I have narrowed down my list from looking at the advice given to others but still have a few questions.
Wife, 2 kids & self are staying in Hyannis as a base for 1 week.
I have hired a car & want to avoid too much driving. I will get satnav so this should help.
Driving to Provincetown I hope to stop at Orleans on the way – Bird Watchers General Store for my son to tell a joke & get the bell rung – Q1 Is the store easy to see from the road & what side should I be looking for it.
Q2 Where is the best/easiest place to park in Provincetown.Q3 Where are we likely to see the dancing policeman.
My wife is a Hopper fan & wanted to see some of the places he painted. I have planned a day trip to Truro where he stayed. Q4 Will we see more of his subject matter there.
I was thinking of taking the train from Hyannis to Cape Cod Canal & stop for a while at Sandwich. Points of interest there are the Grist Mill, Shawne Duck Pond, Old Village general store & a carousel. Q5 are they within easy walking distance to the train stop & each other.
The rest of my trip is sorted. We will visit Brewster, Chatham & either take the whale watching trip from Barnstable or travel back to Provincetown & go from there.
We are looking forward to a day trip to Marthas Vineyard, revisiting Edgartown but really excited about Menemsha & Gayhead that we missed out on last year. We will also go to Nantucket & hope to get to Sconset.
On the subject of satnav I would have to pay $60 for a weeks hire but have seen them advertised for $130. I was thinking of buying one & bringing it back to the UK – what I haven’t had details on is if I can get the UK roads as an optional extra or will I be able to download it easily. A UK satnav starts at £130 ($250) & a US roadmap for one was quoted as £300. If anyone has any experience of these things please let me know.
Thanks for all your info to previous peoples questions that have helped me so far

I'll try Q6 (even though you did not number this one). Took me a while, but satnav systems are usually called GPS systems here. I have one in my car and love it, but I am not even sure you need one for Cape Cod. There are basically 1-3 roads (depending on part of Cape/width of peninsula) that run from one end to the other. From there are cross roads - but they are usually marked and intuitive. A $3 road map should be fine as if you have even a limited sense of direction, you can not get lost for more than a few miles.

Q2 &3. We have not found any secret place to park in Provincetown and prefer to park at the first large lot we see and walk the short distance to downtown. There is also a slightly more expensive lot right on the water/right in downtown, but then you fight traffic to get in/out and it is sometimes full.

I thought the dancing policeman was in semi-retirement, but I could be wrong about that. Anyway, he directed traffic right in the middle of downtown, at the cross street that enters this downtown lot.

There are many small art galleries along 6A that your wife might also enjoy. Problem is that your kids might stage an uprising if she stops at too many (mine did). Bribe them with a stop at some cheesy tourist stop - mini-golf, arcade, bumper boats - and they will likely tolerate it, depending on their ages.

I have the road maps from last year but had difficulty at night on the Cape where there are few signs & it gets very dark. Found myself heading North when I wanted to go South. Also unlike the UK the roadsigns direct you to a particular named road rather than the place you want to go to. GPS satnav looks the way to go plus if the price is reasonable I can have a present for myself.
The dancing policeman was mentioned in a guide I got in the library from 2003.

You don't say how old your kids are, but if you have kids in tow, take them to one of the Cape Cod League Baseball games. http://www.capecodbaseball.org/ Lots of fun, you get to meet the players afterward, get autographs and take photos. Some of them will make it to the major leagues.

There is a drive in movie theater on the Cape in Wellfleet http://www.wellfleetdrivein.com/ which is also lots of fun for the family.

