Going to Cape Cod...any advice?

[Strawberry Lemonade]

Anyone know of any not-very-widely-known things to see or do on the Cape? DH and I are going for a weekend, but have gone a number of times in the past and have done things like a whale watch, walked around P-Town, Hyannis, Chatham, etc., took a ferry to Nantucket & MV, shopped at the outlets, golfed at Pirate's Cove ...

We're staying in Yarmouth and are willing to drive anywhere. I was kind of hoping to surprise DH with a cool new activity he's never heard of. Anyone have any secret places or activities they can share?

 

[BostonTigger]

Originally posted by Strawberry Lemonade
golfed at Pirate's Cove ...

Isn't that place cool or what? I just love golfing at Pirate's Cove. Have you ever driven down Route 6A? It's a realy beautiful drive, plus there's all the antique shops along it. Also, go and get ice cream at Four Seas, it's in the center of Centerville . I hope this helps.

BT

 

[poohtown]

i pretty much only know the touristy things too - but.... in p-town it's amazing how fast it turns from family to 'not so family' in a matter of hours. We headed there for a whale watch. Before we boarded we stopped at the ice-cream shop right on the main road and had the best homemade alcoholic ice-cream. Yumm- can you get drunk of a double scoop of white russian ice-cream? hee hee. Also in Eastham there was a restaurant called the Lobster Pound that had the best all you could eat fish fry!!! (can you tell I base my good vacations on food?) Good luck finding something new! I did have a weird thing happen - we were looking at one of the old cemetaries. On the way back to the car, we saw a single red rose placed at a grave. The person had died in 1815. Working that into a story I'm writing.

 

[paras4ri]

Since you like food, and so do I, try the Lobster Claw in Orleans!

Plymouth is a short ride away too.

 

[AuroraluvsPhillip]

How about catching a movie at the Wellfleet Drive-In? Or trying out one of the great bike trails in Eastham? Nature walks or bird watching at the Audobon Sanctuary? Browse the art galleries along 6A? Rent a canoe or kayak on the Bass River in Dennis? Just a few things we've done over the years...have fun!

 

[Simba's Mom]

If you're in South Dennis (I think that's where it is), don't skip Sundae School! On Rte 28, Marathon Seafood.

 

[Lynn CC]

Hmmmm, Cape Cod, my favorite place to be, except when I'm at Disney! These are some of our favorite things to do here that are close to Yarmouth. (we play tourist here year-round).
THE CAPE PLAYHOUSE: America's oldest professional theatre celebrates its 70th year, June 24 - Sept 24. Music, mystery, drama & comedy. 508-385-3838.
CAPE COD RAILROAD: 252 Main St., Hyannis, 508-771-3788. 2-hr. excursion thru the hidden Cape aboard a vintage train. Snacks/lunch avail. Daily except Mon., June - Oct.; wknds spring & fall.
you could go on a fishing charter..... Splashmt99 from the DIS, her father owns LAV-NAD which runs out of Sesuit Harbor in Dennis. I can find the number for you if your interested. Great Family, he's been doing it for years! At Sesuit Harbor in Dennis they also have a sunset sail the name is Fria, I believe. The Duck Mobile runs out of Hyannis on Main Street into the Harbor.

Our most favorite restaurants here on the Cape are...... Inaho for Japanese in Yarmouthport (res. suggested)...it's the best food here on the Cape, (if you've never eaten this type of food it's something fun to experience together for the first time, it's absolutely 5 Star) For Italian our favorite is Albertos in Hyannis (res. suggested)....and for an American Bistro, The Ocean House in Dennisport (res sug.)...Kreme N Cone in SouthDennis has the BEST fried Seafood here on the Cape, (it's a fast food type service) They have broiled as well.
For Breakfast we like the Red Cottage Restaruant on Bass River Road in South Dennis.
Our Favorite Ice Cream place is Hallets Soda Shop on Rte. 6A in Yarmouthport (it's a small place that the locals go to).
I don't think you'll be disapointed with any of these places to eat.

If you golf I'm sure you know about all the golf courses here on the Cape, they reserve T- Times for non-residents daily.

