Cape Cod Activities

Starting at Chatham and driving up the cape to the Easternmost tip of Provincetown—and stopping at the historic lighthouses along the way—is an iconic New England experience. While some are closed to the public, many will have staff on hand to share historically significant tidbits and even take you for a look inside. Best of all, there’s no need to pack a lunch: Each town you’ll pass will have plenty of can’t-go-wrong seafood shacks to choose from, where you can also always find the requisite soft-serve.

While you really can’t go wrong with any of the beaches along either Cape Cod Bay or the Atlantic Ocean side, this particular one, at the foot of a historic lighthouse, is unique in that you can swim (or wade) out to a beautiful sandbar where locals like to set out picnics and barbeques. While the surf can be too intense for the littles to handle on certain days, the beach is great for long seal-spotting strolls and shell-collecting expeditions. Fair warning: parking can be a pain, so consider biking.