Why is cape cod famous

The beach gets full sun all day due to its northern exposure, and although it faces open sea, there are shallow areas that are good for children, without heavy surf. The beach has changing facilities and a paid parking area, or you can park free at the Province Lands Visitor Center and bike or walk half a mile to the beach.

The lighthouse stands at the far end of Race Point, a walk of about 45 minutes along the path through the spectacular dunes. Walkway over marshland in Sandwich, Massachusetts.

Sandwich is an attractive little town at the west end of Cape Cod, and was a major glass-making center in the 19th century. Sandwich glass is still highly prized by collectors, but don't expect to find much of it for sale in the town's many antique shops.

The long beaches of Sandwich on Cape Cod Bay are often less crowded than others, but equally beautiful. You can watch as Dexter Grist Mill, built between and , grinds corn flour using authentic grindstones powered by a water wheel, and you can buy the cornmeal with authentic recipes.

Glimpse into the past at the Benjamin Nye Homestead , furnished in period style with hand woven sheets, spinning wheels, and cooking utensils, all well interpreted by volunteers.

Of particular interest to collectors and those interested in the history and techniques of glassmaking, this museum features more than 5, pieces of glassware produced here in the 19th century, as well as a furnace for glass-blowing demonstrations, a multi-media theater, and a gallery of contemporary glassworks. The museum shop sells fine glassware and reproductions of Sandwich glass. Allow at least two hours to tour this complex of Americana museums set in a acre garden. The automobile museum, inside a reproduction Shaker Round Stone Barn, contains about 35 antique cars, including a Duesenberg Tourister, once owned by movie star Gary Cooper, and an original Ford Model T.

An art museum with American folk art; collections of antique weapons; miniature soldiers; Native American artifacts; and gardens filled with shrubs, trees, and flowers could easily fill an afternoon. An original carousel sits inside an enclosed pavilion, so you can enjoy riding it even on a rainy day. The gardens are especially known for the rhododendron and hydrangeas. Children delight in Hidden Hollow, an outdoor learning and discovery center, where they can climb, balance, splash, build, dig, and experiment.

The famous briar patch that features often in Peter Rabbit's adventures is preserved in the Green Briar Conservation Area, a acre reserve of wildflower gardens and walking trails through the forest.

The Jam Kitchen, a living museum at the Nature Center, has made fruit jams the old-fashioned way since Chatham lighthouse. One of Cape Cod's most appealing beach towns, Chatham has a gracious air, as well as a scenic white-sand beach, a lighthouse, superb beaches, summer band concerts, and even its own baseball team. For a look at old Cape Cod, tour the Atwood House , built in and occupied by the same family until The house is furnished with collections of 18th- and 19th-century furniture, paintings, glassware, china, and tools.

In the museum are interactive exhibits that tell the story of wireless communication here, from its beginning with Marconi through the 20th century. The station was a vital military listening station during World War II and an entire section is devoted to code interception and the Enigma machine. The museum engages young people with demonstrations of telegraph equipment and Morse code, and with exhibits on how cellphones and other contemporary electronics work.

Hyannis Photo Copyright: Stillman Rogers. The ferry port of Hyannis, on the south coast, is the busy hub of Cape Cod life, and the town is a favorite with sailors who anchor their yachts in Lewis Bay.

Yachts and boats are blessed during the annual Harbor Festival in early June, when there are boat races, live performances, and children's activities. The Cape Cod Maritime Museum features the marine traditions of the Cape and Islands, with marine artifacts, exhibits on boat building, shipwrecks, and other maritime subjects. A highlight is the Cape's largest collection of scrimshaw that's open to the public. Kennedy, whose family has a retreat in Hyannis Port, and at the John F.

Kennedy Museum, you can enjoy photos, oral histories, and multi-media exhibits about JFK's time here with his friends and family. A Kennedy Legacy Trail leads to sites of significance to the family, including St.

Francis Xavier, the Kennedy's church. Hyannis is where you can board the Cape Cod Central Railroad for excursions past cranberry bogs, woodlands, the Great Salt Marsh, and picturesque villages. The mostly flat terrain has only a few minor grades around Orleans and Wellfleet, and provides a wide variety of scenery and natural landscapes. Although heavily used by cyclists, the paved trail has a wide unpaved shoulder on one side for horseback riders, as well as walkers and runners who prefer a natural surface.

