When choosing where to stay and what to do in Massachusetts, we decided to keep with the smallish coastal fishing village vibe as much as possible.  We wanted to avoid the larger cities with their traffic and congestion, understanding that even though we were past the peak travel season, anywhere we went was likely to be busy.  We really want to visit Boston, and in fact were scheduled to spend some time there last year before a cruise that was cancelled.  It’s a destination in itself, and this trip was already shaping up to be a long one!

We wanted to stay near or on Cape Cod, so we looked for places to stay that suited our preferences – centrally located, a selection of restaurants, not too urban, etc.  We also wanted to be able to take a coastal cruise, either sightseeing or whale watching.  And we also hoped to get over the Martha’s Vineyard.  We settled on Hyannis, because it met those criteria.

But first, we managed to do a little sightseeing on our drive from Mystic.  I mentioned in a previous post that we had encountered traffic in Newport due to the boat show.  We lost some valuable time there, and that cut into our visit to New Bedford, the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and the Jonathan Bourne Whaling Museum.  We spent a couple of hours in New Bedford before moving on.  The drive ended up taking most of the day, albeit with some good stops.

Since we only had two full days to spend on Cape Cod, we had to choose wisely.  We ended up deciding against Martha’s Vineyard, as it would have taken an entire day.  We would have had a boat ride on the ferry, but would not have seen the sights around Hyannis Harbor and Cape Cod Bay.  We had to make a choice and decided to devote a day to some time in town, a coastal cruise and then some driving down to Falmouth and Woods Hole.  The second day was devoted to Provincetown, Chatham and Cape Cod National Seashore.  Sadly, the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory was closed to visitors, so we did not get to visit. 🙁  We did, however, find some good clam chowder for lunch, so all was not lost! 🙂

Our coastal cruise was interesting, because it took us past a number of lighthouses, and houses built to look like lighthouses.  The homes around the Hyannis Port Yacht Club include those once owned by members of the Kennedy family.  We saw ‘Mya,’ the sailboat once owned by Ted Kennedy.  It was moored in the harbor along with an unnamed sailboat that was moored to a mooring ball painted with the name “Kennedy.”  No idea whose boat that was or who now owns Mya, but I’m guessing it is still in the family.  That afternoon we visited Falmouth and Woods Hole, taking in a few more lighthouses.

Provincetown was an interesting place.  A smaller version of Key West, perhaps.  Funky shops, funky people and a real laid-back attitude.  Probably not a place we would want to have stayed, but we were glad to have visited.

Along Cape Cod National Seashore, we made stops at the visitor center, Marconi Beach to see the remains of the original Marconi Wireless Station, Herring Cove, and the town of Chatham (more lighthouses!).  No, we didn’t see any of the sharks reported to be making a comeback along the Cape, but we did see a few seals, which the sharks like to have for dinner! 🙂

Before returning to our hotel we made a stop at the John F. Kennedy Memorial.  It was dark and cloudy and not the best conditions for photos, but I did manage to snap a few.  The next day we headed up the coast, around Boston and on to Rockport.  Stay tuned! 🙂