Cape Cod - Index

Cape Cod - travel_guide_2008 - Index

■ activities cape & islands
Rd., Truro; 508-487-3397 or 508-487-1121), the oldest and
highest lighthouse on Cape Cod. Also known as Cape Cod
Light, it was one of Henry David Thoreau’s favorite spots on
the Cape. Perched at the edge of a 120-foot-high cliff
overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the observation deck offers an
incredible view. Open mid-May through mid-October,
admission is $4. Children must measure 51 inches to climb the
lighthouse. Other Cape lighthouses include Nobska Light in
Woods Hole, Bass River Lighthouse at the Lighthouse Inn in
West Dennis, Chatham Light next to the US Coast Guard
Station in Chatham, Nauset Light off Ocean View Drive in
Eastham and Race Point Light, Wood End Light and Long
Point Light, all in Provincetown at the tip of the Cape.
Mill Stone Pottery | One of the stops on the Arts & Artisans trails
The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, in its new Arts & Artisan Trails of Cape Cod,
Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, offers routes to more than 200 artists and their studios.
8 | Art Trails
Do you enjoy following an artistic path? The Cape Cod
Chamber of Commerce, in its new Arts & Artisan Trails of Cape
Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, offers routes to more
than 200 artists and their studios. Following the trails outlined
in the book will lead you to some of the Cape and Islands’
unique characters and their remarkable works of art, from
carved decoys to scrimshaw. There’s the Shining Sea Trail, the
Old King’s Highway Trail, the String of Ports Trail and more.
New in 2008, the guide includes a watercolor map to help plan
your trail-hopping. It also lists changes to the guide since the
first printing and highlights new stops. The guide and map are
available for $9.95 at the Cape Cod Chamber visitor center or
online at www.capeandislandsartsguide.com.
9 | Natural History
Nature is the Cape’s chief asset, and the Lower Cape offers
many ways to enjoy the outdoors. The Cape Cod Museum of
Natural History (Route 6A, Brewster; 508-896-3867) provides a
great introduction to the flora, fauna and natural history of the
Cape, with exhibits about coastal processes and creatures of the
land, sea and air. The “osprey cam,” trained on a nest near the
museum of this once nearly extinct raptor, is a special treat. The
property also includes walking trails that wind through various
habitats, from woodland to marshland to beach. The museum
is open daily June 1 through Sept. 30, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and
Wednesdays through Sundays the rest of the year, from 10 a.m.
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Cape Cod Travel Guide Annual 2008
to 4 p.m. April 1 through May 31 and from noon to 4 p.m. Oct.
1 through March 31. Admission is $8 for ages 13 and up; $7 for
seniors; $3.50 for ages 3 to 12; free for under 3.
10 | Nantucket Walking Tour
Learn about Nantucket’s rich history of whaling captains,
intrepid wives, Quaker roots and the Great Fire of 1846 on a 1-
1/2-hour walking tour of historic downtown, offered by the
Nantucket Historical Association (15 Broad St.; 508-228-1894,
ext. 0) With more than 20 properties under its umbrella, the
NHA brings island history alive with colorful narratives of
historic sites and provides an unbeatable perspective of how
Nantucket came to be an international destination. Summer
tours leave from the Whaling Museum at 11:15 a.m. and 2:15
p.m., Monday through Saturday, and at 2:15 p.m. on Sundays.
Evening tours are available at 7 p.m., Monday through
Saturday in summer. Tickets: $10 for adults; $8 for seniors; $4
for children.
11 | Celebrity Go ’Round
With seats no more than 50 feet from a revolving stage, Cape
Cod Melody Tent (21 West Main St., Hyannis; 508-775-5630)
lets you get up close and personal with your favorite stars.
Among those who have performed under the tent are George
Carlin, Melissa Etheridge, the Indigo Girls, Willie Nelson and
LeAnn Rimes. Typically, an evening’s entertainment includes
an opening act and a featured performer. During intermission,
enjoy libations under starry summer skies. Call or visit
www.melodytent.org for this season’s calendar of events.
12 | Sloop Sail
It’s one thing to stroll the docks and look out at bustling
Nantucket Harbor, with its hundreds of internationally flagged
yachts of all shapes and sizes, but it’s quite another to tack
among them and head out between the Jetties into Nantucket
Sound. As the island’s longest-running sailing charter, the
Endeavor (Slip #1015, Straight Wharf; 508-228 -5585), a replica
of a 31-foot Friendship sloop, is a jaunty craft whose captain,
James Genthner, narrates maritime history and points out
waterfront landmarks. He also welcomes help setting the sails.
Try a romantic sunset sail with musical entertainment or take
children on a memorable trip with the Pirate Adventure.
Excursions available May through October. Cost: $25; $35 for
the sunset sail.
13 | Biplane Ride
This one-of-a-kind adventure will awaken all your senses at
once. Captain Hal Averbuck, who has been flying for 55 years,
takes you and one other passenger on an aerial tour in his
rebuilt antique 1927 Waco GXE open-cockpit biplane, the
oldest commercial operating airplane in the country. With
Wilma Bi-Plane Sightseeing Tours (Provincetown Airport,
Race Point Road; 508-740-9390), you’ll soar to your heart’s
content for approximately 20 minutes over Provincetown
beaches, harbor and dunes. On many occasions you will see
whales as you’ve never seen them before. Averbuck says, on one
occasion, his passengers glimpsed so many whales they asked to
stay in the air another 20 minutes. On a clear day, you can see
Boston and the Cape in their full glory. Cost: $75 per person.
Flights Memorial Day through Columbus Day, weather
permitting.