Hello, I will be heading to the East Dennis for a week on 8/16. It’s my first trip to the Cape and I’ve been scouring this forum for fun things to do but with the weather this summer it looks like rain (maybe lots of rain) is likely during our stay. Does anyone have suggestions for rainy-day activities?

On a side-note, I’m also interested in recommendations for vegetarian restaurants.

Thanks!

I wouldn't be too concerned with weather forecasts that far in advance. So far this Season has been mostly sunny.

While forecasters have been predicting rain, T-storms and nasty weather for the past few weeks it turns out that most days have been mostly cloudy, some sun and a few showers here and there.

East Dennis is a good location for rainy-day activities if you do run into some foul weather.

There is the Dennis Playhouse on 6A slong with the Cinema on it's grounds.

Nearby Brewster has the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.

The free Newspapers "Along 6A" and "Along 28" will provide you with many places to visit during inclement weather.

Agree with Gene that forecasts in New England are rarely accurate even 24-48 hours out, much less so longer.

But, I do not know where Gene has been this summer "MOSTLY SUNNY"!!!. This is the rainiest summer Boston/Cape area has had in years and July rainfall has been 4 inches above normal. There has been almost daily rain - according to TV, July had only 4 days with no rain.

Rainy day activities on the Cape are tough - not finding something to do, but getting to/from. Traffic is horrendous when it rains - everyone is trying to get somewhere to find something to do. A day trip to Provincetown in the rain is OK once you get there. Same for checking out art galleries and/or antique shops along 6A. If you are into photography, especially black and white, the fog and mist of a rainy day provides some great images.

Even in the summer, when it rains or is misty on the Cape, it can feel quite raw. Pack a sweatshirt, long pants, etc.

Should have been further south...RI and Southern MA had almost no real rain this summer up until about a week ago....making up for it now a little bit, but still been pretty good this year. I thought the Cape was in the same boat for July at least...

"This is the rainiest summer Boston/Cape area has had in years and July rainfall has been 4 inches above normal. There has been almost daily rain - according to TV, July had only 4 days with no rain."

Just checked the records...July had LESS than 4" of rain in July (at least in Hyannis)

http://www.weather.com/outlook/event...A0195?month=-1

I am willing to stand corrected - I have used as source the TV weather from Boston and had no idea weather had been so different on Cape - weather maps on charts on TV just indicated huge areas of green/yellow, enveloping all of Eastern Mass.

I was so happy that we spent July on the Cape instead of Boston. Honestly, of my five weeks there, we had only one morning of hard rain and virtually none of the thunderstorms that plagued the Boston area (and we are still experiencing).

ElliMayLynch, can you tell us if you are travelling with kids and, if so, their ages? Rainy day activities would be vastly different for me if I didn't have to entertain my children. And there are quite a few that are fun.

This confusion about Boston weather in relation to Cape and Islands weather has cost local businesses a great deal of money.

Boston has had TERRIBLE weather this summer: endless rain and cold Northeast winds. Almost every day here in Nantucket has been GORGEOUS! When it has rained (until Wednesday of this week) it has been Florida rain -- late afternoon/early evening showers. A tad humid perhaps, but perfect beach weather! When we finally got some Northeast breezes, it was a relief to have some cooler air!

Weird, I've posted a reply twice now and it's not displaying - I'll try this again...

To answer your question ccrosner, we are 4 adults (mid-40's) - no children.

I'm happy to hear the weather at the Cape can be different/better than Boston - my family in Boston have been complaining about the weather all summer. Thanks for enlightening me!

P.S. Anything on vegetarian restaurants?

EllieMayLynch -

Try going to CitySearch for Cape Cod and put in "vegetarian" as your search criteria. A number of things pop up, but I'm not sure how close they are to where you're going.

The Juice in Wellfleet is a vegetarian restaurant. It was quite good, has that funky feel to it, small, good outside tables. Wellfleet is also a good rainy day location to tour all the art galleries. Lots of NICE ones, too.

The antithesis of Provincetown.

Expect crowds if it IS raining.

When you are on the Cape, watch the Providence TV stations for weather...they cover S.E. Mass and Cape weather (Nantucket and MV as well) better IMO.

Just to clarify, The Juice in Wellfleet is not a 100% vegetarian restaurant. They serve a lot of seafood. They do have some vegetarian options however.

Thanks for giving us more info, ElliMay....

If you don't have children in tow, you can certainly enjoy lots of shopping of all types on a rainy day (although, yes, driving will be a pain because everyone will be doing the same thing!). There are great antique stores along Route 6A in Dennis/Brewster as well as other spots on the Cape. For art gallery browsing, there are a few in Orleans (which also has other fun shops) and more in Wellfleet and of course Provincetown.

The Wellfleet Audobon Society and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster and the Salt Pond Visitors Center in Eastham would offer indoor museums that you would enjoy for an hour or two.

You could always do a movie (theatres in Dennis and Harwich would be close by).

We like to go candlepin bowling in Orleans. Total throw back to the 50s and 60s.

And if it isn't raining too hard, I would try doing a walk at Fort Hill in Eastham.

Sorry...not too good on the vegetarian restaurant idea. Most restaurants serve a few vegetarian options but I can't think of any that are totally vegetarian. Check out the menus at Center Stage Cafe and Scargo Cafe in Dennis....we think both have terrific food.