There are great areas for families all along the Cape. If you do stay in the Provincetown area, check out the Province Lands National Seashore visitor center for schedules of activities. There are natural trails, guided natural activities, bird watching walks, all sorts of things.

You can rent bikes and ride along national seashore trails. There is also the Cape Cod Rail Trail which runs between Dennis and Wellfleet.

As stated above, check out the schedule of activities at the Audubon sanctuary in Wellfleet.

Kayaking and swimming in ponds all throughout the Cape. Walking along the flats of Cape Cod Bay between Brewster and Eastham at low tide. This area is marvelous for walking at low tide but not swimmable at that time, then at high tide you can swim. The water in the ocean is cold, Nantucket Sound is warmest, and Cape Cod Bay is cool.

There are band concerts in some towns on certain evenings, including Sunday evenings in Brewster and one night a week a very large one in Chatham. Boat trips to see seals leave from Harwichport and sail around Monomoy. Great home made ice cream places in most towns on the Cape.

Fishing charters leave from several locations. Unfortunately, the Cape Cod League baseball season will be over by August.

Possibilities are endless.

<Well, we all know what happens when you assume...>

Helpful as always NewbE.

Not to mention, what I'm saying agrees with many other families posting here with suggestions of other less congested parts of the Cape for a family beach vacation.

Just for your information the waterfront in Provincetown is wonderful for kids. At low tide it is a fantasy world of interesting creatures. My two loved playing there for as long as low tide lasted.

Nice try, suze, but it's clear to everyone that you were warning a family away from P'town because it's too gay. Other are saying it might be too congested, or that a rental won't be available at this late date. or that the water there might be too rough for little kids.

sure I think visiting the central waterfront area of Provincetown would be fun for an afternoon. But these people are asking where to stay for one week.

I have many friends all around New England who vacation annually and/or own homes on the Cape. For decades. None are in P-town.

suze, I personally know three families with young children, all straight that have condos on the water at ptown for a week this summer. One is during family week, the other two are not.
From ptown it is easy and free to get to several beaches on the trolley.
There is really not anywhere uncontested on the cape in July and August.

Another though it to rent in Wellfleet giving one access to several gorgeous fresh water kettle ponds as an alternative to bay and ocean.

We enjoyed staying in Chatham on our first, and very abbreviated, trip to the Cape. However, Wellfleet and P'town seemed to us to have more for families with kids--but we don't have kids, so that could be wrong.

How the OP went from planning a trip to Machu Picchu to P'town is classic fodor.

So what? They changed their minds, I guess.

Macchu Picchu. Provincetown. I can see the similarities and why it would be a toss-up.