Cape Cod /Martha's Vineyard/Nantucket
 

We have to be on the east coast for a couple of weddings in late June early July. We've never been to Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyard/Nantucket. If we were to add 5 or 6 days to our trip, how would you break it up and where would you stay (I assume we would have a car). We like to bike (on bike paths), hike, hang out in coffee shops, peruse stores (like charming/active downtowns, akin to Carmel or Stonington), and sit on the deck with a glass of wine and some reading material. We prefer hotels to B&Bs. For food, we like good food but are not "foodies" - a delicious salad or sandwich for lunch, a nice plate (which we usually share along with an app or dessert) for dinner.

Thanks for your help.

P.S. We know it will be high season, given that our trip is around July 4th.

The Outer Cape
 

The Outer Cape is my favorite.....bike trails, sand dune rides, walks on the beach at low tide, interesting shops and restaurants, whale watching, bird watching.....so much to enjoy.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/08/t...-cape-cod.html

We used to spend one week each summer in Brewster for many years. (We moved overseas for many years and have just returned.) The Cape Cod Rail Trail (for cycling) was nearby; the Salt Pond rented canoes where we could seek out the birds. Brewster's tidal beaches were excellent for shelling. The Brewster General Store is a definite must-visit. For day outings we would take the bicycles to Provincetown and ride the dunes (rental bikes are available). On rainy days Sandwich made a nice trip for its glass factory and museum as well as lunch at Dunbar's.

On our last visit before moving overseas we applied for ORV permission to spend an afternoon/evening along Race Point North near where the seals congregated. Amazing experience.

As for restaurants, the ones we returned to each year included J.T.'s (for lobster on the arrival night); Cobie's for fried clams; and Mac's Seafood in Wellfleet. The Red Barn Pizza in Eastham also featured once each year, too.

I'm biased toward Martha's Vineyard. I also like Provincetown. Nantucket is quiet and beautiful but out of my price range.

I also recommend the Outer Cape, considered the "real" Cape Cod. JFK created the Cape Cod National Seashore, which starts in Eastham and ends in Provincetown. This stretch of the Cape is beautiful, with gorgeous beaches, sand dunes, walking trails, and bike trails, and obviously is less developed and less commercialized. We have stayed in Wellfleet and Truro, and this summer we are renting a house for a week in Eastham, with our children and grandchildren.

I also recommend Brewster. We rented a house there for a week with our family in summer of 2018. We were very close to many beautiful beaches (the Brewster flats). Went to a different beach every day. Bike trail was close by. Brewster General Store, as Fourfortravel, mentions, is a must visit and fun.

For delicious seafood, we really like Kate's in Brewster, Arnolds in Eastham, and Bookstore Restaurant in Wellfleet (overlooks Mayo Beach). We have had mixed experiences at The Pearl in Wellfleet. We've had a few great meals there, and one disappointing meal.

Sandwich has a nice downtown (at the beginning of the Cape). The Heritage Gardens and Museum is very pretty, well worth visiting, as is the glass museum. We also really like Chatham, which has an active and charming downtown. It's mid-cape. Several very good restaurants and lots of nice stores.

This is all wonderful information, thank you all. We now know where we will be for each of the two weddings (with a week in between), so we will start booking flights and accommodations.