Cape Cod is a magical place. Besides its natural beauty and historic heritage, the Cape has recreation, entertainment, and relaxation activities to please almost everyone's interests. The problem most newcomers have is finding where these treasures reside. Cape Cod is famous for being hidden. The longer you spend exploring the Cape, the more it reveals. The sections below offer just a little help in getting started.
| Where to Eat | Where's the Beach | After Dark | Family Activities | Short Visits |
| The Islands | Money-Saving Tips | Day Trips | Shopping | Special Interests |
There are more than 300 restaurants to pick from, spanning every price range and food preference. To make your search easier, the Spring Garden maintains a menu book in the office. The restaurants we included were chosen for food quality, price value, and uniqueness. Regarding the question of where to go for seafood, the answer is easy - anywhere. This is Cape Cod, anyone caught without the freshest catch from the sea is sent back to the mainland. But we do have our favorites:
Breakfast We like Marshside in Dennis, H & K Bakery in Centerville, The Landing in Barnstable, The Mills in Mashpee and just down the road is the 6A Cafe;
Lunch We suggest you try Sandwich's Sandwiches and Marshland both in Sandwich, or an upscale Bistro along 6A in Dennis called Contrast, and for a gourmet experience the Aardvark Cafe in Yarmouthport;
Dinner The most popular and nearest is the Beehive, for waterfront dining the Mattakeese Wharf in Barnstable, Horizons in Sandwich, and Chart Room in Catamuet, Shuckers in Falmouth; for relaxed dining the Aqua Grill in Sandwich, the Barnstable Tavern and the Dolphin both in Barnstable; for gourmet meals the Daniel Webster Inn in Sandwich, the Red Pheasant in Dennis, Abbicci in Yarmouthport, and the Ocean House in South Dennis. There is even that hidden away little French restaurant with the same ambience and sauces you find in Paris called L'Alouette in Harwich.
There are countless others just as good. You will find them in our menu book, or in other guides we have on hand. Just give us your criteria (from Mexican to Italian, or from Chinese to an English Tea Room) and we will point them them out.
An insider's secret to having the cheapest lobster dinner - Joe's Fish Market. Pick out your lobster from one of their tanks, and they will cook it for you. Or if you prefer, call in an order and Joe's will have them ready. You can also purchase other prepared seafood such as shrimp, crab cakes, or stuffed clams. Want more? Go next door to Seafood Sam's. Get carry-out chowders, corn on the cob, baked potato and much more. Then take your bounty to one of the picnic tables by the Canal on a spot overlooking Cape Cod Bay. For around $8-$15 you have the cheapest clambake around, while you sit by the sea and watch the boats sail by.
We are only minutes from the beach, but you would never know it standing in our lobby. The coastline is hidden. Most Cape beaches are down side streets and rarely marked by signs. Sandy Neck Beach, for instance, is only a four-minute drive, but you must make the turn off Route 6A onto Sandy Neck Road to find it. It is a classic in the sense of sand dunes, beach grasses, nature trails, salt marsh inlets, and calm water - no wonder it's rated as one of the best beaches on Cape Cod. Another thing - that old cliché, if you have seen one beach you have seen them all, does not hold on Cape Cod. Because the Cape was carved by glaciers and is surrounded by four different bodies of water, its beaches are very distinct and varied. Water temperatures are different, some beaches are rocky and just a few miles away is a beach with white sand, ocean waves will slap at the shore line in a small cove and further down the coastline the beach will share a tidal river with the sea. Besides Sandy Neck, we like the beaches of the National Seashore in Eastham for its waves, the warm water and wide sandy stretches of Craigville Beach, the hidden wildlife ponds of South Beach in Mashpee, and the beach you discover by accident while exploring.
