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Cape Cod Travel Guide

My family traveled to Cape Cod for a week in July and it was the perfect escape from the Texas heat! I highly recommend this area for a family vacation, and I'm excited to share my favorite spots with you! 

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GETTING TO CAPE COD
We flew non-stop from Austin to Boston and spent 2 days in the city. Boston was beautiful and has so much history to explore. I didn't get to enjoy it as much as I would have liked because...kids. A few of our favorite activities were the Duck Tour, Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, Kid-Friendly Freedom Trail Walking Tour and exploring Boston Common (great area for your kiddos to run)! We stayed at the Hampton Inn Boston Seaport District which had an indoor pool and and a great complimentary breakfast the kids enjoyed. It was a 30 min walk from the hotel to the areas we spent the most time downtown. Although we took an Uber almost everywhere which was usually around $10-$15. We picked up our rental car at the airport on the way out of Boston, and drove a little over an hour to our rental in Mashpee (located in Cape Cod). Along our way we stopped in Plymouth for lunch and you can see the Plymouth Rock!

WHERE WE STAYED
There are 15 quaint towns in Cape Cod, and I don't feel like you can choose a bad place to stay! We traveled with our extended family (18 in our group) so we needed a large house! My cousin and her family have a beautiful vacation home located in Mashpee and you can find it here for rent. It was perfect for the kids because it had a large pool, hot tub and media room with a foosball table! Every day I would walk along the beautiful trails, and almost daily we'd visit the Popponosset Marketplace (a 3 min drive from the house). I think you need at least a full week in Cape Cod to really take it all in.

Check out this blog post for a more in depth guide on where to stay, "Best Towns To Stay In On Cape Cod For Every Type of Traveler", by New England Wanderlust.  

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Mashpee Town Beach
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Mashpee Town Beach
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Lobster Roll @ Raw Bar inside Popponesset Marketplace
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Putt-Putt Course at Popponesset Marketplace - Mashpee
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Ice Cream at Polar Ice Cave - Mashpee

DAY TRIPS
You definitely want to have a vehicle to explore all the towns up and down the cape, and I think it's best you stay at least a full week to really take it all in. During our stay we wanted to make a day trip to the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and then explore a few other towns. Between each day trip we'd usually have a rest day where we'd stick around Mashpee and visit the local beaches. South Cape Beach was our go-to beach in the area, and where I took the most amazing photos at sunset. 

Martha's Vineyard:
You can take a ferry to Martha's Vineyard out of Woods Hole or Hyannis. We were closer to Woods Hole so that's where we caught a ferry. You don't need a reservation to take a ferry to Woods Hole, but you should definitely reserve parking in advance if you can because the parking in Woods Hole is very limited. We had to park in a large lot and then shuttle to the ferry which all-in-all took about an hour. The ferry took an hour and was ~$20 a person. It's good to know the ferry has two drop off locations, Oak Bluffs or Wood Haven. We were dropped off in Wood Haven which has some cute spots, however if I had to choose a drop off point I would choose Oak Bluffs (more shops, restaurants and activities in a central area). If you do decide to stop in Wood Haven here are some spots I loved.

- Black Dog Tavern & General Store
If you spend any time in Massachusetts you'll see someone wearing a shirt or hat with a black lab on the front. In 1967 Captain Douglas adopted a black lab-boxer mix he named "Black Dog" after a Treasure Island character, and they were inseparable. In 1971 the captain opened up The Black Dog Tavern so Vineyards (aka locals) and visitors could enjoy a cup of chowder and friendly conversation year-round. The tavern has such a great local vibe and is right on the beach. It's very kid-friendly as there is a grassy area with picnic tables and corn hole out back. 

After lunch we strolled down Main Street and stopped in a few shops. Unfortunately, my shopping was non-existent due to kids but I fell in love with the shop, Beach House. It was full of unique housewares and the most beautiful textiles. There were hundreds of prints to choose from for bedding and shams. 

- Owen Park 
The kids were ready to play so we headed to Owen Park (easy walk from the ferry drop-off and just off of Main Street) so they could swim. The beach was quaint with no waves and a beautiful view of the harbor. I brought swimsuits & towels with me and the kids changed in the public bathroom. 

After swimming we took a 10 minute Uber over to Oak Bluffs (you can take a bus for fairly cheap). Oak Bluffs has lots of shops, restaurants and adorable homes to explore. When I was young my mom and I rented a Vespa and rode around the island.

