Cape Cod - Don't know where to start!
 

Hi:
We're traveling to New England next week! We will probably reach Cape Cod around the weekend of October 13-14). We will settle into a hotel, then take a ferry to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard (separate days.) Any ideas on which town would be the best for accommodations and the most convenient for ferry transportation? Also, wherever we stay should be within walking distance from nice shops and restaurants.
Thanks so much!

Where should you stay on the Cape? On Nantucket? Or MV?
Chatham on the Cape for shops and dining.
For ferry, Hyannis or Falmouth/ Woods Hole.

For a ferry definitely Hyannis, there are some good places to eat that will be open, try Embargo and Colombo's if other things are closed, they usually stay open. Woods Hole is quite small and not very interesting. Chatham is nice and you should go there for the evening but it is farther and does not have a ferry service to the islands.

The Heritage House Hotel is walking distance to both of the ferry companies in Hyannis. It is on Main Street and there are lots of shops and restaurants on Main Street. www.heritagehousehotel.com

That is the weekend of the Wellfleet Oyster Fest. www.wellfeetoysterfest.org . It's great even if you don't like oysters!

Opps. www.wellfleetoysterfest.org .

Hyannis is the one town where you can catch ferries going to either Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. It takes longer to go between MV and Hyannis than MV and Wood's Hole, of course.

Where should you stay? If ferry ease and proximity is most important, definitely Hyannis, especially if you don't want to hassle with parking and such. There are many towns that are pleasant to stay in, though, Chatham being one of them (its downtown feels kind of upscale). Hyannis's feels a little more urban than the rest, while Provincetown feels bustlingly eccentric, Falmouth's a little more suburban, and Wellfleet's a little more artsy and low-key.

It is hard to "settle" in to a place if you plan to see a good amount of the Cape. Hyannis is a perfect choice to ferry over to the islands and to tour around. You will find a nice main street with some shops and places to eat, although I am not sure in October if all the restaurants are open along main street?? The Kennedy museum is also on main street and I found it to be very nice.
My favorite places to stay are Chatham,Eastham, Orleans and Provincetown. Not sure what else you are looking to do?