If you still have the energy, there are plenty of ways to entertain yourself after the sun has gone to bed. Besides the many great restaurants, the Cape has dance and music lounges playing everything from rock to Irish ballads. If you prefer to skip the bar scene, there is a wide range of other after-dark activities very unique to the Cape. Some of our favorites are listed here. P-town at night (Provincetown is at the very tip of the Cape) - the shops, lights, waterfront, sidewalk cafes, and crowds are a delight; more traditional is the Cape Cod Playhouse and the Boch Center for Performing Arts featuring shows and performances with big name stars and organizations such as the Boston Ballet or the local players of the Barnstable Comedy Club Community Theatre. For those who want a seafaring adventure there are a number of boat companies that offer sunset cruises with or without dinner and entertainment. Nature lovers can enjoy guided moonlit walks in such places as South beach in Mashpee or on your own along the many beaches and salt marsh sanctuaries in the area. Nostalgia seekers will like the Chatham band concerts or one of the many special event fairs and festivals such as the Barnstable Fair, the Bourne Scallop Festival, or the Hyannis chowder fest. If you still want more, there are dozens of interesting mini-golf courses, such Pirates Cove, or you could search out your own favorite ice cream haunt among the hundreds of homemade stands around. And when all else fails there is always the movies with over 51 theaters including a drive-in at Wellfleet.
Families with children will find there is more to the Cape than its beaches and our swimming pool. Depending on their ages, there are a host of places to go and things to do with children.
Here is a list of the spots we like:
The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, which is full of exhibits you can touch, interesting trails to walk, and live animal shows. At Plimouth Plantation, there is a living museum showing life during the1620's. The Harwich Children's Theatre has shows for kids performed by kids. For nature lovers, the Green Briar Nature Center in Sandwich has a year long calendar of special craft activities and learning programs about the environment, Whale watches always hold young and old in awe, and the Bassett Wild Animal Farm in Brewster is a clean and well managed petting zoo. In Sandwich, the Heritage Plantation maintains a 47-acre garden paradise which includes three separate museums for antique cars, ancient military weapons, and Americana art including a working carousel you can ride. Close to Sandwich, the New England Fire and History Museum in Brewster is one of the Cape's unique attractions, and the Mimsey Puppet Shows scheduled throughout the Cape over the summer have for years been a favorite of young children. In all cases there is a fee attached to these attractions. Families on vacation do have limited budgets, so we also have some suggestions for activities that leave you with money for other things. See our list under Money-Saving Tips.
It takes a lifetime to discover Cape Cod. In fact, the harder you try to take it all in during a short visit, the more likely you are to miss finding its hidden charms. For this reason we have a suggested itinerary for those who, by necessity, can only spend a day or two on the Cape. For one day visits, we suggest driving scenic 6A at least to Eastham, stopping at the National Seashore Visitors Center and strolling one of its trails, then driving north on route 28 along the Pleasant Bay coastline and stopping in the village of Chatham to walk the streets of a quaint old New England coastal town. In the evening select as your destination one of the waterfront restaurants specializing in the native fare of New England. But most of all, take your time during your travels and stop whenever you see something that interests you. The lingering memory of a special discovery is more important than an interesting car ride. For two day visits, you can drive out further on scenic 6A and spend time in the old fishing village of Provincetown or go searching for lighthouses along the outer arm of the Cape, or with enough time you could take a dune buggy ride or sign up for a whale watch. With two days you could also afford to visit one of the key area attractions such as Heritage Plantation, stroll Sandwich center (the oldest town on the Cape), visit Plimouth Plantation, or relax by the ocean and become a beachcomber.
The islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket have become very popular attractions and are well worth the visit. Keep in mind that each island will take a full day of traveling and is dependent on the ferryboat schedule. Unless, of course, you choose to fly on one of the local charters that leave from Hyannis hourly. Martha's Vineyard is the larger of the two and has more to see, but nothing can compare to the charm of Nantucket with its cobblestone streets, artists shops, and a wonderful harbor filled with sailboats and luxury yachts. Visiting the islands takes planning and can be expensive, but this is a very enjoyable adventure that combines a sea voyage with being an island explorer. Our suggestion for people who make this one of their Cape Cod choices is to start early, and pick a nice day.
An insider's secret for Martha's Vineyard is to use the public bus system to explore the island. It will take you to all the towns and with a transfer you can get on and off at will. The one place you want to be sure to visit is Edgartown. This is the downtown of the rich and famous and the place the ferries don't go.
