What is better than an escape to quintessential New England? Cape Cod is a great destination that you should visit this summer. Cape Cod is divided into four sections known as the Upper, Mid, Lower, and Outer. Each section of Cape Cod has their own personality and list of engaging activities to try next. If you are a fan of family-friendly locations, sandy beaches, delicious ice cream, fresh seafood, beautiful bike trails, and one-of-a-kind lighthouse.
Cape Cod is a special case and close to many hearts, including mine. It is a place of pure happiness. I have been going to Cape Cod every summer since I could walk and I wouldn’t ask for it any other way. Cape Cod is always a summer full of family, fun and adventures awaiting around every corner. Below are a couple main reasons to add Cape Cod to your travel bucket list this summer.
1. Famous beaches
Cape Cod offers more than 130 beautiful beaches that can fill everyone’s summer needs. Cape Cod has more than 550 miles of coastline with many lakes and ponds inland as well. Popular beautiful beaches include Chatham Lighthouse Beach located in Chatham, Marconi Beach and Beachcomber Beach in Wellfleet, Old Silver Beach and Woodneck Beach located in Falmouth, and Nauset Beach in Orleans. These beaches are located on the coastline throughout Cape Cod’s beautiful coastline. The most popular beach is actually on Martha’s Vineyard, which is only a 45 minute boat ride away, and known as Joseph Sylvia State Beach that has “Jaws Bridge”. Remember that movie? It is known as an “American Legion Memorial Bridge” and named “Jaws Bridge” after being featured in the movie Jaws. Many people jump off this bridge and, don’t worry, there are no sharks close by! All of these beaches are surrounded by quintessential cottages and villages and friendly, smiling faces that always welcome newcomers to Cape Cod.
2. Unlimited food and ice cream options- Four Seas Ice Cream
You can’t drive or walk a couple blocks on Cape Cod without running into an iconic ice cream store. Cape Cod has BY FAR the best ice cream that Massachusetts has to offer. My favorite place is called Four Seas Ice Cream and is located in Centerville, MA. Four Seas Ice Cream is Cape Cod’s oldest ice cream shop. They have had their doors open and long lines around the block since 1934. They have dozens of homemade flavors, including delicious seasonal flavors, to choose from. Every ice cream flavor is made in store and kept in a huge freezer in the back to treat the tasteful likes of all customers. Four Seas Ice Cream specializes in flavors that go back to the old days and featured bizarre flavors, such as Maple Walnut, Banana, Rum and Butter, Lemon Crisp, and various sherbets, but the best flavor of all is Peppermint Stick. Four Seas Ice Cream also has a couple tables to serve food, such as their famous lobster roll. Four Seas Ice Cream has been winning national and local competitions for decades and has been named one of the top ten ice creams in the country by several national publications! Definitely swing by for delicious homemade ice cream and a lobster roll on the side.
3. Bike Trails
It is no lie that Cape Cod offers the best bike trails. Biking along the Shining Sea Bikeway from Falmouth to Woodshole is amazing and an activity that I do everyday in the summer. One direction of the bikeway is along the coast and heads to Woodshole, MA, while the other direction offers up to 20 miles of stunning cranberry bog views and past beaches. Other parts of the cape offer bike paths and overall there are over 115 miles of trails. You can also take your bikes on the ferries to head to Martha’s Vineyard and bike around there- I recommend biking to the “Jaws Bridge”. Cape Cod is by far the best place for biking and is a cyclist’s dream.
4. Outdoor movie nights
Attending a drive-in movie theater is something that everyone should experience at least one time in their lifetime. In Wellfleet, MA is the famous drive-in theater. This drive-in theater was first built in 1957. Famous classic features that have graced the screen are, “Ben Hur,” “Jaws,” “Star Wars,” and “ET.” An added golf cart, snack bar and dairy bar were added in recent years to play and eat while waiting for your movie to start. I definitely recommend visiting because this place is amazing and so much fun! Heading to Wellfleet, MA for the drive-in will be an experience that one will remember forever showing the newest movies every weekend, while staying cozy in your car with pillows and blankets.
5. Shopping
Cape Cod is full of unique boutiques full of antiques found in the delightful village centers. Starting in Falmouth all the way to Provincetown, the best way to find your favorite shop on Cape Cod is by exploring the main streets by foot. Chatham is a great town for shopping that the whole family would enjoy. Even the smallest one-of-a-kind stores offer the greatest finds. One can also find national retailers at the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis or Mashpee Commons.