Cape League Baseball has games everynight, you could check The Cape Cod Times for times and towns that they'll be playing. They are the next best thing to The Red Sox!
Cape Cod Crusaders have semi-pro soccer games here too.
The Melody Tent has Musical Entertainment that's also listed in the paper.
Chatham Seal Cruise Chatham. In 1986, gray seals started to spend summers off the coast of Chatham, and each year since they have come back in increasing numbers. During these 1.5-hour trips, participants will cruise along South Beach and Monomoy looking for seals in the water or hauled out on beaches and sand bars. Call for times. (508) 349-2615
You can rent parasails and jetskis from Blue Waters Motel (I think they still have them there) and have fun at Smugglers Beach in Yarmouth.
I think the Barnstable County Fair is running until after this weekend/ you may want to check before going all the way there.
Well let me know what you decided to do and if you try any of the restaurants I'd like to hear your "trip report"!
That's all I can think of for now.
Have Fun

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

So many fantastic ideas...we'll need more than one weekend to do it all.

A couple questions, if you don't mind:

On the bike trails, can you rent bikes or do you have to bring your own? DH & I don't actually have our own - I haven't been on a bike in like 15 years. Maybe I should practice first.

Lynn CC, is Inaho a hibachi-type restaurant or strictly a sushi place? Neither one of us eats seafood (I know, it severely limits our dining options at the beach!) but we LOVE hibachi restaurants. We took the Duck Mobile tour in Boston and loved it - I was actually considering it for this trip. The seal cruise sounds great too, but Red Sox? Thanks, but no thanks! We're YANKEE fans!!

 

[Lynn CC]

LOL about being Yankee Fans DS is a Yankee Fan too, it drives DH crazy!
You can park and rent Bikes right at entrance to the Bike Trail on Rte.134 in South Dennis. They have rentals at Barbara's Bike Rentals right next door to the parking lot. Their is a country store you'll run into along the trail that you can get lunch ,snacks drinks, it's not that far from 134, maybe 1/2 hour - 45 minutes. We ride down there and back just for some fun once in a while.

By hibachi type restaurant do you mean grill? They do have the best Terriaki steak or chicken terriaki at Inaho or.....
you may prefer
The Brazillian Grill on MainStreet in Hyannis has the Best Brazillian Barbecue. They come around with all the grilled meats that you could possibly want to eat, along with an included buffet that has all types of salads etc. It's actually one of our favorites, I just forgot to put it on the list. It's a fun place to go and the beef is like no other! reservations suggested here too.

 

[krissy3483]

Originally posted by poohtown
Before we boarded we stopped at the ice-cream shop right on the main road and had the best homemade alcoholic ice-cream. Yumm- can you get drunk of a double scoop of white russian ice-cream? hee hee.

Oh I love that place! I myself prefer the mudslide ice cream, but the white russian is absolutely delicious too!!! Now I'm hungry for some....only a few more weeks to go thank goodness!!
Oh and like someone else mentioned, Sundae School is great too!
I'll be there in a few weeks, and aside from the beach and going on a whale watch in P-town, I'm hoping to go horseback riding. I believe most beaches won't let you ride on the beach anymore, but there might still be a few tours that do, which I think would be great around sunset, so I'm looking into that.
And I know there are places where you can rent bikes. One place that I know for sure is called Mike's Bike Trail Rentals, located right on the Orleans rotary, next to cape escape mini golf. I have their phone number if you want it.

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

LOL - It's amazing what you can find if you just type something into a search engine. I'm just laughing at myself; I tend to overlook the obvious. Thanks for the info krissy3483, and I found a whole bunch of bike rental places (including Mike's!) on google.

Lynn CC, the type of Japanese place I mean is like Benihana-style. Where you sit around the grill and the chefs cook right in front of you. Like the Teppanyaki Dining Room at Epcot World Showcase.

Thanks again everyone for some great ideas. Keep them coming!

 

[spb999]

I've gone on that seal watch and it was pretty cool .....nice boat ride too.....

