Massachusetts - Driving Tours on the Outer Cape

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Outer Cape Drive
– Orleans to Provincetown

This drive follows Route 6, along with several side trips, from Orleans to Provincetown, with many stops in the Cape Cod National Seashore and the towns of Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown. Drive is roughly 25 miles from start to finish.

See Map of Outer Cape Cod Drive

Directions to Church of the Transfiguration: Once you are on Cape Cod, take Route 6 to Exit 12 and turn right off the ramp. At the second set of lights turn left onto Main Street. Continue down Main Street to the stop sign at Rock Harbor. Turn left, and see a wide green lawn on your left. Take an immediate left into the gravel driveway.

Church of the Transfiguration

The incomparable Church of the Transfiguration is home to the Community of Jesus, a monastic Order that follows the Rule of St. Benedict. The Community welcomes all people to visit every day except Wednesdays. The church, built in 2000, is a modern structure whose centerpiece is a floor and apse lined with magnificent mosaics crafted in Italy. Frescos, stone carvings, glass art, and statuary throughout the church represent biblical images and the story of Christ. Liturgy of the Hours, including Vespers at 5:30 p.m. daily, is sung in Gregorian chant. In the tower are 10 bells rung after Vespers and Sunday services by bell ringers pulling ropes in sequence. The church has a gift shop with books, music, food, and handmade crafts. See Map

Audience: Adults and children who appreciate wonderful sculpture and mosaics in a prayerful setting
Time to Visit: One hour. Open daily except Wednesdays.
Information: Church of the Transfiguration

Driving Directions to Nauset Beach: From the Church of the Transfiguration, turn right on Rock Harbor Road and backtrack toward the center of Orleans. Rock Harbor Road turns into Main Street. Continue along Main Street through town, following signs for Nauset Beach. Main Street turns into Beach Road. Follow to the beach

Nauset Beach

This is one of the best beaches anywhere. Get there early on warm sunny days but always bring a cover-up. If the wind is from the north or east it can be cool and possibly foggy by late afternoon. This is a life-guard protected beach with very capable staff. This beach is in the Cape Cod National Seashore, but it is managed by the Town of Orleans. Parking costs $15 a day. Next to the beach is Liam’s, a clam shack known as the Lord of the (Onion) Rings. See Map

Audience: Adults and children
Time to Visit: All day, if you like
Information: Nauset Beach

Driving Directions to Salt Pond Visitor Center: From Nauset Beach in Orleans, backtrack along Beach Road and Main Street through town and get onto Route 6 northbound. After entering the town of Eastham, watch for signs for the Salt Pond Visitor Center on Nauset Road.

Salt Pond Visitor Center of the
Cape Cod National Seashore

This is your first stop on this drive in the magnificent Cape Cod National Seashore, a 44,000-acre preserve of Cape Cod nature and history spanning the towns of Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown. The National Seashore includes land on the Atlantic side and the Cape Cod Bay side of the peninsula. It includes several beaches, ponds, walking and bicycling trails, lighthouses, museums, historic sites, and more. Salt Pond Visitor Center is the southernmost of two visitor centers (the other is in Provincetown). The visitor centers are home to exhibits and films; public programming like walks, tours, and family activities; gift shops and interpreters; and helpful literature. Visitor centers are open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily in summer; closed from mid-fall to spring. Beaches, walking trails, biking trails, and roads remain open throughout the year, but may experience brief closures due to winter weather. See Map

Audience: Everyone who loves the outdoors and nature and American history.
Time to Visit: From hours to days, depending on activities
Information: Salt Pond Visitor Center or call 508-255-3421

Nauset Marsh Trail

Walk out of the Salt Pond Visitor Center to begin this one-mile trail, which winds along the edge of Salt Pond and Nauset marsh, crosses fields, and returns to the visitor center through a recovering forest. There are many spectacular vistas along the way. This was originally a freshwater kettle pond formed by retreating glaciers, but the ocean broke through and formed a narrow channel connecting the pond to Nauset Marsh. Enriched twice daily by tidal action, Salt Pond has become a diverse community of marine life. See Map

Audience: Adults and children
Time to Visit: One hour to walk the one-mile trail
Information: Nauset marsh Trail

Driving Directions to Coast Guard Beach: Turn right out of the Salt Pond Visitor Center parking lot and drive a very short distance east on Doane Road to reach Coast Guard Beach

