The Where and Why of Cape Cod

The Where of Cape Cod is New England. It is a 65 mile long island off the coast of Massachusetts, that’s shaped like an arm. 

You get to it by air from Hyannis, Boston, or many other cities.  By land you can drive to the island over your choice of two narrow hundred year old bridges. 

This is the Bourne Bridge, with the Railroad Bridge in the background. 

 It's not quite a hundred years old, but close. The Narrow structure dates back to the 1930s.

By train, you can arrive in style on the Cape Cod Flyer out of historic South Station in Boston.  Also you can come to the Cape by ferry boat from numerous services. There’s even a Boston to Provincetown ferry that makes the trip in a swift 90 minutes – which is hours faster than a car can make the same trip. 

The Cape Cod Flyer from Boston to Brockton and then on to the towns 

of Cape Cod, ending at the Hyannis Transportation Center

The ‘Why’ you should see the Cape is because there are 15 historic towns, with some of the best beaches in all of the United States.  Coast Guard Beach in Eastham is ranked among the top ten beaches in the entire United States, including the islands of Hawaii.  

Coast Guard Beach, known for its fabulous sand and surf 

as wellas spectacular views

In addition to hundreds of the finest beaches in the nation, there are scores of pristine ‘kettle ponds’ formed by the last Ice Age that provide the very best in fresh water swimming.  Long Pond, the biggest lake on the Cape, covers one twelfth of the island in length and spans both the towns of Harwich and Brewster. It’s one of the most popular fresh water spots on Cape and is also highly favored by fishermen for the five pound bass that swim in the clear waters.

The climate of Cape Cod is mild, making it a great holiday destination all year round. Typically, the sea remains warm enough to swim in right up until the middle of autumn. Cape Cod along with the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard have hundreds of miles of beautiful beaches. Most beaches are open to the public, however there are some beaches that require seasonal permits.

The islands of Cape Cod are readily accessible, and are great destinations for day trips. These islands were some of the first colonies formed by the Europeans who claimed the land from the original inhabitants, and started out as whaling or trading posts. Now these islands are some of the wealthiest regions, with vast estates owned by some of the richest families in the country.

The Kennedy clan, once a favored family that produced a U.S. President, has a massive compound in Hyannis, the unofficial capital of the Cape. 

Cape Cod is one of the few places that the North Atlantic Right Whale can still be found, as they are one of the most endangered species on the planet. There are only about five hundred of them left in the world….and over half of them swim to Provincetown and Eastham every single summer. What better way to see one on your holiday than taking a whale watching cruise!

Route Six-A, The Olde Kings Highway has been named one of the most scenic roads in the US. It runs the length of the Cape, and has many great boutiques, antique shops, and craft shops located up and down it.

It’s also the site of a number of fascinating ghosts, as written about in Bill Russo’s work, the Ghosts of Cape Cod.  There are also Ghost Tours in Hyannis that guarantee a ‘haunting’ experience. 

Cape Cod features some of the best fresh seafood in the whole of New England, from clam chowder to fine fresh lobster, be sure to sample them at one of the many restaurants on the Cape!

Once you discover the magic of Cape Cod, you'll conjure up ways to get back on 'Cape' year after year, just like hundreds of thousands of other happy 'Capers'.

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