Cape Cod

Neither of us had ever been to Cape Cod and honestly didn’t know what to expect. This is the place where presidents and the wealthy go to escape, right? Well, we love islands and if the rich and famous like this one so much, maybe we would as well.

With the help of some new friends local to the area, we explored all of Cape Cod from Bourne, just over the Cape Cod Canal, to the tip of the “hook” in Provincetown. Interesting to note that the Canal was man made in 1916 and is what officially changed Cape Cod from a peninsula to the island it is today.

We found Cape Cod to be very different from how we imagined it. It’s not inundated with precocious estates and upscale eateries, although both can be found. Rather, Cape Cod is a scattering of small charming towns up and down the peninsula… uhm Island. These small towns give access to an abundance of beautiful beaches and amazing sand dunes. We found the beaches to be incredibly clean with thick soft sand and clear water. But beware, the shark threat in this area is real and well documented with warning signs at each beach. In fact, in 2016 there were 718 reports of shark activity at Cape Cod beaches. One of the reasons for this is the abundance of seals, the sharks primary prey. It was late October so we weren’t tempted to go for a dip, but a walk down the beach allowed for an amazing discovery of dozens of seals sunbathing on the beach.

There was so much to see and do in Cape Cod, including the many historic lighthouses that the area is famous for. We visited several, but I think our favorite was the Nauset Lighthouse. The Whydah Pirate Museum is extremely interesting and provides some extensive history of the Cape Cod region. There are also many great places to eat and an abundance of fresh seafood. We had a wonderful breakfast at Café Chew in Falmouth which had a charming atmosphere with inside/outside seating and amazing food and coffees. We also had a magnificent meal at Fishermen’s View in Sandwich, overlooking the Cape Cod Canal. Get the scallops! Venturing a bit further the neighboring islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard are only a boat ride away. We saved that for our “come back” list..

Cape Cod is a great getaway and there is no doubt why many people continue to go back or decide to call it home. We are forever grateful to our friends Linda and Peter who graciously and generously opened up their home of Cape Cod to us so that we could experience it in a way that most people don’t get the opportunity to.

Check out all of our pictures from Cape Cod.