Cape Cod Vacation Help
 

I am hoping to rent an house in Cape Cod next August for a week. There will be 3 couples and 2 children (ages 6 and 2). We will probably rent through www.vrbo.com but are open to other suggestions for finding accommodations. Cape Cod seems so big. I'm not sure what town to rent the house in. We are looking for a place with beautiful ocean beaches, kid-friendly activities, a downtown -- with shops, restaurants. We will be driving and would prefer not to go to Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket because we don't want to deal with ferry schedules. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

I suggest Wellfleet. The beaches are gorgeous, there are also wonderful fresh water kettle ponds, a lovely downtown with restaurants and shops. It is close to Provincetown and to mini golfs, movies for rainy days, a big flea market.

I second Wellfleet, but we all have our favorite towns on the Cape. Eastham would also work for you.

The beauty of Wellfleet is that in addition to the ponds, you also have the bay beaches, along with the spectacular ocean beaches. And you're right there at the National Seashore. The National Seashore has sponsored walks and tours and the Wellfleet Audubon Sanctuary is nearby.

You can also check www.weneedavacation.com for rentals, and google rental in Wellfleet. Many of the local realtors have an extensive list of rental homes.

Chatham is another Cape town with a nice downtown area.

I third Wellfleet. It is our favorite town on the Cape & we just returned from a overnight stay there. Any place on the National Seashore is great but Wellfleet is my favorite. There is a very pretty bay beach, Mayo Beach, that is perfect for young children. There's a great restaurant across the street (Bookstore Restaurant) so you could walk across the street for lunch. Mac's Shack is another nice restaurant to eat at, & I hear that the Pearl is nice, too.

Another great beach for young children is Skaket Beach in Orleans. Other nice towns to stay in would be Eastham & Truro.
And cw is right that Chatham has a lovely downtown area.

Like everyone else, I'll echo Wellfleet as a good option -- it has a cozy, artsy, low-key feeling downtown with some nice older architecture. Chatham also has a very enjoyable and somewhat upscale feel to its downtown strip. Provincetown has an exuberantly eccentric feel to its sizable business district strip.

Eastham is centrally located, but it doesn't have much of a downtown, unlike the other two options. Truro, either. They'd be better for a quiet, secluded, get away from it all vibe. I'd guess both towns have places to stay, though, and if you have a car (or even if you don't), you can find more vibrant downtowns to explore.

We love Harwichport. Bumper boats and go-karts nearby, great beaches and cute little downtown. Also very close to Chatham.

We just rented a home in Chatham for a week and enjoyed it very much. The place we rented might be a bit larger than you need but here's the link:

http://www.weneedavacation.com/Prope...ropertyID=8890

Wellfleet, Harwichport or Chatham will all work.

Thank you all so much for this information. I will definitely do my research based on your responses. Do any of you like Barnstable or Hyannis? Just wondering. Thanks.

Hyannis meh. It has a lot of traffic & crowds, the beaches are tiny and littered, and generally not as charming as the other towns mentioned.

Barnstable -- don't know enough to comment.

I, too, think you'd be happiest in the towns recommended above: Wellfleet or Eastham, Chatham, Truro. Wellfleet and Eastham have more to offer for families (minigolf, the drive in movies, ice cream, etc); Chatham is more upscale and grownuppy (imho); Truro is more remote from the family-fun activities, but with breathtaking scenery. I love Provincetown for the night-life and restaurants (right next to the breathtaking scenery and the art and history), but it can be extremely crowded and less fun for the kids.

Of course the 2-year-old won't be affected much by choice of town, and the 6-year old will probably be happy with the beaches in any town, so it might be all about what the rest of you want....