All week long on the Cape there are things going on that are free. They range from air shows, house tours, lectures about sunken treasure to village parades, craft demonstrations, and local fairs. Guests can find the scheduled events in our office during their stay or beforehand through the links provided on our calendar page. Before you go through all the work, we again have a few suggestions to get you started. The Cape has its own baseball and soccer leagues where towns compete against each other with semi-professional ballplayers throughout the summer. You can go to the ballgame for free. Every evening a different Cape town sponsors an open concert on the green. Two of our bandstand favorites are the Chatham concerts on Fridays and the Bourne concerts on Thursday in a spot overlooking Buzzards Bay. The libraries on the Cape always have something happening throughout the year. Their scheduled events include story reading for kids, some even have free movies, and most run lectures about books or local lore. The Visitors Center in Eastham is part of the National Seashore Parks System and they run field trips and exhibits are at no charge. Bike trails are in abundance on the Cape and offer both good exercise and an interesting way to see the Cape up close and personal. One of the best is the Cape Cod Rail Trail which is flat and goes for 26 miles through pine forests, along lakes, over salt marsh bridges, by public swimming beaches, and through small villages. Another bike trail we like is the Cape Cod Canal Trail which is ten miles long and has a number of rest stops. It is also flat with wonderful views of boat traffic going through the canal. The Green Briar Nature Center maintains free walking trails as well as animal exhibits named after the characters in local author Thorton Burgess' stories of Burr Rabbit. The Center also operates an authentic jam making kitchen which gives live demonstrations and instructions. Two hidden places you can visit are the Barnstable courthouse - a 150 year old courtroom with beautiful murals and carvings and St Mary's Church which has an English style walking garden open to the public. If you ever wondered how they blow glass, the Cape has a number of factories such as Pairpoint Glass in Sagamore where they give demonstrations. The Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne gives tours of its campus which include model ship displays and tours of its training ships. You can even visit the Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory in Hyannis and get a free sample. Who said nothing good is free?
If you do not mind driving an hour or more, you will discover that Sandwich is very centrally located, right between Providence, Rhode Island and Provincetown, Mass. Some of the best attractions of Southern New England are very close via your automobile. The most famous (40 minutes) is Plymouth with all its historic attractions, old homes, the replica of the Mayflower, and the "Rock." Even closer (twelve miles over the bridge) is the re-enacted pilgrim village at the Plimouth Plantation. The sophistication of Boston (75 minutes away) is all yours at less than big city lodging prices - enjoy Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall and the Fine Arts Museum, stroll Harvard Square, go to a Red Sox game, investigate the Science Museum, explore the Aquarium, play in the Children's Museum, or just roam one of America's best cities. The whaling museums in New Bedford and battleship cove is only 45 minutes from the Spring Garden Inn. Head west for 70 minutes and you will be in the city of Newport, Rhode Island. Here is where the rich and famous millionaires of the 19th and early 20th century built their summer "cottages" (read: mansions).
The Cape has its share of factory outlets and shopping malls, as well as major chain stores (but you can find them at home!). What makes shopping unique on Cape Cod are its independent artisans, crafters, and small business owners. The Cape goes beyond the realm of the usual into the world of one-of-a-kind galleries, specialty stores, art studios, handcraft shops, antique cooperatives, and small manufacturing centers. Most of them are located along Routes 6A and 28, but take almost any side road and you are liable to find another one of these independent entrepreneurs there to surprise you. Get ready to read small signs and stop frequently, pulling into narrow, crushed clamshell driveways. Here you will find bird carvers, weavers, pottery makers, furniture manufacturing, bakers and candlestick makers. If you still want more, travel to one of the many flea markets and craft shows all around the Cape, with the hundreds of presenters who set up their booths.
Bring your golf sticks, paintbrush, fly rod, kayak, binoculars, or saddle. There are activities, places, and guides to meet your every interest. From bird-watching to horseback riding, from fishing to genealogy, from scuba diving to glider rides, the Cape can meet whatever challenge you bring. Looking for ancestors? Then you can start the search at the Sturgis Library where they keep lineage records and maps of old cemetery locations. Are you a high flyer? The Barnstable Airport offers biplane rides or glider tours over the Cape, or travel to South Dartmouth and go up in a hot air balloon. Choose horseback riding from one of five nearby stables or golfing on any of the 37 public courses on the Cape. Naturalists can hike or bird watch in well over a hundred sanctuaries or protected conservation areas on the Cape. Some of our favorite locations are Wellfleet Bay, the Yarmouth Historical Trails, Murkwood (just down the road), and Crocker Neck or Long Pond Conservation Areas, both maintained by the Town of Barnstable. Or pick your own from the book we keep in the office, which lists 25 of Thoreau's favorite walks. If tennis is your game, then bring your racquet; there are plenty of public courts nearby. If we have not yet hit one of your interests, just let us know and I'll bet we find it.