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Guidebook Cape Cod, Massachusetts

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Location/Region: Cape Cod
(Barnstable County), Massachusetts

Cape Cod is a high-value, all-season destination, but traditionally, it is most widely visited from May through October. With nearly 600 miles of coastline and more than 100 beaches, it is a summer Mecca. However, folks, drawn to the Cape’s burnished sunlight in the more serene autumn season, have found tremendous values in lodging, dining and shopping. Beaches offer solitude and days are warm and evenings crisp and cool. The stars shine brighter and there is no waiting at restaurants, readily available lodging and less traffic to distract one from the heady beauty to be found here. The autumn’s palette of colors, more muted than the wild reds and oranges of our northern neighbors, offers an ethereal beauty. It is always better to travel midweek whenever possible, because these are the less busy times when moderation in lodging rates is to be found. Visitors should purchase the Cape Cod Passport to the Arts, which offers 2-for-1 admission to more nearly a dozen cultural attractions (this program will be expanded for 2005 to include more attractions). The Passport can be purchased at the Chamber Visitor Center at Routes 6 & 132, online at 222.capecodchamber.org or at many lodging establishments, banks and stores throughout the Cape.


Photo by Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce

Be certain to experience a whale watching excursion while visiting … these depart from Barnstable and Provincetown Harbors from May to October. Also, in Provincetown, be certain to take a tour through the Province Lands dunes with Art’s Dune Tours where one can see the renowned ‘dune shacks’ made famous by such literary and artistic luminaries as e.e.cummings, Eugene O’Neill, Susan Glaspell and John Dos Passos.

Each of the Cape’s 15 towns has its own persona and, while on the Cape, make it a point to visit each town. Take a ride along Route 6A, the Old King’s Highway—at 39 miles, longest contiguous historic district in the country. Here one finds ancient stone walls, bowered byways, four centuries of architecture, antiques shops, restaurants and, ever, Cape Cod Bay on the north.

One can find excellent packages and lodging deals at www.capecodchamber.org and fall and winter weekends are truly superb times to visit. Cozy B&Bs and inns feature fireplaces, Jacuzzis and the solitude offered by our 115 beaches and 365 lakes and ponds will provide the peace you’ve been seeking.

Population (2000 census):

  • Barnstable: 47,821 (16.78% increase from 1990)
  • Bourne: 18,721 (16.54% increase from 1990)
  • Brewster: 10,094 (19.6% increase from 1990)
  • Chatham: 6,625 (0.7% increase from 1990)
  • Dennis: 15,973 (15.21% increase from 1990)
  • Eastham: 5,453 (22.21% increase from 1990)
  • Falmouth: 32,660 (16.81% increase from 1990)
  • Harwich: 12,386 (20.55% increase from 1990)
  • Mashpee: 12,946 (64.21% increase from 1990)
  • Orleans: 6,341 (8.62% increase from 1990)
  • Provincetown: 3,431 (3.65% decrease from 1990)
  • Sandwich: 20,136 (30.00 increase from 1990)
  • Truro: 2,087 (32.68% increase from 1990)
  • Wellfleet: 2,749 (10.27% increase from 1990)
  • Yarmouth: 24,807 (17.16% increase from 1990)
  • Total: 222,230

Transportation: Cape Cod is readily accessible from a number of regional airports and major and secondary highways.

  • Cape Air/Nantucket Airlines: Operates daily, scheduled flights between Boston (BOS), New Bedford (EWB), Providence (PVD), Nantucket (ACK) and Martha’s Vineyard (MVY) and Hyannis (HYA). Also operates daily service between Boston and Provincetown. 800-352-0714

  • US Airways Express operated by Colgan Air: Operates daily, scheduled flights between New York/La Guardia and Hyannis year round. 800-428-4322

  • Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority: Operates daily, scheduled passage between Cape Cod (Woods Hole/Falmouth) and Martha’s Vineyard (Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs). 508-477-8600

  • Hy-Line Cruises: Operates high-speed catamaran between Hyannis and Nantucket year round and, in season, operates ferries between Hyannis and Nantucket and Hyannis and Martha’s Vineyard. 508-778-2600

  • Freedom Cruise Lines: Operates seasonal passenger-only ferry between Harwich Port and Nantucket. 508-432-8999

  • Bay State Cruise Lines: Operates ferry between Boston’ Commonwealth Pier and Provincetown daily from mid-June to Labor Day. 617-457-1428 (in Boston) or 508-487-9284 (from Cape Cod).

  • Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway: Operates buses between Boston and Boston’s Logan International Airport and Barnstable/Hyannis and Provincetown with stops in several Cape towns en route. 508-778-9767 or 508-746-0378

  • Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority: Operates its SeaLine service along Route 28 daily except Sunday between Woods Hole and Hyannis and connects in Hyannis with the Plymouth & Brockton line. Drivers will stop when signaled along the route. The “B Bus” is a fleet of mini-vans which offers daily door-to-door service anywhere on the Cape. The H2O Line operates a scheduled service several times daily between Hyannis and Orleans along Route 28.

Other Cape Cod Guidebooks

Information and photos submitted by:

Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce
Routes 6 & 132, PO Box 790
Hyannis, MA 02601
508-362-3225 | Website