Cape Cod - Index

Cape Cod - travel_guide_2008 - Index

deep submersible Alvin and highlight the 1985-1986 discovery
and exploration of the wreck of the Titanic. Visitors can step
inside a full-size model of the inner sphere of Alvin and imagine
life at the ocean floor while watching vivid footage taken at
deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites. An interactive exhibit
features whale and dolphin research, exploring the role sound
plays in the lives of marine mammals. Other exhibits and videos
feature the life forms and natural processes of the deep sea.
Requested donation: $2. The exhibit center is open from 10 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday from May through
October and Tuesday through Friday in November and
December. Closed major holidays and January through March.
For more things to do, visit
www.capecodtravelguide.com/activities
24 | Glass Museum
When Deming Jarves (1790-1869) founded a glass-working
factory on the Cape in 1825, he never dreamed he was also
creating, indirectly, the Sandwich Glass Museum (129 Main St.,
Sandwich; 508-888-0251). Jarves chose this village as the
headquarters of the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company for its
fuel-rich forests and hay for packing his renowned Englishstyle
wares. Wander through the museum’s 15 galleries
displaying more than 500 objects, watch a professional
multimedia show and attend a glassblowing demonstration on
site. The Museum Shop is irresistible, as well. Open daily from
9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., April through December; Wednesday
through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., February through March;
closed in January. Admission: $4.75 for adults; $1 for children,
6 to 14.
25 | Winery Tours
Well-drained soil and a climate tempered by ocean breezes
make the Cape and Islands great for growing grapes. And some
award-winning wines resulting from the fermentation of this
fruit can be found here. Cape Cod Winery (681 Sandwich Rd.,
East Falmouth; 508-457-5592), Truro Vineyards (Route 6A,
North Truro; 508-487-6200) and Chicama Vineyards (Stoney
Hill Road, West Tisbury; 508-693-0309) are all open in summer
and fall for free tours and tastings. Oenophiles and plonk lovers
alike will appreciate this diversion. And a bottle of local wine
makes a nice souvenir. Call for hours and tour schedules.
26 | Mini-Golf and More
Miniature golf has long been a part of the Cape Cod summer
scene. Among the many courses is the popular Pirate’s Cove
Adventure Golf (728 Route 28, South Yarmouth; 508-394-6200
or 508-394-5252), featuring two 18-hole championship
alternatives: Captain’s Course and Beard’s Course. For just
under $8, you can putt around sunken treasure ships, sharks
and peg-legged pirates. Open from mid-April through October.
Mini-golf is just one of several amusements offered at Bass
River Sports World (934 Route 28, South Yarmouth; 508-398-
6070). To ensure maximum fun and excitement, the sports
complex offers a golf driving range, skateboarding park, in-line
■ activities cape & islands
skating rink, batting and soccer cages, large game room and
arcade, and, of course, the pièce de résistance: Skull Island
Adventure Miniature Golf Course. The 38,000-square-foot golf
course is a nod to Swiss Family Robinson, which features a
large tree house, 20 waterfalls, 25 fountains, dramatic cave and
menacing steam-spewing, fiery-eyed skull. Open late February
to late October.
27 | Seaside Pedaling
Short but sweet, the Shining Sea Bikeway offers a little more
than three miles of paved, off-road trail running along some of
the most breathtaking scenery on Cape Cod. Pedal past views of
Vineyard Sound and Nobska Light, through woodlands,
marshlands and the Salt Pond Bird Sanctuary. Ideal for casual
and beginner cyclists, this trail links Falmouth and the seaside
scientific community of Woods Hole. Centuries ago, the
Wampanoag Indians traveled this trail. In 1976, the Shining Sea
Bikeway was dedicated in memory of Katharine Lee Bates
(1859-1929), a Falmouth native and author of the poem
“America the Beautiful.” Begin your ride in Falmouth and
cycle to Wood’s Hole, where ample dining options await you,
then pedal back and you are sure to enjoy your ride from “sea
to shining sea!”
28 | Outdoor Concerts
As much a Cape Cod tradition as seashores and clambakes are
the free town band concerts. Join local residents and summer
visitors as they flock toward tunes emanating from beneath a
gazebo on a village green or at a local middle school’s band
shell. Surrounded by fireflies, picnic blankets, beach chairs and
summer breezes, you’ll sway to jazz, Broadway and classical
music. Weekly summer concerts occur in Hyannis on the
Village Green, in Dennis on the Dennisport Village Green and
the Route 6A Village Green Gazebo, and in Yarmouth at the
Mattacheese Middle School. Call the Cape Cod Chamber of
Commerce (888-332-2732) or visit www.capecodchamber.org
for more information.
Dune Tour | Art’s Dune Tours, Provincetown
Surf-fishing tours are among the offerings of Art’s Dune Tours (508-487-1950),
departing from Provincetown. Art’s offers daily tours in season of the Cape Cod National
Seashore’s spectacular dunes. GEORGE PEET
29 | Herb Farms
Farm-fresh produce is one thing, but how often can you get
farm-fresh herbs? At the seven-acre Cedar Spring Herb Farm
(159 Long Pond Rd., Harwich; 508-430-4372), you can wander
www.capecodtravelguide.com
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