Hopefully this may help you.
Question 1- Bird Watchers General store is on Rt. 6A in Orleans. I would take 6A from Hyannis, and wind your way down to Orleans, there is much to see along the way- the Historical houses in Yarmouthport, the old Sea Captains houses in Brewster, and the antique and boutiques of those towns as well as Dennis. The kids will like the Brewster General Store, also.
Once In Orleans, the Bird Watchers store is just before you get to the Stop and SHop, and coming from Brewster, on your left.
Question 2. One can usually find a spot in Provincetown in the town lot on Bradford Street, above the Monument.
Thd dancing policeman does come out of retirement, sometimes during the summer- and can be found at the intersection of Cromwell and Commercial.
If you have the opportunity, the Hopper exhibit is at the MFA in Boston. He painted several homes on the Outer Cape, one right on Rt. 6 in Eastham, that one passes , but it is not identified. Nor is the house in Truro- high on a hill, off of Pamet Road. The Boston Globe had an article from Explore New England in Sundays paper. I would suggest you go to the website, Explore New England.com, search on Cape Cod, and you will find several good articles on Truro, the bike trail, and Sandwich.
Question4- the trail depot in Sandwich is not closeby the village. From the village you can walk to the Sandwich Glass Museum, and watch the glassblower-see the Hoxie House, the oldest house on the Cape, visit the Thornton Burgess Museum (which my grand children enjoyed)visit the Duck Pond and the Grist Mill.The carousel is in the Heritage Plantation and Museum. Worth an entire day visit, and not within walking distance.
Gene's suggestions are terrific with or without children.Cape Cod baseball league is a must, and the drive=in is family oriented films, and on the weekends a busy flea market.
On Wednesday's, Wellfleet has a square dance, for all the family, as well as a fishing pier, and on Tuesdays and Saturdays a walking tour of the village from the Hisotical Society, as well as Saturday night art gallery walks, with wine and cheese at the openings.Chatham and Brewster also have concerts on the green, or in the park- Much to do!
Enjoy your trip!

I too was wondering why you'd need GPS on the Cape, but your reason is a good one! (Having learned to drive in MA, I never thought about the streets in that way, but I can see where the GPS would really help in the dark!) Have you checked out the manufacturers' websites for info on the Europe maps? Garmin is one of the top sellers here but I don't know much about them. I do know a little about the lesser known is Navman (navman-dot-com) that started in Australia

(oy, hate it when I hit that Post button by mistake!!)

Anyway, Navman seems to have pretty robust mapping worldwide, so you might want to check them out...

Also just want to mention the Four Seas ice cream in Centerville - still as good now as it was when I was a kid! (Of course there's lots of great ice cream on Cape Code, but this shop is always great.)

Have a great trip!!

I strongly recommend GPS for driving around Cape Cod. As mentioned, when it's dark, signs are difficult to locate and very confusing.

Actually, driving is confusing in the daytime, as well, because nothing is what you would presume.

For example, Provincetown is north of Chatham, but you take Route 6 South to get there. And, South Chatham is West of East Chatham which is South of Chatham (which is NOT in between West Chatham and East Chatham, so most people believe they've "missed" Chatham...

And, whenever you get lost, on the Lower Cape, you are always either "Entering Harwich" or "Leaving Harwich", over and over again.

Thanks very much for all the info.
I was saving Brewster for a full day trip because I had read about the blacksmith, apothecary, post office/barbershop, general store & fire and history museum plus the 80 acres museum of natural history.
Sandwich looks likely to be a car trip as there would not be enough time before the train would leave to see all you have mentioned.
I had Wellfleet down as a short stop if only to hear 2 bells at 1 o'clock. I think I will add it to the Truro trip & see it on a Wednesday.
Hyannis has an open air cinema according to what I've read which is also on my list.
Ice cream is my favourite & I only realised half way through my trip last year that your youghurt cones were the same as our soft scoops. I will be making up this year for those I missed last year.
My wife wanted to have a pot luck supper after reading about them at West Tisbury, MV but we couldn't fit that one in unless we stayed overnight on the Vineyard. Maybe a clambake will do - I note they are advertised in the papers so I will watch out for one.
The less time I spend driving the better so I will need the GPS. Some have an SD card that is pre loaded or can be loaded off the internet. This is the type I will be looking for.

Hi once again!
The fire museum in Brewster is closed, and has been for a couple of years.
You may find if you check the Audubon website, several tours to the old cemetaries in Dennis and Brewster- great guides, and quite interesting. Another spot, on the Old Kings Highway (6A) you might enjoy is in Yarmouthport. Called Hallet's Drug store, it has a wonderful old soda fountain, from the 40's, original to the store, and serves up a mighty good ice cream soda to boot. Above, is their collection of old apothocary items, and the like. Also in the town, just a bit further down toward Dennis, behind the post office is a nature trail, which culminates at an old Seamen's chapel, that had been moved from another site. Almost Shaker in its simplicity, it is indeed interesting.(Weddings are still held there). And, on Old Strawberry Lane is the Bangs Hallet House, housing the historical collection of the town.
Just what you need, a few more suggestions!