Coast Guard Beach

Coast Guard Beach is a prime swimming beach during the summer season. The Great Beach, so named by Henry David Thoreau, starts here. This sandy strand offers opportunities to study coastal beach processes, including transport of sand and coastal erosion. From mid-June to Labor Day, the parking area at this location is closed to all but park staff and disable visitors, and access is provided by shuttle bus from the Little Creek parking area (across from the Doane Area). Beach entrance fees for all of the National Seashore are $15 a day for vehicles; $3 a day for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcycles, and $45 for a season pass. Beach entrance fees are collected from late June through early September when lifeguards are on duty and on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day to the end of September. See Map

Audience: Adults and children
Time to Visit: from hours to days
Information: Coast Guard Beach

Driving Directions to Nauset Light Beach and Nauset Lighthouse: From Coast Guard Beach, drive north one mile along Ocean View Drive to Nauset Light Beach and lighthouse. Or, if arriving from Route 6, turn right on Brackett Road, left on Nauset Road, and right on Cable Road

Nauset Light Beach

Nauset Light Beach consists of a broad, sandy beach that is contained by a steep glacial scarp behind it. During winter months, the beach profile is considerably lowered, sometimes exposing features such as the brick foundation of one of the earlier Three Sisters lighthouses. Piping plovers, a threatened species under the Endangered Species act, nest on the outer beach from early spring to early summer. Restrooms and bathhouse open seasonally. See Map

Audience: Adults and children
Time to Visit: from hours to days
Information: Nauset Light Beach

Nauset Lighthouse

The current beacon at Eastham was originally built in 1887 as one of the twin lights at Chatham. In 1923, it was moved from Chatham to replace the last of the Three Sisters Lighthouses. Erosion threatened the survival of the lighthouse, and in 1993 the Coast Guard proposed decommissioning it. The Nauset Light Preservation Society financed a project to move the lighthouse further inland. By 1996, the light was moved away to its present location. It is located in the Cape Cod National Seashore and managed by the preservation society. The Nauset Light tower will be open for tours in 2010 every Sunday from May 9 through October 31 as well as Wednesdays in July and August. See Map

Audience: Adults and children
Time to Visit: less than one hour
Information: Nauset Lighthouse

Driving Directions to Marconi Station Site: From Nauset Lighthouse, take Cable Road west and turn right on Nauset Road to return to Route 6. Travel north on Route 6. After entering the town of Wellfleet, turn right onto Marconi Site Road (also the road to the Seashore headquarters).

Marconi Station Site

The Marconi Area is named for the Italian inventor who developed the wireless telegraph, Guglielmo Marconi. From this location Marconi successfully completed the first transatlantic wireless communication between President Theodore Roosevelt and the king of England in 1903. Marconi chose this site because of the barrenness of this elevated table land overlooking the ocean. Here, the outer beach is famous for the steep, 40-foot sand cliff located behind it. The scarp provides an unbroken, pristine natural scene in all directions. The uplands above the beach slope gradually westward and provide a graceful vista of both the bay and sea horizons. See Map

Audience: Adults and children
Time to Visit: Less than one hour
Information: Marconi Station Site

Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail

The Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail is a one and a half-mile nature trail that descends gradually in elevation into the swampy environment that hosts Atlantic white cedar and red maple trees. The trail offers an excellent view of different plant communities, starting with heath lands, then stunted pitch pines and bear oak, taller pitch pines and black and white oaks, and finally the white cedar-red maple community. Conditions: Moderately difficult; some steep stairs; one-half mile walk in soft sand; swamp portion of the trail is on boardwalk. Use mosquito repellant in these woods. See Map

Audience: Adults and children
Time to Visit: Less than one hour
Information: Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail

Driving Directions to Beachcomber Restaurant: Return to Route 6 and travel north. Turn right on Cahoon Hollow Road and follow to the end.

Beachcomber Restaurant
at Cahoon Hollow Beach

The Beachcomber Restaurant, located next to tall bluffs that drop down to the magnificent Cahoon Hollow Beach, is a casual, full-service waterfront restaurant and bar that welcomes people of all ages who like good food and fun times. The menu includes everything from nachos, buffalo wings, burgers and salads to fried or grilled seafood and crispy fried clams. There is a kids menu, arcade, and a famous raw bar. The Beachcomber was voted best live entertainment on the Outer Cape. Most nights there is a live band, with an emphasis on reggae and high-energy sounds. In 2002, Yankee Magazine called the Beachcomber "one of the best seaside dining spots in New England." Good food, friendly atmosphere, pure fun for visitors of all ages. See Map

Audience: Adults and children
Time to Visit: What’s the hurry?
Information: The Beachcomber Restaurant

Driving Directions to Center of Wellfleet: Backtrack along Cahoon Hollow Road to Route 6. Turn right and travel a very short distance north. Turn left at Main Street (toward center of Wellfleet).

