Cape Cod - Index

Cape Cod - travel_guide_2008 - Index

■ activities cape & islands
Sloop Sail | Endeavor, Nantucket Harbor
The Endeavor (508-228-5585), a replica of a 31-foot
Friendship sloop, is Nantucket’s longest-running
sailing charter. Try a romantic sunset sail or take the
children on a pirate adventure. TOM CROKE
paddle and pedal kayaks offered by ACKKayak of Nantucket
(508-332-3394). A patented propulsion system moves the kayak
more efficiently than typical pedal boats and, when your legs
get tired, a paddle attached to the outside of the kayak lets you
use your arms. Launch sites in the harbor put you within an
easy paddle of some of the world’s largest sailboats and power
yachts, or go beyond those big crafts’ reach and meander up the
protected harbor, exploring the ponds and inlets including
Polpis Harbor and Coskata. Launch sites are also available in
Madaket. Make a day of it with a fishing rod and a picnic on
Coatue’s endless secluded white beaches. Rentals include a life
vest and an emergency radio. Rentals available June 1 through
Oct. 1. Cost for a tandem kayak: $80 for a half day and $100 for
a full day.
18 | Surf Lesson
Here’s a non-threatening opportunity to get on a board.
Sebastian Frawley of Wellfleet and his staff at Little Overhead
Surf & Kiteboard (4900 Route 6, Eastham; 508-240-1455), who
have surfed the world and then some, can show you how. The
plentiful sandbars, smaller waves and uncrowded beaches of
the Outer Cape are the perfect setting for your surfing lesson.
Learn how and when a wave breaks, where to stand on the
board, how to time your paddling, and how to cruise a wave. Or
try the hottest new sport: kiteboarding. You’ll be hooked after
you learn how to wind drag and body drag, and how to control
your speed. Kiteboarders agree there is nothing like flying
across the water on your board. Cost: $80 per person for a twohour
surfing lesson; kiteboarding rates slightly higher.
19 | Audubon Sanctuary
Chock full of scenic trails, Massachusetts Audubon’s Wellfleet
Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (291 Route 6, South Wellfleet; 508-349-
2615) contains such diverse habitats as beaches, woods, salt
marsh, ponds and more. Its 1,100 acres attract a variety of
wildlife, especially songbirds and shorebirds. The butterfly and
hummingbird garden is a lovely addition to the sanctuary.
Choose a bird walk led by a naturalist, or take part in Wellfleet
Bay’s many educational programs for children and adults,
including guided tours of the Cape Cod National Seashore and
the Cape Cod Bay Marine Life Cruise, where you can see seals,
shorebirds and other wildlife in their natural state. Evening
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Cape Cod Travel Guide Annual 2008
lectures are also offered. There are camping facilities on the
premises. The Nature Center is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily,
Memorial Day to Columbus Day, and Tuesday through
Sunday, Columbus Day to Memorial Day. Trails open every
day, 8 a.m. to dusk (8 p.m. in the summer).
20 | Educational Cruise
For family fun and education, try the Critter Cruise, a 75minute
interactive exploration of the marine world offered by
Viking Princess Nature Cruises (MacMillan Wharf,
Provincetown; 508-487-7323) or a two-hour Discovery Cruise
offered by OceanQuest (Water Street, Woods Hole; 800-376-
2326). See and touch tons of critters, guided by an expert
naturalist. Pull up a lobster trap or bottom dredge and see the
catch in the tide-pool touch tank. Everything is catch and
release, and kids are taught to handle marine life respectfully.
Critter Cruises are offered May through October. Cost: $21 for
adults; $16 for children ages 1 to 12. Discovery Cruises run
Monday through Saturday during July and August. Cost: $20
for adults; $15 for children ages 4 to 12; $5 for children under 4.
21 | Summer Stock
Summer stage offerings on the Cape can run from the
traditional to the truly astonishing. Local theater companies
often take chances in the summer, testing the talent of the area’s
thespians and broadening the horizons of audiences. Cape Cod
Theatre Project (Highfield Drive, Falmouth; 508-457-4242) is a
unique theater venue. Here, professional actors, directors and
audience members are invited to join the playwright’s process of
refining his or her script. Between performances, lines are
adjusted after listening to audience feedback. Carefully selected
interns further influence the development of new plays. Cape
Cod Theatre Project’s dream of encouraging productions across
the country has come to fruition in theater districts from New
York to California. Many CCTP alumni have won awards for
their work. Julie White, for example, won a Tony Award for
Best Actress for her performance in “The Little Dog Laughed.”
Tickets: $20.
22 | Drive-in Movie
One of only four drive-ins remaining in Massachusetts (about
400 in the United States), the Wellfleet Drive-In (51 Route 6,
South Wellfleet; 508-349-7176) has been screening movies since
1957. Rain or shine, the drive-in shows two first-run features
nightly (plus cartoons!) from Memorial Day through Labor
Day and weekends only from late April to Memorial Day and
Labor Day through early October. Amenities include a full
snack bar and playground. Admission: $8 for adults; $5 for
children ages 4 to 11 and seniors 62 and older; children under 4,
free. Box office opens at 7 p.m.
23 | Oceanographic Center
Cape Cod is home to the world’s largest private non-profit
ocean research, engineering and educational organization.
Learn about research conducted by Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution, as well as about the vessels and tools
developed by WHOI engineers and scientists for use in that
research, at the Ocean Science Exhibit Center (15 School St.,
Woods Hole; 508-289-2663 or 508-289-2700). Short videos
provide an introduction to WHOI, show a day in the life of the