We are planning a June family reunion in Cape Cod. Does anyone know anything about Brewster Mass? Is there a par three golf course nearby? This will be our first trip to the Cape. Are there lots of bike trails in this area? Any recommendations for an elegant dinner?

We've been to Cape Cod many times in June but we're not golfers so couldn't comment on the golfing but the bike trails are marvellous. From Brewster you can get on the Cape Cod Rail Trail which will take you all the way to the National Seashore. Bike paths are safe and easy. Bike rentals are available in Brewster near Nickerson State Park and they also have trail maps and info. The Brewster General Store is also a hoot and a great place to sit on the verandah and have ice cream. You'll love Cape Cod.

Brewster is a wonderful town for your reunion. I believe the Blue Rock golf course in Yarmouth is a par three and there is always Seaview Playland chip & putt on route 28 in nearby Harwichport. You will learn that you can easily drive to nearby towns if the town your staying in does not have the attraction you are looking for.

One thing Brewster does have is Chillingsworth probably most elegant dining on the Cape! go to www.Chillingsworth.com.

After reading these responses, we were able to locate a map of the rail trail and find more info about the par 3 in S. Yarmouth.

Since I have no frame of reference, how long does it take to drive from Brewster to P'town? Is it easy to get around on CC in the summer?

We are considering the Oceanedge Resort and have looked at many older posts re: good places to eat.

There will be 15 of us inc. 5 kids ages 3-19. All of us will be driving to the Cape from various locations, so we'll all have a car. We are looking forward to this first "group vacation". Any other suggestions are welcome. Thank you for your replies.

Q: Since I have no frame of reference, how long does it take to drive from Brewster to P'town? Is it easy to get around on CC in the summer?

A: On a weekday in June (no traffic) 40 minutes. Weekend (traffic) 60 minutes.

After June every day is pretty trafficy.

The Ocean Ridge from the outside appears to be very nice.

Things to do:
-Bring bikes or rent bikes for a day and ride the rail trail
- Visit the National Seashore in Welfleet, Eastham, Truro or Provincetown. All have fantastic beaches.
- The Cape has plenty of golf all over the place. The Ocean Ridge folks should be able to help.
- The group could take a ferry boat for a day trip to Martha's Vinyard or Nantucket. Both I believe have public transportation once your there.
- Go to a Cape Cod league baseball game. These are fun and free. Many major leaguers played there between college years and the majors including Nomahhh. Do a search of Cape Cod league 2002 on google and you should find a schedule. I would recommend Orleans as a good place to watch a game.

Would anyone care to take a stab at what the weather might be like on Cape Cod during the last week in June? Is the water warm enough to swim?

The weather should be warm - 70s or maybe 80s. Unless you are a polar bear, the water will not be warm enough to swim in the ocean. Cape Cod has lakes with public beaches, but even a lake in June will be cold. However, the youngest kids in the group will probably want to swim - my kids even went into the ocean in Maine at that age.

You should also plan a whale watch. It would be a great activity with the kids. Also plan to go to Chatham. If you look at the Cape Cod Times website on Fridays there is an entertainment guide. Chatham used to have free band concerts on the town green on Friday nights. I am not sure they still have them on Fridays or another night but they are fun.

Blue Rock golf course is a lovely par 3. Well maintained, helpful staff. More challenging than a pitch and putt. Also Kingsway on Rt 6a is an "executive course" - mostly 3s some 4s.

I was going to suggest the Ocean Edge, great resort in Brewster for a family reunion, kids program, golf and the rail trail goes right through so you can hop on.

We are frequently at the cape the last week in June. We always take a quick run into the ocean (brrrr), but you'll be glad you have the pool at Ocean Edge. The water on the Bay side, where Ocean Edge is, will be warmer and possibly, depending on your tolerance level, might be fine for swimming. Temps should be between 70-80 during the day.

June isn't that crowded yet, so it's a good time to go. Visit Wellfleet, Truro, the dunes and P'town. Have fun!

First off, I want to second the recommendation to go see a Cape League game, especially in Orleans. Great fun & real baseball!

On your way to or from the lower Cape, stop at Arnolds for great fried clams. The bike trail also runs past here.

If you are heading to the beach somewhere on the lower cape, stop for sandwiches at Boxed Lunch in North Eastham. It is on Rt. 6 on the left hand side after the Big Red Barn which is on the right hand side. The Big Red Barn is a classic tourist trap but the kids will love it, especially on a rainy day. Pizza, mini golf, video games, ice cream & a huge gift shop with all the I love Cape Cod paraphernalia you could want. ; )

Have Fun!

Is there a web-site that is more specific to Cape Cod?

We have booked our condos at the Ocean's Edge. We've looked into the Par Threes mentioned here as well as the various restuarants mentioned on this board.

Thank you for the alternative activity recommendations, especially since not all of us are lay-on-the-beach fanatics.

Here's hoping for hot sunny weather the last week in June!!

We have returned from our family reunion in Cape Cod. The Oceanedge was just perfect for our five families--each of us had our own condo in one building--almost like a dorm setting.

We played golf (both regulation and par-three), went to P'town, did the bike trail to Coast Guard Beach, did some shopping in Chatham and we barely scratched the surface of what the Cape has to offer.