Wellfleet Center and Herridge Books

The Center of Wellfleet is a beautiful small town with fun places to dine and shop, as well as a lovely waterfront with views of Wellfleet Harbor. As you enter the town off Route 6, stop at Herridge Books, a used book store with an enormous selection that is amazingly well-organized in this small, cozy space. Peter Hiler, the proprietor, loves to talk books and can lay his hands on any title you want. Big selection of children’s book in very good condition for rainy days at the shore. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., spring to fall. Closes in the cold seasons. See Map

Audience: Adults and children who love books
Time to Visit: As long as you wish
Information: 508-349-1323

Driving Directions to Jules Besch: As you leave Herridge Books, turn right onto Main Street (away from Route 6) and then bear left almost immediately onto Commercial Street. Follow Commercial Street and watch on the right for Bank Street

Jules Besch Stationers

Located in an imposing mansard-roofed house built as a bank in 1873, Jules Besch Stationers sells greeting cards, unusual and fine stationery, hand-made photo albums, blank journals, antique desk and writing paraphernalia, and handmade wrapping paper. The selection of unusual stationery is astounding, and the presentation is simply beautiful. Open in the warm seasons. See Map

Audience: Adults and children who love fine paper goods
Time to Visit: As long as you wish
Information: 508-487-1759

Driving Directions to Bookstore Restaurant: Follow Commercial Street through a 90-degree right turn and it becomes Kendrick Avenue

The Bookstore & Restaurant and the Bombshelter Pub

Here’s another great place for casual dining. The Restaurant has a wonderful menu of local favorites, include Wellfleet oysters and oyster stew. Relaxed, friendly atmosphere with nice big portions of food. Lots of local news and chatter at the bar. Nice for families. Underneath the Restaurant is the Bombshelter Pub, a late-night tavern open year-round from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. with darts, pool, and fooseball. Be sure to root for the Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox on this property. See Map

Audience: Hungry and thirsty people
Time to Visit: As long as you wish
Information: The Bookstore & Restaurant

Driving Directions to Great Island Trail:Continue along Kendrick Avenue and follow it along the shoreline as it turns into Chequessett Neck Road. Follow to Great Island Trail parking area

Great Island Trail

This trail leads to Great Island, which wraps around Wellfleet Harbor. The trail follows sandy stretches between the elevated heights of Great Island and Great Beach Hill. Its higher elevations allow spectacular vistas emerging from a pitch-pine forest. The trail skirts a Colonial-era tavern site and salt marsh embayments. This is a difficult train with mostly soft sand and some log steps. Portions of the trail are submerged at high tide; check tide tables before crossing to the island. Length of trail is three miles, one way, to the Jeremy Point overlook. See Map

Audience: Strong hikers
Time to Visit: Allow three to five hours to explore Great Island
Information: Great Island Trail

Driving Directions to Route 6: To continue on Route 6, backtrack along the shore of Wellfleet Harbor and through center Wellfleet along Chequessett Neck Road, Kendrick Avenue, Commercial Street and out to Main Street. Note location of the Wicked Oyster, another fine restaurant for now or later, on Main Street before re-entering Route 6.

Wicked Oyster

Calling itself “the perfect place for every taste,” the Wicked Oyster prides itself on a menu that focuses on catch from local waters and flats combined with the seasonal flavors of New England. The restaurant also serves the finest cuts of meat and a very nice burger. The staff is local, happy, and hospitable. Serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Closed Wednesdays. See Map

Audience: Adults and children
Time to Visit: At your leisure
Information: The Wicked Oyster

Driving Directions to Highland Light: Return to Route 6 as described above the Wicked Oyster and turn left, headed north. Enter the town of Truro and turn right onto South Highland Road. Follow to the lighthouse and museum.