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Owen Park - Martha's Vineyard
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Black Dog Tavern - Martha's Vineyard
Owen Park - Martha's Vineyard
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Oak Bluffs - Martha's Vineyard
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Cape Cod National Sea Shore:
Our family wanted to explore one of the beaches along the Cape Cod National Sea Shore and we chose Coast Guard Beach. This beach is also not far from the famous Nauset Lighthouse, the lighthouse featured on the bag of Cape Cod Chips. This beach is officially located in Eastham which a little less than an hour from where we stayed in Mashpee. If you want to be closer to this sea shore ideally you stay in a more central area of Cape Cod. 

We were greeted at the beach by a shark WARNING sign which the kids and I loved! We found the perfect spot along the beach where there wasn't anyone around, and were in absolute awe of the wild seals swimming right in front of us. When they cleared our area we jumped in and had the most amazing swim. The water was cold but felt amazing. Yes, I do realize we should not have been swimming in the ocean when seals were that close...sometimes I like to live on the edge ; ). No shark siting that day but a week later they had to close the beach because there were so many sharks in the area! 

After the beach we headed 20 minutes north to Wellfleet for dinner. We had planned to go to Provincetown that day, but kids were tired and we didn't feel like making the drive. Wellfleet was absolutely adorable, but unfortunately most stores were closed after 5pm. We ate at Mac's Shack which was delicious but I heard I missed out on one of the favorite local spots, The Beachcomber. Next time! 

If I could re-do a day it would 100% be our day trip to Coast Guard Beach except the next day trip I'd try Marconi Beach. You can't go wrong with any beach along that coast. 

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Coast Guard Beach - Eastham, MA
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Mac's Shack - Wellfleet, MA
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Nantucket:
One day the kids did a fishing trip in Wood's Hole, so I decided to take advantage of some kid-free time and take a short day trip to Nantucket. I wanted to go with the entire family during our trip but it was going to cost over $700 for ferry tickets. My mom, cousin and I took the 8:30am Hy-Line ferry out of Hyannis to Nantucket (1 hour and $98 round trip ticket). Nantucket is an island only 3.5 miles wide by 14 miles in length and is easy to get around. I honestly had no idea what to expect but OMG my mind was blown. I was greeted by cobblestone streets and the most quaint shops I've ever stepped foot in. In every direction there were high end shops with the most unique goods and also some very cool pop-ups by brands that don't normally have brick-and- mortars. Everything was VERY expensive and the air smelled of wealth, but I didn't let that stop me from exploring. 

A few places to check out while you're there!

- Brand Point Lighthouse (short walk from the ferry drop off)
The Juice Bar (the best ice cream on the island)
- Jewelers Gallery (the oldest jewelry store on the island, amazing unique pieces)
- TownPool (A must stop for kids...ask about their secret candy store)
- Provisions Sandwiches (get their signature sandwich "Turkey Terrific" which tastes like Thanksgiving)
-  The Gazebo (as you head back to the ferry stop by the Gazebo for their famous Mudslide cocktail) 

I would love to go back and spend a few days in Nantucket, but I would definitely do sans kids because it would get expensive! Check out more sights and places to stay here

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White Elephant Hotel - Nantucket
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Brand Point Lighthouse - Nantucket
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Provisions Sandwiches - Nantucket
Falmouth:
Our rental was very close to Falmouth, and years ago my grandparents had a vacation home in this quaint town so we made sure to make a visit! It's on the way to Wood's Hole which is where we took a ferry to Martha's Vineyard and where the kids went on their fishing trip. Falmouth's Main Street is small but has some great souvenir shops and restaurants. I had one of the best pastries of my life at Maison Villatte and I'm still dreaming about it. We had a delicious lunch at The Quarterdeck and ice cream at Ben & Bill's Chocolate Emporium

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Sweatshirts from "Soft As A Grape" are a must!
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Pastry from Maison Villatte
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Kid's Fishing Trip out of Wood's Hole with Patriot Party Boats (highly recommend)

Provincetown:
If you've never been to Cape Cod, Provincetown is definitely worth a visit. I'd been before so it wasn't a high priority, and I knew the kids weren't keen on shopping anymore. They have one of the best shopping streets and amazing restaurants. For family activities check out a Dune Tour or Whale Watching Tour while you're there!  

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I hope this post encourages you to take a trip to the Cape! I promise, you won't regret it! 

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