Updated 7/10/2024

Cape Cod is one of those timeless destinations with the charm of past decades. Most of the hotels on the Cape are independently owned mom-and-pop operations, and you won’t find many chain hotels. If you ask locals where to find the best lobster roll and seafood on the Cape, each person will likely give you a different answer as loyalties run deep. Whether you’re staying in Sandwich (the first town on the Cape), Provincetown (the last town on the Cape), or any other town in between, a beautiful beach and fantastic seafood are right around the corner.

Before you continue reading, there are a few things to familiarize yourself with regarding Cape Cod beaches. Bookmark this page for alerts on closures and pricing information, and to learn about the beaches. Some beaches fall under the National Park Service jurisdiction and require a day pass ($25) to utilize the beach. I highly recommend the America the Beautiful Pass if you plan to stay for multiple days. This pass costs $80 and is valid for one year. It gives you access to all the Cape Cod Beaches for your stay and all the national parks in the USA. One pass covers all the people in the vehicle. Other beaches fall under town jurisdiction, and access for non-residents may be limited or unavailable, depending on the day and the time. Pricing for non-residents is higher than for residents. Visit this page to familiarize yourself with pricing and restrictions. Here is the itinerary for our trip to Cape Cod:

Day One: West Dennis Beach and Nauset Light Beach

Once we crossed into the peninsula that is known as Cape Cod, we decided to stop at West Dennis Beach. Since the beach faces Nantucket Sound, the water temperature is much warmer than the beaches facing

If you come between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., parking costs $25 for the day and $75 for the week. Since we showed up at 4:30, the parking lot attendant waved us in, and we didn’t have to pay. The sand is clean, and the beach isn’t terribly crowded. Unlike many other beaches in Cape Cod, I did not see any seals or shark warnings here. I’d still be vigilant, as prior summers have seen shark activity around this beach.  The only flaw with West Dennis Beach versus the others I had visited on Cape Cod was the seaweed. It is noticeable (see the video below) and could diminish your experience if you get tangled while swimming.

Once we were done with West Dennis Beach, we headed to the town of Orleans to check into Skaket Beach Motel. It was a comfortable stay and located approximately halfway through Cape Cod. This made visiting nearby sites such as Cape Cod National Seashore and the various beaches along its coastline convenient. Since we still had plenty of daylight left,  we decided to go to Nauset Light Beach, part of Cape Cod National Seashore and run by the National Park Service. Five other beaches on the Cape are part of Cape Cod National Seashore.

If you park in the lot before 4 p.m., it’s $20, but it’s free thereafter. This is one of the most popular beaches along the National Seashore, and the parking lot gets full rather quickly in the morning. The famous Nauset Lighthouse, the Cape Cod Potato Chips bag logo, is right across the parking lot and a short walk away.

Nauset Beach was clean, well-maintained, and spacious if you wanted to spread out. We could see three humpback whales a few hundred yards away from the shore and plenty of seals nearby. This beach had seen seal predation by a Great White Shark two days before we arrived, and another predation about 30 minutes after we had left when we came the second time. Lifeguards were not allowing swimmers to go in water beyond waist-deep. If you decide to swim here and see seals, you should probably get out of the water,r as the threat of being bitten or killed by a shark increases.

For dinner, we went to Arnold’s Lobster and Clam Bar. I got their fried cod sandwich, the “Fishwich,” and my wife got the fried Native Chatham Fish and Chips. Both were excellent, and the great reviews we saw on Yelp were very accurate. Their onion rings were so good, and the portions were very generous.

This place is very popular for dinner, and we had to wait about 15 minutes in line before going out the door to place an order. They have indoor and outdoor seating, an ice cream shop adjacent to the restaurant, and a mini-golf right behind the restaurant. They have a gravel parking lot, and parking is pretty easy to find.

Day Two: Provincetown

On our second day in Cape Cod, we made the 30-minute drive north to Provincetown, one of the most vibrant and eclectic towns in the U.S. It has excellent food, great beaches, unique art galleries, and many interesting shops. The people are very friendly, and the vibe makes you feel welcome.

Provincetown is home to three lighthouses, which all require a hike to get to. Due to its location on the Cape, Provincetown has two beaches (Herring Cove Beach and Racepoint Beach), which face west and offer magnificent sunsets. These beaches are part of Cape Cod National Seashore, and the same parking rates apply. If you have a parking ticket for any of the six beaches in the National Seashore, you can go to any other beach and park on the same day. This is a nice way to beach hop if you get an early start to the day.

First, I wanted to cross over the breakwater to get as close to Wood End Lighthouse as possible. Full disclosure, I was inadequately prepared, and I hope you learn from my mistake. I had slippers on rather than shoes, making walking on the jagged breakwater rocks more difficult than it should have been. I also underestimated the effort required to walk on sand for long stretches once crossing over. The breakwater is over a mile long, and the best time to start trekking is in the early afternoon at low tide. You could get stranded if you don’t return before high tide.

