Cape Cod on a Summer Weekend

I had no idea what Cape Cod was all about-all I knew was summer beaches and whale watching. Well, we did hang out at a private beach and did some major pigging out! There are some beautiful coastlines as well and some quaint small towns.

Quick Tips:

Avoid weekends if possible. Also, plan in advance-we were lucky to even find a place to stay at the last minute. There are many people there for long vacations who planned way in advance.

Best Way To Get Around:

Driving or biking. The towns are very far apart and driving is the best mode of transport. Parking can be a hassle in town-but we always managed to find parking lots a little further away from town center.

This is in an old Victorian house, run by a friendly Scottish couple (Nan and Ian Aitchison). It's all English decor inside with a delightful outdoor garden for breakfast (complete with hot oatmeal and honey). Nan is very kind and accomodating. We had some delays getting there due to heavy traffic and called to tell her our late arrival time (around midnight.) She told us where the key would be left and wished us a good trip.

Our room was decent-the bedsheets had some tears and the carpet well-worn. The bathroom was clean but overall, the room had a shabby look of charm to it. You really get the feeling of staying in someone's housed. However, our room was on the top floor and had a nice breeze at night. I was told that some rooms have brass beds and some bathrooms come complete with nice claw-foot tubs. Ours had neither but faced the back garden. There is also a carriage house and a cottage that is rented.

However, the location was ideal, as it is literally steps away from the Salt Pond Visitor Center. Eastham is also close to Wellfleet.

Here is their website: www.overlookinn.com. Note that summer rates are higher. Off-season rates are around $75 - $100 range.

We stumbled upon this excellent restaurant while walking through Provincetown. They had an outdoor terrace facing the water and the wharves and we were sold. Luckily, it was late in the afternoon and we avoided the long wait. We were seated at a prime table on the terrace. Our waiter was a friendly young man who happily helped us take a photo before our meal even started!

The food is American Italian with a focus on seafood (of course). Since we were there for lunch and the day was warm, I decided to go light with my selections. I had the seafood salad with lobster and my husband had a veal cutlet. Both were good. The seafood was very fresh and our waiter told us that they get it straight from the local fishermen everyday. Other items on the menu include a fish soup, crab ravioli, steak al Pepe (I think that's the name of the owner/chef if I recall correctly), clam stew, various pastas and steamed mussels. Even if you do not like seafood, there will be something for your taste.

The best part was the view. It was a sunny day but we were kept in the shade under the big table umbrellas. We could watch the boats dock and the kids running up and down the beach below. The tables are quite close to each other but it didn't bother us as we were out in the open. Indoors, there is a bar and windows all around. The restaurant is up one flight of stairs.

This is a fancy place, right before the center of Wellfleet town. This is where the well-heeled patrons of the Cape hang out and wine and dine each other. We decided to treat ourselves to dessert only, and it was good. Looking over at tables next to us, the food looked delicious too. I later found it highly recommended in Fodor's.

The atmosphere is warm and the decor modern and funky. There were alot of candles in the room to add to atmosphere. We arrived late at around 10pm and the place was still packed. Since we were there for dessert only, we were seated at a section of smaller tables next to the bar. There were many people seating at the bar for a full dinner as well. Everyone was very well dressed, a bit of a suprise to us since most of the Cape is quite casual. Men wore jackets and women on the whole were quite elegant.

The service was a bit erratic, slow at times but very attentive when our waitress came by. Perhaps the night was too busy and a bit of a load for the staff.

Apparently, this is a popular place as both our hosts at the B&B and a friend recommended this place. I had the lobster cream (i think that's what it's called) as well as a huge pail of fresh steamers. My husband had a grilled halibut steak. It was a little on the dry side. The lobster cream is excellent. It is really a cream soup with pieces of lobster meat in it. It makes for a heavy meal, but the cream is so sweet from the freshness of the lobsters. The pail of steamers was enough for 2 people. There is melted butter on the side for dipping, but the steamers were so fresh I ate them with no condiments.

From the menu and other tables, lobster can also be grilled or broiled whole. There is a good variety of fresh fish, and the couple at the table said that the bluefish was excellent. There are also daily specials. The staff will recite the list for you when you sit down.

Don't get dressed you for this place. The indoors restaurant is really a big dining hall with cement floors and metal chairs. The outside area has picnic benches and garden tables. Sitting outside enjoying the sunset made the experience very New England. The place was packed with people and everyone seemed to be having as good a time as we did.

In other words, this is an outdoor lover's dream land. We walked around aimlessly for about one hour and just enjoyed the view and some of the exhibits in the visitor center. Luckily, this treasure was almost right across from our B&B place, so we were able to go back again the next morning. Great place for kids as well - lots of fun and very educational. Check for special interest tours.

This is one of the most beautiful beaches on the cape. There are dunes and a long stretch of sandy beaches. The water was a bit cold when we stopped by this place (remember, we only had 2 days!) but we did walk around to enjoy the beautiful site.

This is an isolated spot about a mile south of the town center. Not only is this site significant for its place in history, there are some wonderful views off the shores. It was from this site that Italian Guglielmo Marcorni made the first wireless broadcast in the world. It was also at this station that the tragic news of the Titanic sinking first reached shore. Unfortunately, the station is no longer here and was dismantled back in the early 1900's.

From the parking lot, there is a scenic short walk up the hill to a covered area with information plagues and diagrams. From there, you can walk along the top of the cliffs and take in the views. With the rolling wooden fences, this is a great place for photos and some quiet moments. When I was there, the place had few visitors and a couple of bikers making their way through the Cape.

Admission is free and there is ample parking. Call (508) 349-3785 for more information. The site is closed after sundown.

We found this store in Provincetown. From the signage, Cabots has been selling their famous salt water taffy for a very long time. The store had an old feel to it and has rows upon rows of taffy inside the many glass cases. What a colorful scene! Flavours range from watermelon, caramel, peach, lemon, cola, coconut, mint etc. Basically, you pick a bag of the size you want or, for larger quantities, a box. Then the fun begins when you go around the store to scoop up the flavours you want.

I bought a huge bag of these taffy - . DELICIOUS, this was probably the best thing I had at Cape Cod. Everyone at my office was grabbing these candies - they just couldn't get enough! Provincetown is a colorful little town and the taffy candy here represents its beauty.