Need info for Boston area whale watching attractions

[thr33boys]

I'm guessing that if you are camping in Brewster then you will be camping at Nickerson State Park (great campground BTW - my kids went camping there with their troop in May). If that is the case, then you should be aware that with traffic you will be about 1 hour drive from the pier in Downtown Provincetown. The parking at the pier in P-town can be tricky if going mid morning or later in the day. There are a couple of other places with public parking, including a public lot on the outskirts of town (entrance to the lot is across the street from the Cumberland farms right near the TD Bank). Also, there are usually discount coupons for the whale watches in the local tour guide books. There is a Tourist Information kiosk on Route 6 in Eastham that generally has all kinds of coupons.

Also, if you have space bring your bikes! The Cape Cod Rail Trail bike path runs from Dennis to Wellfleet and goes right through Brewster. It's 21 miles end to end and is mostly flat. One of the main joining points for the bike is at Nickerson State Park. If you can't bring your own bikes there are a bunch of places to rent them as well. The path goes right by the entrances to several of the National Seashore beaches. You can bike to the beach from the path. The total round trip distance from Marconi Beach to Nickerson SP Area 1 is a little over 26 miles (yup this is what my kids did when there in May).

Also, if planning on going to the beach on the National Seashore or any of the ocean beaches on the Cape from Chatham to Truro be prepared to seek out alternate beaches. July is seal season - which means it's also great white shark season. On a positive note, the seals are not a problem on the bay beaches. The beaches in Brewster are bay beaches.

Thanks so much for your feedback. I really appreciate it. We're actually camping in Shady Knoll, (really didn't find a campground that met all of our requirements). Nickerson, I don't think had hookups for the trailer so that's why we didn't choose there. Anyway, I have read about the biking trails, if we don't bring ours we'll rent for sure. With 5 of us, it's hard to bring the bikes and tow the trailer. Is there a better place to rent from between the vendors?

Thanks for the info on the beaches. This is where I haven't been able to get much insight. Which are the better beaches to visit? I'm sure they'll all be crowded.

 

[nhgirl]

I can tell you what I know about the beaches. The beaches on the Bay side (Brewster) are not really that crowded. Of course it may just seem that way because when the tide is low you can literally walk out a huge distance. Some people walk out to the sand bars. Just make sure you know when the tide is coming in because it comes in fast and you don't want to be stuck out there. I love low tide on the Bay side.

IMO the other side of Cape Cod is busier. That would be Chatham, Yarmouth, Hyannis, Falmouth. The water seems to be warmer on that side but he beaches also seem to be more crowded. All the beaches are worth it. I don't know how the parking works. I seem to remember reading about getting a parking permit through the town for the beach. Not sure if this is still true. It was not an issue for us because we were staying right on the beach in Brewster so we just went to that beach.

 

[lindsmom]

For beaches, I would recommend visiting the National Seashore Beaches in Eastham / Wellfleet. Coast Guard and Nauset Light in Eastham tend to fill before 10 am, but up to Wellfleet is Marconi - same look and feel just almost never fills. It is another 15 minute ride, though. That will be ocean beaches - huge tides, possible sharks

Try to visit a bay beach, as PP has mentioned - at low tide - Paine's Creek, or really any of the beaches on the 6A side of Brewster (where you are staying) are similar and lovely. You can check the tide at the tide chart online: http://www.boatma.com/tides/Cape-Cod.html (high tides listed, so low tide is 6 hours later - the tide goes so far out you can't see the ocean!) It would be great to go to one ocean and one bay beach to compare. Also the ocean beaches are great for body surfing, the bay for exploring sea creatures and for children not comfortable with swimming in the ocean.

 

[thr33boys]

For beaches, I would recommend visiting the National Seashore Beaches in Eastham / Wellfleet. Coast Guard and Nauset Light in Eastham tend to fill before 10 am, but up to Wellfleet is Marconi - same look and feel just almost never fills. It is another 15 minute ride, though. That will be ocean beaches - huge tides, possible sharks

Try to visit a bay beach, as PP has mentioned - at low tide - Paine's Creek, or really any of the beaches on the 6A side of Brewster (where you are staying) are similar and lovely. You can check the tide at the tide chart online: http://www.boatma.com/tides/Cape-Cod.html (high tides listed, so low tide is 6 hours later - the tide goes so far out you can't see the ocean!) It would be great to go to one ocean and one bay beach to compare. Also the ocean beaches are great for body surfing, the bay for exploring sea creatures and for children not comfortable with swimming in the ocean.

Great info, thank you