Cape Cod - Best town to stay in with young kids
 

We are planning a 3 night trip to Cape Cod in August with our 2 young children, ages 6 & 2 and we are having a challenge figuring out where to stay. We want to be near or on the water (bay or ocean) and close to a town that provides shopping, restaurants and overall charm. We don't want to spend a lot of time in the car so things need to be close by but we are planning to do a whale watching tour in PTown and Nauset beach for sure. We aren't looking to visit museums or anything historic because of the kids. Help!

I'd suggest Eastham, although you don't say what type of lodging you are looking for . Eastham is within striking distance of PTown and many wonderful bay beaches great for kids, as well as near Orleans.

Look at Harwichport, Chatham or Wellfleet.

I was going to suggest Wellfleet, but passed on responding because of the 3-night thing. I can't think of any hotels in Wellfleet - just rental cottages - and these almost always rent Sat-Sat. Wellfleet has some nice bay beaches without scary waves, a cute little downtown, several nice restaurants - and close to Provincetown for whale watch (are you sure you want to take a 2-year old on a whale watch; dress warm and bring seasick medicine).

Wellfleet also has one of the few remaining drive-in movie theatres, which can be a fun experience.

Wellfleet might work for you if you will consider staying in a B+B. Take a look at the Oyster Cove B+B on Wellfleet Harbor. It is pricey but they have a 3 bedroom suite that would be perfect for your young family.

Eastham and Wellfleet are just minutes apart so if you don't want a B+B but are looking for a hotel with pool, look at the Four Points Sheraton, on Rt 6 in Eastham. Additionally, there are many motels, of varying prices, scattered along Rt. 6 in Eastham and Wellfleet.

Eastham/Wellfleet really would be perfect for you since you will be close enough to P-town for a day trip, yet also close to Orleans for a wide variety of shops and dining. Both towns have beautiful bay (and ocean) beaches for your kids to enjoy. The Salt Pond Visitor's Center in Eastham offers free children programs, so stop in there while you are vacationing to check it out. www.nps.gov/caco

We are looking for more of a motel style place to stay so by the sounds of it perhaps Wellfleet isn't the place. In looking into it more, would you all recommend Eastham or Chatham? Want a beautiful town, close to beaches and less than 1 hour to Provincetown. Thanks for all the help!

You are starting to worry me. The towns on Cape Cod are mostly quite small, with very limited if any traditional downtown areas. I can not think of anyplace on the Cape where you could get all you want within walking distance. While there is much natural beauty and some cute shops and galleries, there is also quite a bit tacky strip malls, arcades, etc.

We are not expecting to be able to walk everywhere, just want the town and beach to be somewhat close by. Definitely don't want to be near the tacky strip malls so that's why I'm looking for guidance. There are a lot of towns to choose from and we just want to make the right choice for our family.

Take a look at the Hawthorne in Chatham. I can't think of another place that fits ALL of your requirements. Although this motel calls itself an inn, it really is more of a motel style place. It is very close to ocean beaches, although not the Nantucket Sound or Cape Cod Bay beaches that would be best for your family, and is walkable to down-town Chatham.

Does anyone know anything about the Chatham Seafarer Motel?

Bike to Ridgevale beach (on Nantucket Sound), or Downtown Chatham from this location. Also close to the Chatham spur of the Rail Trail for biking to other locations. Close to Marion's Pie Shop :-) If you stay there, plan on gaining a few pounds even if you bike everywhere!!!! LOL
Looks like a basic motel, fairly near the very busy Rt 28. I am not a Motel person so I can't tell you anything else about the actual accommodations.

Check out the Commodore Inn in West Harwich or the Winstead Inn & Beach Resort in Harwich Port. There are lots of beachside motels in Dennisport and lots of places to eat. Provincetown is less than an hour from either town (more like 40 minutes). Our schools are out around the 24th of June. Do bring layers for clothing and raingear, it could be 85 or 60. Whalewatches are wonderful but perhaps a bit long (4 hours) and boring for a 2yr old.

I have been to the Cape three times. My husband and I went there before kids and chose Wellfleet but after we had kids we chose Falmouth. My girls are now 7 and 3. Falmouth is perfect for families with kids. The town is quaint, charming, walkable, and has "kid friendly" things to do as well as restaurants. We walked to the beach which was calm and beautiful. I highly recommend Falmouth! We love it!

Provincetown is an amazing place. Kids enjoyed fishing and whale watching. The beaches are just plain awesome. Surely, there are a lot of fun things to do on Cape Cod.
Check out the whale watching video here:
http://www.funoncapecod.com/things-t...whale-watching

We loved Ocean Edge in Brewster. I really think it is perfect for young children because it is on the Bay and the water when we went last August was very calm. The only downside is that it was about 45 min - 1 hour from P-town.

Consider staying at the Wayside Inn in downtown Chatham. I don't know what the budget is, but this 'Inn' has rooms in a new motel type wing overlooking a family pool. The Wayside is a short walk to Oyster Pond, also known as the Childrens Beach, a saltwater inlet with no wave action. Restaurants line Main Street and there is a restaurant in the Wayside. It is adjacent to Kate Gould Park where the weekly Friday night Chatham Band concerts take place.

Reconsider taking your 2 year old on the whale watch. It can be a long, long day for the little guys. There are seal watches out of Chatham that might be great for both of your children.

The Chatham Seafarer Motel is on busy route 28 and really isn't a walk to anywhere. The beach in front of the Hawthorne is loaded with seals which draws sharks. I can't recommend that beach although the hotel is nice enough. You can always drive to Oyster Pond from there. It would be a bit of a long walk with two small children.

re. the Wayside, I wrote: "this 'Inn' has rooms in a new motel type wing overlooking a family pool."

I should have written the rooms are Newer than the historic inn, not 'new' although they're really beautiful. You can take a look online to see the room selection. The Wayside is really a small hotel/motel lodging choice and definitely a bit upscale.

Thank you so much for the detailed response Bowsprit....unfortunately the Wayside is above our budget and when I try to select rooms for our family it indicates that we need 2 rooms for our family of 4.
Do you know anything about The Chatham Tides Waterfront Resort? Or any other hotel/motel in Chatham that is close to beaches and Main Street?
I will definitely check out the seal wathes as well....might be a better option. Thank you, thank you for the details on hotels....REALLY helps!

Chatham Tides is Right on the beach. All the rooms face Nantucket Sound, the parking lot is of course nearby. Some rooms have kitchenettes. I think the rooms are a bit tired, but the setting is gorgeous. You'll have to drive to get to restaurants and shops.

There are family rooms at the Wayside. I wonder if they're already sold out for your dates? You could call them directly just to make sure.

We are now also considering Eastham and Orleans and have 3 motels in mind but would appreciate some feedback.
The Cove on the Waterfront - Orleans
Viking Shores Motel - Eastham
Midway Motor Motel & Cottages - Eastham

We are open to any of them but just want to ensure that they are clean, cozy and good for a family. Thanks!