Highland Light (Cape Cod Light) and Highland House Museum

Originally built in 1797 and reconstructed in 1857, Highland Light (Cape Cod Light) is the oldest lighthouse on Cape Cod, created by an act signed by President George Washington. It is situated on a cliff 120 feet above the ocean and its light can be seen 23 miles out to sea. Automated in 1986, it is still a functioning U.S. Coast Guard light. In July 1996 the lighthouse was moved 453 feet back from the edge of the eroding cliff to save it from falling into the ocean. Tours of the lighthouse tower are offered daily from June through September. People must be at least 48 inches tall to climb the tower. There is a lighthouse gift store next to the tower.
Also on the same property is the Highland House Museum. At the turn of the century this building was a grand hotel, built in 1907. The museum displays a unique collection of Victorian furniture, whaling and fishing gear, tools and household items, antique toys, ship models, and shipwreck booty. Open daily, June through September. See Map

Audience: Adults and children
Time to Visit: An hour or more, if museum visit is included
Information:Highland Light and Highland House Museum

Driving Directions to Truro Vineyards: Backtrack to Route 6 along Highland Light Road. Turn left onto Route 6, heading south. Turn right on South Hollow Road and turn right again on Shore Road (Route 6A).

Truro Vineyards

A beautiful vineyard where tours and tastings are held daily from May through Thanksgiving. The main house is located behind a wide expanse of law dotted with shade trees and picnic tables. Behind the house, tastings are conducted on a flower-decked patio. Inside, a gift shop offers all manner of fun gifts and books related to Cape Cod wines and the drinking and collecting of wine. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. See Map

Audience: People who love wine
Time to Visit: Contact the vineyard for tour and tasting schedules
Information: Truro Vineyards

Atlantic Spice Company

In this spacious room, dedicated cooks and the people who love them can purchase gourmet spices, herbs, tea, essential oils and potpourri at wholesale prices. Also on sale here are dehydrated vegetables, nuts, seeds, botanicals, essential oils, spice blends, potpourri ingredients and fragrance oils. A wing of the store contains kitchen and cooking equipment, some traditional, some contemporary. See Map

Audience: Cooks and foodies
Time to Visit: Up to an hour for the committed
Information: Atlantic Spice Company

Driving Directions to Provincetown: Backtrack to Route 6A (King’s Highway) or take a right at Route 6A to Route 6. (Both meet at a V very close to the entrance to the Spice Company.) Follow either Route 6A or Route 6 north directly into Provincetown. Route 6A travels along the shore and Route 6 travels inland. Route 6 is slightly faster driving. Both enter the town.

Center of Provincetown

Provincetown, at the end of the Cape, is visually and socially dynamic. Historically the home of Portuguese fishing families and later a magnet for artists because of its uniquely beautiful light, the town now brims with dining and shopping on every scale imaginable. It is also a gay and lesbian mecca, where gays and lesbians are comfortable and outgoing, both as hosts and as visitors. The front street along the shore is Commercial Street and the parallel back street is Bradford Street. At the height of summer, pedestrians and bicyclists jostle for space with vehicles. The center of town is congested and busy, with lots of pedestrian traffic, but the far ends of the town are quieter neighborhoods of beautiful clapboard houses in tiny, flower-filled yards. Some of the standout (among many) restaurants in town are The Mews (www.mews.com), the Red Inn (www.redinn.com), Napi’s (www.napis-restaurant.com), and the wonderful Portuguese Bakery on Commercial Street. Among the most interested retailers are Wa (www.waharmony.com) and Marine Specialties Store (www.ptownarmynavy.com) and Body Body. Also, several notable locations of the Cape Cod National Seashore are located in Provincetown, outside the village center. See Map

Provincetown Art Association and Museum

From the early years of the 20th century, Provincetown has attracted visual artists because of the beauty of its surroundings and the wonderful, changeable quality of the seaside light, The Provincetown Art Association and Museum is a nationally recognized, year-round cultural institution that fuses the creative energy of America’s oldest active art colony with the natural beauty of outer Cape Cod that has inspired artists for generations. Art lovers will be enthralled by the diversity of offerings in these galleries. Gallery hours: October-May, Thursday- Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; Memorial Day-September, open daily at 11 a.m.; closing hours vary. See Map

Audience: People who love art
Time to Visit: Depending on taste
Information: Provincetown Art Association and Museum

Pilgrim Monument

The Pilgrim Monument commemorates the history of the Mayflower Pilgrims, their arrival and stay in Provincetown Harbor, and the signing of the Mayflower Compact. It is the tallest all-granite structure in the United States. Visitors can walk to the top on a series of stairs and ramps. During the climb, you’ll see many interior stones donated by cities, towns, and organizations from all over the United States. The view from the top is spectacular. The year 2010 in the hundredth anniversary of the monument, and Provincetown is hosting many special events to celebrate the anniversary. Open daily, April to November. See Map