We had an exceptional meal at the Ocean House in Dennisport. Table of eleven and everyone was very happy with what they had ordered.

I was fascinated with the bayside beach in Brewster--because of the tides, every time I went back it was like a different place. I loved the beautiful stones and every walk was like an intense foot massage.

The water in the bay was nippy and the water in the ocean was 57 degrees! But when you're on vacation, you go in!

We had a great time; thanks for the travel advice.

Had to reply to this one.I was following this thread before our trip to Brewster last week. I'm glad that Sparky and crew had a wonderful time but wanted to let other unsuspecting innocents know of our experience.We were also at Ocean Edge starting at the end of June including July 4th and was just wondering if we were even in the same place!!! We go to the Jersey and Delaware shore every year and love it. We travel extensively and have been to beaches all over the world.

We went up to Cape Cod for a family reunion as my sister visiting from overseas wanted to go there and ride the bike trail so I willingly drove the 6 and and 1/2 hour trip to get there.

On our return (2 days early)I called my neighbor who was there last year (and also Hated it) and told her "Friends don't let friends go to Cape Cod".

My sister who stayed in the hotel-owned section of Ocean Edge and paid 2 arms and 2 legs for the privilege had a charming, new one bedroom condo. As were were 5 people and that was too small for us we stayed in a privately owned condo with no air conditioning in the horrific heat wave that we just had. That condo cost us only 1 arm and 1 leg.

The beach which was a few miles drive and a long walk away, was awful. I will say one thing. It was warm enough to swim. In fact, the water was warm enough to take a bath in. It felt like the Dead Sea with one major exception. There is no smelly, slimy vegetation in the Dead Sea. on July 4th, the beach smelled like an elephant watering hole after the elephants had consumed a large batch of dead fish which did not agree with their intestinal workings. The kids who are true beach bums hated the slimy sea bottom and that there were no waves.


So we wanted to try the pool. I thought that pool passes were included in our exorbitant rent. Sorry! It would cost me $50 for 2 days for the privilege of sitting in a small, crowded pool with 500 others and balls bouncing off my head. The condo was hot enough to bake potatoes in without switching on the oven. But that is because,I was told, you don't need air conditioning at the Cape. It does not get hot enough there! Huh!

So instead of facing another night of sleeping with wet towels draped over us, we got in the car and drove 6 and 1/2 hours to home, sweet air, conditioned unmildewed home.

On the plus side, I loved Province town and Nantucket, even though it was too hot there to even sit in an air conditioned tour guide's van.

I am sure that Cape Cod is lovely in the Fall but for a beach flavored vaacation, I think we'll stick to Delaware beaches.

Sure, "You can keep", you and Sparky stayed in the same place. The thing that's in different places is your head. With a bad attitude like yours it's no wonder you were miserable.

You even had a bad attitude about things you knew about in advance, like the prices.

If you didn't like the beach and didn't want to pay for the pool, did you realize that there's more than one beach on the Cape and you could have just gone to another one? I've heard that some even have waves, to please your whiny kids.

The heat undoubtedly made you cranky. The truth about AC is that it's needed just a few days per year, if that, on the Cape, you found those days, and the hotels often don't want to invest in it because it's used so rarely. The Cape was indeed hot last week, but there are years at a time when the temp doesn't hit 90.

Sorry that I insulted your wonderful Cape, Sam I am. Yes attitude is a lot but you can have all the positive attitude in the world and still recognise that a bad location is just that, cut your losses and go home.

With so many wonderful places in this country to visit, it is great to read advice and opinions of many to see what will fit your needs, and avoid those that don't. This is a travel forum and maybe some others would be interested to know that the Cape is expensive, most places don't have air conditioning, the beach is not the greatest and there are are other alternatives.
If you can't deal with that then suck it up and go sit on your smelly beaches and go back to your overheated, mildewed, overpriced accommodation and allow me to have my own opinion and you can enjoy yours as you see fit.

Very interesting to see the two opposite opinions from people who stayed at Ocean Edge in Brewster a week apart. I spend lots of time in Brewster (although I know nothing about Ocean Edge and can't speak about the accommodations there) and I have to say that it was so hot and unpleasant at the beach there around July 4 that I came home myself for a few days of air conditioning rather than stay there. There are a very few days every summer when I feel the lack of air conditioning, and unfortunately for "You can keep", that was when he or she was visiting.

That said, the beach in Brewster is one of the unique places in the world. Long, long sand flats wonderful for walking and beach combing at low tide, and warm water great for swimming at high tide. If we want to swim at a beach with waves, we go to the ocean, not too far away, either in Orleans at Nauset Beach, or farther away in Eastham, Wellfleet or Truro. The beaches on the north side of Dennis, just to the west of Brewster, are also wonderful swimming beaches even at low tide. The water in the bay can be very cool or very warm, depending on the weather and the tides, but is always warmer than the ocean.

I think if my only experience of Brewster was last week, I might feel the same way "You can keep" does, but I am glad to have experienced the area under the much more pleasant conditions which usually prevail.

To: Nikki & Sam:
We do not have to apologize to Youcankeep for his solitary bad experience. The +200,000 of us who live here and our 5 million yearound visitors who visit and love it do not need to hear about this whiner from New Jersey.