There are plenty of places to get off the trail for a beach stop or for food and water, and bike rentals are available at bike shops directly on the trail in Yarmouth, Dennis, Brewster, Orleans, and Wellfleet.

The trail follows much of the route used by the Old Colony Railroad Company, which opened in , connecting Boston and Sandwich. Rail service ended about , and the tracks were torn up, but you can still see some relics of the former rail line alongside the trail. Popular as a beach resort and for water sports, Falmouth also has a lively music, art, and theater scene, with its own opera company. The Falmouth Museums on the Green include two 18th-century houses displaying period furniture, fine art, textiles, and temporary exhibits, as well as a colonial-style flower garden and a herb garden.

You can picnic in the gazebo here. The house and two restored gardens host indoor and outdoor art exhibitions that have covered a wide range of mediums and styles, including fiber arts, ceramics, prints, quilts, sculpture, watercolors, photographs, and fairy houses.

The Judah Baker Windmill. Yarmouth sits mid-Cape, northeast of Hyannis, and has several beaches, the largest of which is Seagull Beach. Two of the Cape's more unusual attractions are here. The Edward Gorey House was the home of the 20 th -century artist, known for his often macabre pen-and-ink illustrations and stories, and reflects not only his art but his own distinctive personality. Devotees of PBS Masterpiece Mysteries can see the original plates for the introductory sequence created by Gorey for the series.

Whydah Pirate Museum offers Cape Cod's only chance to see and touch real pirate treasure. The fully rigged galley ship Whydah had been captured by pirate Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy and used to pirate 53 vessels of their treasures before sinking in a storm in The interactive museum tells the story of the ship and its recovery in off the coast of Wellfleet, and displays the treasure found with it.

In the summer, you can go inside and see the original mechanisms. The most popular is West Dennis Beach, on Davis Beach Road, more than a mile of beach and shoreline with parking for cars; it's good for windsurfing and kite flying, as well as collecting shells brought up by the surf.

There's also a children's playground. When culture beckons, enjoy a performance at the Cape Playhouse , the oldest professional summer theater in the United States. And the artists and gay revelers who flock to Provincetown every season would not have been overly impressed by the Puritans, either. Construction on this foot If you are vacationing on Cape Cod, you might assume that the Upper Cape was the northern half with the Lower Cape to the south.

But Falmouth, Sandwich, and the other towns on the Upper Cape lie nearly twenty miles 30 km south of Provincetown, Wellfleet, and other Lower Cape villages. There are several theories about the origins of the Upper and Lower Capes. The upper arm and elbow lie west of the mainland. Chatham is home to the beautiful Chatham Lighthouse , whose grounds offer an even more stunning sea view. During the summer, the Coast Guard Auxiliary provides tours every Wednesday from to pm. Tours are offered every other Wednesday in the spring and fall.

The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from mid-June to mid-September. Sailing around the Cape has historically involved a long voyage through difficult waters. Check out this book for stories of various shipwrecks of Cape Cod. George Washington surveyed the Cape for a possible canal route in But not until did workers begin construction on the Cape Cod canal. On July 29, , the Cape Cod Canal opened for limited traffic.

During World War I, the federal government took control of the canal. In the US Army Corps of Engineers expanded the channel to its current foot m width and 32 foot 9. The Corps of Engineers still control the waterway and make sure the 14, recreational and commercial vessels travel through the They also operate several recreation areas along the canal.

If you want to watch ships sailing through the canal while camping, Bourne Scenic Park has approximately sites with cabins and lodges.

Fishing, hiking, biking, and rollerblading are just some of the activities offered. Bourne Scenic Park also provides a recreation hall, a park store, and swimming pools.

Showcased Events. Hotels, Motels, Resorts. Vacation Packages. Luxury Resorts. Pet Friendly. Vacation Rentals. Martha's Vineyard. Family Friendly. Outdoor Dining. Ice Cream Shops. Getting Here. Rental Cars. Cape Cod Travel Tips. Cape Cod and Islands Airline Schedules. Limos and Cabs. Life on Cape Cod. Living Here. About Cape Cod. Upper Cape. Mid Cape. Lower Cape. Outer Cape. About Cape and Islands Green. Cape Cod Weather. Real Estate. Residential Service. Raising A Family. Retiring Here. Getting Around.

Marine Services. The Environment.