I highly recommend "Cape Cod, An Explorer's Guide", an incredible resource for visiting. It's been recently updated (June 2007) and is available at Amazon.com

OK so now I have day trips sorted for
1 Martha's Vineyard
2 Nantucket
3 Provincetown, taking in Orleans,
4 Sandwich,
5 Truro & Wellfleet on a Wednesday,
6 Brewster
7 Whale watching from Barnstable or
Provincetown
8 Check out a shopping mall in Hyannis
&
9 make sure I visit Yarmouthport.
We arrive from New York Saturday evening & return there the following Saturday. Thats 6 days with 9 potentially full day trips. Wish I had a tardis. I will have to see how it goes & try & fit the extras you have given me in. The whale trip is a half day so I could fit something in there & the mall could be experienced in the evening.

The shopping mall in Hyannis is small and nothing special - but while in Hyannis go over to Cape Cod Potato Chip factory and take the very short self-guided tour. It is interesting, they have a unique gift shop at the end, and you get a small sample of free chips.

a small hint on parking in Ptown. If your day to go there turns out to be cool/rainy, you need to arrive early (10 at the latest). Lots in town will fill up. There is an otion should that occur. Park at the national seashore beach and take the 5 minute shuttle into town.

johngerard, it sounds like quite a trip! If you can work it in to your schedule I think going out of Provincetown is better for whalewatching than Barnstable, www.whalewatch.com . It is a much longer trip from Barnstable.

OK..let me give this a go. If you are not interested in taking the scenic Rt. 6a to Orleans then

Q1 Bird Watchers General Store Easiest route...Take Rt. 6 East all the way to the Orleans rotary (roundabout) Take your first exit, Rt. 6A+ Rt. 28. Go past your first set of lights and shortly after on your right you will see the Bird Watchers General Store. (Sir Crickets is a great take out Fish and Chips...next door)
Q2 Where is the best/easiest place to park in Provincetown.
Take the Conwell Street Exit off Rt. 6. turn right at the roads end onto Bradford Street and take a left at the gas station and neon sign about parking. (If the sign says that the pier parking lot is full, park in the large lot, called Duart's, across from the Gas station) Otherwise, go straight across Commercial street, where the dancing policeman will be if he is performing. The lot is directly ahead. To leave, just reverse the directions, keeping in mind that Commercial Street is a one-way street and mainly used for pedestrians.

Q3 Where are we likely to see the dancing policeman. See above


My wife is a Hopper fan & wanted to see some of the places he painted. When you are on Rt. 6 in Truro...almost to Provincetown, you will see Days Cottages on the left...like ducks in a row. That is one of Hopper's famous paintings. You can take a detour off Rt. 6 onto Rt. 6A to get a closer look.

Concerning directions to Chatham posted by another Fodorite...to go from Provincetown to Chatham you must go due south on Rt. 6 West and then continue due south from Orleans to Chatham on Rt. 28 North

Have a great time!

Hi! I would really recommend trying to hit Gayhead on MV at sunset. It's spectacular, and you get the most gorgeous orange tinted pictures with the red lighthouse in the background that bring back the feeling of the day. The beach below is also nice - people stack rocks in a very Zen way in the surf.

Also on MV, the public transport is not bad at all (but the maps/timetables are very confusing) and I've always managed to catch a bus back to a late ferry after sunset at Gayhead without problem.

Eat seafood in Menemsha!! Mmmm!

anadyne - I was at the Vineyard last year. On a Sunday the last boat back to Falmouth was 8.15 on a Sunday which was my intended day to visit this year. I don't think I would see the sunset. My plan was to breakfast at Betsys diner Falmouth, boat over. Get my bus pass for the day & head for Menemsha/Gay Head. Afternoon head for Edgartown & then return to Vineyard Haven/Oaks Bluff to get the boat back. We got some hollyhock seeds last year that have grown much bigger than our English ones. Hope to pick up some more seeds this year.

One thing that really strikes me about your itinerary is that you don't seem to be planning to spend any time exploring the National Sea shore. 40 miles of beautiful beaches. Swimming, hiking, biking.
"A man may stand there and put all America behind him." Henry David Thoreau
http://www.nps.gov/caco

Oh, Betsy's Diner is great; my parents' favorite place when they visit us here. Your MV itinerary looks nice.