 

[Lynn CC]

Oh, of course that's what you meant by hibachi style! LOL
Brazillian Grill is like that, you can watch them grill all the meats and then watch them go around to each table and they cut off pieces of the meat onto your plate. I don't eat meat but DH and DS say it's very tender and tasty. DS had his confirmation dinner there with 30 family members last year and we had a Great Time. They ate for 3 hours! I just get the soup and salad and veges at the buffet.
We ate at Inaho last night (we go once a week) DH says the steak is probably the best on the Cape.
If you sit in the booth area where the sushi bar is you can watch them making the sushi, it's really fun to see. DH is not very adventurous when it comes to eating, but he loves this place! Our DS 17 eats all the raw sushi etc. I just stick with the tofu.
Another place that has Ribs is Christophers on Rte. 28 in Yarmouth. (My boys say they are the best ribs they've had here, if you like ribs).
So what are your plans so far???

 

[cinmell]

We love Captain Parker's in Yarmouth for lunch and dinner. Our absolute favorite place to get ice cream is Sundae School in Dennisport, YUMMY!!!!!!!

 

[SeaSpray]

Lynn, have you ever been to the Bee Hive Tavern on 6A in Sandwich? I love that place!

 

[Lynn CC]

Believe it or not I think the only place I've ever eaten in Sandwich is The Dan'l Webster Inn and Gone Tomatoes (I think that was in Sandwich) We'll have to go to The Bee Hive. We are always looking for new places to try! What was good on the menu there?
Another place that has been open for a year is 902 Main, it's a small restaurant on 28 in Yarmouth, it's getting Very Good Reviews from the locals.
Thanks for the suggestionSeaspray

cinmell We've eaten at Capt. Parkers many times. Love the Chowda! It's so filling I can't get past a cup and a salad. DH says they have great Fish N Chips too.

 

[amid chaos]

If you want to come to my end of the cape...LOL..here is some stuff to do.

Hike to the "knob"...starts by Quisset Harbor. a quick hike and you end up at the "knob"...which is a "knob" of land sticking out into the water..beautiful there.

Bike the Shining Sea Bike path from Falmouth to Woods Hole...a beautiful ride along the beach. Woods Hole is a great little scientic community with a small aquarium with a touch tank upstairs, several water front restaurants and you can sit and watch the ferries go in and out to Martha's vineyard...or you can take your bikes right on the ferry and go their yourself. Nice bike paths over there too.

There is also a pedestrian and bike ferry out of falmouth called The Island Queen.

 

[twinmomplus2new]

In addition to the daily train. There is a dinner train. It is pricey but includes a 5 course dinner. and the atmosphere can't be beat. my friend Laura is a waitress on here!



I am not sure if you have kids with you, But we love the Pirate adventures. You can leave from Hyannis Harbor or from Orleans Harbor we prefer Orleans. They go out on a little Pirate ship replica and pull up treasure after following a map. It really is a blast.
There is also a sunday harbor cruise from Hyannis. I think it is called the Sunday special? You have a sundae on the harbor and they cruise around by the Kennedy compound. THe compound has been bustling the past few weeks, everyone is around.
As someone suggested 4 seas in Centerville. I have Seen Swartenegger(sp) ARNOLD, There twice. It really is a fun place to go.
New Seabury market place. Has great little shops and rest.. and free band concerts on Friday and Saturday evenings. also Mashpee Commons in Mashpee is a great little place. Good luck, and have a great trip!

 

[canwegosoon]

Were going Sat too. And I want to do the Pirate thing, so thanks twinmom2new, I will check out Orleans.

OP have you ever gone to Scargo Tower in Dennis? The view is great on a clear day, but not much to do...but near there is also Grumpy's for breakfast and lunch, and Captain Frosty's which is known for it's fried foods (but don't know how much they have besided seafood ) Lots of Antique shops on 6A if you like that too.

And you can come by my house, and talk Disney

 

[twinmomplus2new]

Pirate adventures is great for about ages 2 and a half . to about 10/ There is another alternative thats great for About ages 5 and up. (Captain Mikes Seafari) We have done this one twice. It's great! Also out of Hyannis. They pull up traps and the kids get to touch all kinds of creatures.

If you go to Pirate adventures in Orleans. It is located on the Orleans Harbor. Right next to the Goos Hummock shop. You do need reservations. Make sure you go across the street to the store with the water toys on the roof. It is a must for the kids all kinds of Kitcshy stuff. Shark in a bottle, dried starfish, shell junk. nd a grea tpenny candy store! Have a great time!


Also for anyone coming this weekend. The Barnstable county fair runs till 11pm. This Saturday. It is a real country fair and alot of fun!