a day trip to Provincetown at the tip if you aren't staying there already.

msrosied

So this is what happens when you’re from Southern California…didn’t realize that Cape Cod was made up of many towns! Found out we are staying in Onset.

msrosied

Staying in Onset. Provincetown sound great. Thanks

msrosied

Staying in Onset and will have a car. My husband loves anything historic.

schmerl

We had the BEST whale watching experience out of Provincetown with Dolphin Fleet.
https://whalewatch.com/

gomiki

You are not quite on Cape Cod, just on the other side of the Cape Cod Canal. It's a lovely little town. If you look at my previous post, those suggestions would be good for your DH. Especially the Pirate Museum. Route 6 runs from Long Beach, CA to Provincetown, MA. On the Cape it is 6A and a lovely stretch of old sea captains houses, especially from West Barnstable to Orleans.

If you find yourself in Orleans, Mahoney's Atlantic Bar and grill is good. Wequassette Inn and Resort has nice views and definitely $$$ dining.

KarenWoo

Onset is not on Cape Cod. It is on the other side of the canal. May I ask why you chose Onset? Are your hotel reservations refundable by any chance? The reason I ask is that I think staying on the lower Cape and near the Cape Cod National Seashore would be a nicer experience. Wellfleet, Chatham, Harwichport, etc are closer to many of the places that we have suggested to you. If you can't cancel, don't worry about it. You will still have a wonderful trip but you will be doing more driving.

For example, Onset to Provincetown is 1 hour and 20 minutes. It's a one hour drive from Onset to Wellfleet.

So, knowing that you are staying in Onset, I can recommend visiting Sandwich which is very pretty. There is a glass museum and the Heritage Museum and Gardens in Sandwich. The Heritage Museum & Gardens has an antique car museum, which I think your husband will like.
https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/
https://sandwichglassmuseum.org/

We have always had good luck at Seafood Sam's. It's one of the best seafood shacks. There are several: one in Sandwich and one in Falmouth.
https://www.seafoodsams.com/
We've always had delicious food at the Daniel Webster Inn in Sandwich.
https://danlwebsterinn.com/dining/

It's a 50-minute drive from Onset to Eastham where there are lovely and easy walking/hiking trails that I mentioned in my earlier post. The Fort Hill Area.

Here are links to walking trails in Sandwich and Falmouth which are closer to Onset.
https://www.traillink.com/city/sandwich-ma-trails/
https://www.traillink.com/city/falmouth-ma-trails/
Link to the Cape Cod National Seashore
https://www.nps.gov/caco/index.htm

The CCNS Visitor Center in Eastham also has some easy and beautiful walking trails.

And Falmouth has lots of restaurants. It's about 30 minutes from Onset to Falmouth, and 20 minutes from Onset to Sandwich.

Vttraveler

Since your husband enjoys "anything historic" you might want to consider going to the historic district of New Bedford with its National Park and whaling museum. It's quite close to Onset, in the other direction from Cape Cod.
There are good seafood restaurants on the waterfront.

gomiki

Vttraveler has a great suggestion. The www.whalingmuseum.org is a treasure and even has an entire whale skeleton on view.

msrosied

When I found out what town we were staying at and looked at the map, I figured we weren't really staying in Cape Cod. We are guests of the other couple we are traveling with so I'm not sure why they picked Onset but maybe just didn't realize it is actually not on Cape Cod? Thanks for the suggestions. We will be aware that places will be further.

msrosied

Thank you.

gomiki

Not on Cape Cod but a short drive away is Plimoth Patuxet, formerly Plimoth Plantation www.plimoth.org . The Mayflower replica is located in the town of Plymouth.

Have a wonderful trip and please let us know what sights you liked.

msrosied

We had a great trip to "Cape Cod". Onset was a cute little town. Since it was going to rain the first two days we were there, we decided to get out of the rain. The first day we went to Portland, Maine and did a trolley tour which was interesting. It took us to Head Light Lighthouse amongst other scenic spots. Of course we had to eat fresh Maine lobster, so went to Lukes, which was great. Stopped in Kennebunkport (which was so charming) and Kennebunk. The second day we ventured out to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Walked around the town and had lunch at the Gaslight Grill. The third day was not raining so we drove up to Provincetown. We toured the Pilgrim Monument and walked around the shops. Honestly, didn't really care for Provincetown. Went to Wellfeet (cute town) and ate at the Pearl (which was good). Also went to Cedar Swamp. The fourth day we drove to Newport, Rhode Island. Loved the town there. Walked around the shops, had lunch at Diego's. Walked part of the cliff walk. went to the Newport Winery and did some tastings. Didn't get a chance to go to Plymouth or more of the towns on the Cape. Onset had their Harvest Festival and we watched the fireworks. All in all, saw and did a lot.

HappyTrvlr

There are so many towns on Cape Cod, you’ll have to return to explore the Cape. Next time look at Chatham, Orleans, Brewster, Yarmouth as a start.

gomiki

Thank you for coming back and letting us know about your trip.Did you drive to Maine (and back) and the next day to NH (and back) from the Cape? That's a lot of driving! You packed in a lot for the time you had.