The breakwater jetty is much longer than it seems at first glance. At high tide, these rocks get submerged underwater.

Once you cross over to the other side, poison ivy is everywhere (another reason to wear shoes), and I certainly stepped on it a couple of times and felt its effects later. Since I didn’t carry water or a granola bar, I decided not to take a chance and continue much further towards the lighthouse.

This hike is not toddler-friendly, so my wife and 11-month-old son explored the town while I hiked the breakwater. Metered parking is nearby, and meter regulations are strictly enforced if you drive into town. I saw two cars with the dreaded orange envelope stuck on their windshields. I used the Park Boston app (it works for parking in Provincetown) to pay for the meter.

Near the breakwater entrance is an interesting little park with benches called Pilgrims’ First Landing Park. This was where the Pilgrims first arrived in America, and it evoked memories of 4th-grade social studies.

We went to a seafood restaurant called Lobster Pot for dinner. I got the Lobster Reuben Sandwich, and it looks just as good. Had I stayed the night in Provincetown, I would have returned the following day to have the same thing again. It was that good.

After dinner, we drove to Herring Cove Beach, hoping to catch the sunset on an overcast day.  To put it mildly, we were not disappointed.

Seeing the sunset from Herring Cove Beach is one of the must-do things when visiting Cape Cod. I have never seen a sunset so beautiful within the contiguous 48 states. This was the absolute perfect way to end the day in Provincetown. If you go in the summer, bring a lot of mosquito repellent. They are savage around sunset.

Day Three: Salt Pond, Marconi Beach, and Chatham

On our final day in Cape Cod, we started off by having brunch at Hole-In-One in Orleans. I had a Benedict called “The Green Monster,” while my wife opted for the veggie omelet.

Salt Pond

We headed to the Salt Pond Visitor Center, run by the National Park Service. Since we had a baby in tow in a stroller, we decided to do the 1.3-mile Nauset Marsh Trail, a loop trail that starts and ends at the Salt Pond Visitor Center. If you plan to do this trail with a stroller, there are a few things to remember. First, your child will have a very unpleasant time if your stroller does not have shock-absorbing springs. The trail gets muddy at various points, and if you have a stroller with small wheels, it might be better to use a baby carrier instead. A few points along the trail have steps, and you must lift the stroller. It’s a straightforward trail without a stroller, but it becomes a little more arduous with it. It can be done, though, and it was well worth it.  Parking at the Visitor Center was free.

Marconi Beach

One of the six beaches that are part of Cape Cod National Seashore, we came here because the parking lot at Nauset Light Beach was filled, and cars were being turned away. This beach was just as good as that one and not as crowded. The water here was a chilly 60 degrees, but it didn’t stop people from taking a dip. There were also shark warnings at this beach, and I didn’t see many people swim beyond waist-deep water. The beach was immaculate and well-maintained. The sand was nice and soft, and my son had a blast playing with it.  You are allowed to bring dogs to the beach as long as you keep them leashed. 

After finishing with Marconi Beach, we decided to go to Chatham to see the beautiful Chatham Lighthouse. On the way, we stopped in Orleans to see the Jonathan Young Mill, which was initially constructed in 1720 and restored through volunteers’ donations and labor.

Chatham

Chatham was our final stop in Cape Cod before we were on our way back home. We wanted to glimpse the Chatham Lighthouse and all its splendor. This lighthouse was actually constructed as a pair. The second lighthouse was moved to Eastham and is now the Nauset Beach Lighthouse (scroll above to Day One).  The house next to Chatham Lighthouse is an active Coast Guard station and living quarters for on-duty personnel.

This marked the conclusion of our trip. This was not a comprehensive list of places to see in Cape Cod. There is so much more to see and many activities you can do.  You would undoubtedly need several more days to experience everything. The whale-watching experience in nearby Plymouth is an activity we did a few years back, and it allowed us to see humpback whales up close. If you’re into cycling, the Cape Cod Rail Trail is a paved bikeway about 25 miles from South Dennis to Wellfleet. There are many points of interest along the way. There are other beaches that I have not listed that are also worth seeing. Cape Cod is very kid-friendly and family-friendly, and perfect for a family trip.

Tips

• Bring plenty of sunscreen.
• Do not ignore the warning signs and get in the water if you see a purple flag (shark) or a double red flag (dangerous marine life) hoisted. This is especially true for beaches facing the Atlantic. The frequency of Great White Sharks being spotted off Cape Cod shores has increased significantly over the years, and they can occasionally be seen hunting seals in shallow waist-high waters. YouTube has several examples of this if you care to watch. Kids can easily be mistaken for seals, so keeping them out of the water is even more critical if the situation calls for no swimming.
• The whale-watching tours off Cape Cod are phenomenal, and multiple species of whales can be spotted. The year before, we went on a whale-watching trip and saw humpback, minke, and finback whales.