Audience: Adults and children. Should be able to climb stairs, for the best experience
Time: Under an hour
Information: Pilgrim Monument

Art's Dune Tours

A tour of the Province Lands dunes in a rugged ORV hosted by this 60-year-old family-owned tour business is an absolute must during a stay in Provincetown. Imagine dunes stretching as far as you can see with wispy beach grass, dark green pine trees, and deep red beach plums. You will travel through the majestic dunes where your guide points out remote dune shacks where artists and writers have worked for decades. Tours are perfect for people of all ages. You can also sign up for Clambake Dune tours. This trip combines the beauty of our traditional sunset dune tour with a traditional New England Clam Bake dinner served picnic style. You can't ask for better scenery than this. Tours depart daily from the center of town. See Map

Audience: Adults and children
Time to Visit: Basic tour lasts one hour; clambake tour at sunset it longer
Information: Art’s Dune Tours

Driving Directions to Province Lands Visitor Center and Race Point: From the center of Provincetown, take Conwell Street (which is perpendicular to Commercial and Bradford streets, out of town, headed north. Cross Route 6 and keep going toward the Province Lands Visitor Center, Race Point Beach, and the Old Harbor Life-Saving Station, all on the same property

Province Lands Visitor Center
at Race Point

The Province Lands Visitor Center of the Cape Cod National Seashore is located at the northern end of Cape Cod National Seashore, approximately one mile from Provincetown. It is open daily from May 1 through October 31 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stop in to see exhibits explaining the natural history of the Outer Cape. The Visitor Center is surrounded by a deck where you can see wide expanses of the Province Lands dunes. Nearby is the beautiful Race Point beach, great for swimming and shore fishing. This beach is fully exposed to the Atlantic Ocean, without the sheltering effects of offshore islands. Surf can be heavy See Map

Audience: Adults and children. Be aware of heavy surf in the water
Time to Visit: Under an hour for the Visitors Center; hours on the beach
Information: Province Lands Visitor Center

Beech Forest Trail

This trail provides a journey into the heart of a picturesque beech forest and offers great bird watching opportunities, especially in spring and fall. It skirts the shallow Beech Forest Pond. Easy walking. The estension loop has steep log steps and some soft sand. Picnic area and seasonal restrooms at trail head.
See Map

Audience: Adults and children who can walk at least a mile
Time to Visit: One mile loop trail take one hour to walk
Information: Beech Forest Trail

Old Harbor Life-Saving Station
at Race Point Beach

Stretching 25 miles into the Atlantic and surrounded by shallow sand bars up to several hundred yards off the oceanside beaches, Cape Cod has been the site of more than 3,000 shipwrecks in 300 years of recorded history. In 1872, the first federally built and staffed life-saving stations were created, nine of them on Cape Cod. Life and work at these manned stations was a mixture of danger, glory excitement, and boredom. Men who staffed the stations were heroes of their time. The Old Harbor Life-Saving Station was built in Chatham in 1897, decommissioned in July 1944, and moved by barge to Provincetown in 1977. Be sure to visit and riveting history of Cape Cod shipwrecks and the men who saved the mariners. In summer, breeches buoy rescue re-enactments are conducted on the grounds on Thursday evenings. Open July and August daily except Fridays, 3 to 5 p.m. Historic life-saving demonstration Thursdays at 6 p.m. See Map

Audience: Adults and children
Time to Visit: An hour
Information: Old Harbor Life Saving Station

Driving Directions to First Encounter Beach: Route 6 south into Eastham. Turn right at Samoset Road.

First Encounter Beach

Leaving the Outer Cape, First Encounter Beach in Eastham is a good example of a Cape Cod Bay beach. In contrast to the Atlantic Ocean beaches, the Bay beaches have calmer and warmer waters that are highly influenced by the tides. This is a beautiful, calm beach with warm gentle water and a small patch of grass. The tide goes way out, and the colors at sunset are spectacular. Like all bay beaches, this is ideal for young children. The ice cream truck comes by several times a day. There is a bathhouse, and a good-sized parking lot. This is a town beach, and the Town of Eastham charges $12 per day for parking. Stickers are available for $50 per week, $90 for two weeks, or $125 per season. Stickers can be obtained at the natural Resources Building at 555 Old Orchard Road, or on Sundays, only, at the First Encounter Parking Lot. See Map

Audience: Adults and children
Time to Visit: Hours, for beach lovers
Information: First Encounter Beach