Massachusetts - 90 Great Things to Do in Massachusetts in Cape Cod

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Among the many delights of the Cape Cod National Seashore is a visit to the Marconi Station site on Marconi Station Road in Wellfleet, where, in January 1903, Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi sent greetings from President Theodore Roosevelt to the king of England in the first transcontinental radio message originating from the U.S. via the most revolutionary communications device since the printing press. Phone: 508-771-2144

Grapes and Wine from Ideal Soils

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Cape Cod Winery on 681 Sandwich Road in East Falmouth is located on soil and slopes that are perfect for wine grape growing. The vineyard plants and harvests the grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Grigio, together with Seyval and Vidal. Among the wines produced here are Nobska Red, White, and Blush; Regatta; and Cranbery Chardonnay. Visitors are welcome for wine tasting and sales weekends, from May 1 through December 20. Winery tours are conducted Saturdays in July and August at 2 p.m. Phone: 508-457-5592.

Art of the Final Farewell

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The ever-imaginative Heritage Museums and Garden at 67 Grove Street in Sandwich is offering an exhibit titled Art of the Final Farewell: The Gravestones of Cape Cod through October 31, 2010, that explores the fascinating gravestones on Cape Cod. Guests may explore the art of the carver through photographs and rubbings of the earliest stones of the 1600s and 1700s and learn about the development of a local carving industry in the 19th century. From there, it is just a stone’s throw to getting out and visiting these brooding pieces of art where they still lie, all over the Cape. Phone: 508-888-3300

Beach Blonde Beer on Tap at This Brewhouse

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The ancient art of beer making is on display for the curious during brewery tours every Tuesday and Friday at Cape Cod Beer, 1336 Phinney’s Lane in Hyannis. The tour is free, and children are welcome if they are supervised (must be 21 or older to sample). The business opened a new, 15 barrel brewhouse this year, and the staff is going to be proud to show it off. While you are there, taste the company’s signature Beach Blonde ale. For fans of the suds, it’s a great overture to a visit to Cape Cod. Tours are 11 a.m. Tuesdays and 1 p.m. on Saturdays, throughout the entire year. Phone: 508-790-4200.

Boardwalk in Sandwich is One
of Town's Many Attractions

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Spending a day or more in the very beautiful town of Sandwich is pure pleasure, from the standpoint of historical interest and natural beauty. Begin by strolling the Sandwich Boardwalk, which crosses Mill Creek and beautiful marshes, leading to a public beach on Cape Cod Bay. It offers scenic views from the Cape Cod Canal to Scorton Creek. In the center of town is the Dexter Grist Mill, a working, 17th-century grist mill. Built in 1654, the mill offers tours every day during the summer. Another Sandwich treasure is the Heritage Museums & Gardens, with 100 acres of gardens and trails and 1,000 varieties of trees, shrubs and flowers. Finally, don’t fail to visit the Sandwich Glass Museum, where the art of glasswork will take your breath away.

Brewster Store on Old Cape Cod

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The Brewster Store on Route 6A in Brewster was built as a church in 1852 and converted to a general store in 1866. It has served residents and visitors to Cape Cod for more than 140 years. The Brewster Store features a broad assortment of merchandise: coffee, pastries and morning newspapers, penny candy, t-shirts and sweatshirts, toys, lamp parts, kitchen gadgets, original Coke in glass bottles, books, greeting cards and many unusual gifts. Put a quarter in the old nickelodeon to hear an old time tune, enjoy the roasted peanuts, or just sit on the benches and watch the world go by. Phone: 508-896-3744.

Cape Cod Farmers Market
Brims with Local Produce

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You can be on vacation and far from your kitchen and still have plenty to enjoy and purchase at local farmers markets. The Orleans Farmers Market is open at Old Colony Way in Orleans every Saturday morning through the end of November. The market proudly states that everything sold there is grown, caught, or made on Cape Cod, with the exception of corn and apples. Try this market’s lettuces, radishes, spring onions, spinach, and rhubarb. Pick up a lobster (carefully). Treat your home garden to tomato plants, potted herbs, and handsome perennials. Also, the market sells natural soaps and skin care products. Phone: 508-255-8374.

Come See the Light

There seems to be a certain magic about lighthouses that releases the wonder in all of us. Cape Cod, land of lighthouses, is the most perfect place to revel in lighthouse lore, take pictures, listen to the horns, and imagine the days when these stewards of the coastline meant the difference between life and possible death in the Cape’s perilous waters.

Sandy Trails; Quiet Marshes

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Follow Chequesset Neck Road in Wellfleet to the start of the Great Island Trail Hike. Nature trails from the parking lot lead to this wonderful peninsula: seven miles of sandy trails along the inner marshes, water and windswept dunes. The trail is 3.6 miles and easy walking, with little change in elevation. If you venture as far as Jeremy Point (the tip), be sure that the tide is on its way out, not in.

Sea Gifts, From Scrimshaw to Decoys, and More

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Collector’s World at 4100 Route 6 in Eastham is just the place to find semi-silly vacation memorabilia and gifts to take home from a trip to Cape Cod. Among the wonderful stuff at this vast shop of goodies are marine items, lighthouse and ship models, decoys, pewter and brass gifts, steins, toys, scrimshaw, weathervanes, thimbles, animal statuary, Christmas decorations, and much more. Fun, fun, fun for browsing, and gift shopping here won’t break the bank. Open: Summer, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; off-season, call ahead for hours. Phone: 508-255-3616.

Vineyard Operates Out of an 1830s Farmhouse

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Truro Vineyards at 11 Shore Rd (Route 6A) in North Truro, has been in existence since 1992 but the house and the estate date back nearly two centuries. This vineyard pioneered the art of maritime grape growing on the Cape, and its vinifera vineyard produces wine with intense flavor and lush varietal character. The vineyard opens its doors each season to wine lovers from around the world who visit the tasting room and gift shop in a restored 1830s farmhouse. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. from May to Thanksgiving. Free tours at 1 and 3 p.m. from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. Phone: 508-487-6200.

In the Footsteps of Pilgrims

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Pilgrim Spring Trail and Small's Swamp Trail, part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, are easy loop trails about one mile long, accessible off Route 6 at the Pilgrim Heights area sign in North Truro. The trails wind around a kettle swamp and marsh and offer wonderful views of Pilgrim Lake, sand dunes, the salt meadow, and the Atlantic Ocean. A stone marker identifies the site of the first fresh water the Pilgrims found. Trails are marked with information about local history and nature. This is a fine, easy walk for people of all ages, with views of typical Cape Cod landforms and living creatures.

No Telling What Nautical Oddities You May Find

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One of the town’s oldest shops, Marine Specialties at 235 Commercial Street in Provincetown occupies a 1940s trap-fishing shed on the harbor. This nontraditional shop sells army-navy surplus, ship’s salvage, nautical décor, wooden buoys, lobster pots, fishnet, glass bottles, reproduction toys, vintage license plates, sea sponges, and seashells, bulk items for artists’ collages, and 600 different knives. And shoppers can outfit themselves in leather jackets and pants, outrageous hats, vintage prom dresses, feather boas, and other oddities beneath a ceiling hung with old lanterns and a deep sea diving suit. Open year-round but times vary by season. Phone: 508-487-1730.