Ideas for 1 week in Cape Cod???

Our family will be vacationing in Cape Cod for a week the 3rd week in June 2009.

We are thinking of renting a house in Chatham since it is centrally located. The hotels looked a little steep for our budget not to mention we have a party of 5 (most hotels require 2-rooms or a suite).

Since this is our first trip to Cape Cod I am interested in any and all recommendations for activities/beaches/restaurants/towns to visit etc...

Our children are 14, 12 %26amp; 9 and love the outdoors/shopping and food!

Thanks for your help and ideas!

Ideas for 1 week in Cape Cod???

Chatham is a great choice, lots of shops and restaurants. Some overall Cape recommendations - the National Seashore beaches are a must - for at least one day. http://www.nps.gov/caco

There are lots of trails for Nature Walks, etc:

visit-massachusetts.com/current_category.158…

There is also the Cape Cod Rail Trail for biking and places along the way to rent bikes

www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast/ccrt.htm

Shopping is great in Orleans %26amp; Provincetown!

Ideas for 1 week in Cape Cod???

Definetly a Whale Watch. Absolutely an experience and well worth the money. your kids would love it.

My favorite is Captain John%26#39;s Boats out of Plymouth, but there are also companys that go out from the Cape. Perhaps others can recommend a provider.

Great ideas. My kids will love those activities.

I never considered whale watching...sounds fun.

Are there any places along the Cape for our family to do a beach clam bake one evening?

Should we plan on going to Nantucket or Martha%26#39;s Vineyard for a day? Anything there the kids would enjoy?

I love the Vineyard and think a daytrip would be a fun option. You can take the ferry from Hyannis. Once on the island you have a lot options, you can rent bikes and ride along the ocean. Visit the Gingerbread Houses in Oak Bluffs. go to Edgartown for shopping, ice cream at Mad Marthas,etc. take a tour of the island:

http://www.mvy.com/islandinfo/gettingaround/ and go out to Menemsha. All together it is a fun excursion and I it would make your trip memorable. A daytrip to Nantucket is also an option, you can get a ferry from Harwichport. I am not as familiar with Nantucket, but I am sure others can offer suggestions.

Stellwagen Bank, the birthplace of whale watching on the east coast attracts a variety of marine mammals and thousands of human visitors. Find out more about watching whales in the sanctuary. Stellwagen Bank was named one of the world%26#39;s Top 10 Whale Watching Sites according to USA Today (May 24, 2007). Visit our Whale Watching section to find out more about whale watching in the sanctuary and to view a list of whale watching companies that offer trips into the sanctuary.

List of Providers:

…noaa.gov/visit/…wwcompanies.html

(Think of Stellwagen as an underwater extention of Cape Cod). It is a major feeding ground of East coast Whales. during the Spring, Summer and Fall before they move south into warmer waters for the winter

A little closer to your visit, check out the upcoming performances at Harwich Junior Theatre in West Harwich (www.hjtcapecod.org). Your whole family will love it. They have both evening performances and matinees.

Shopping is great in Provincetown and Chatham.

P-Town is great, quaint, lots of shops and restaurants.. Just note it is a rather alternative gay community..but fun. There are drag shows and I have seen them in parades there.. just as an example..not something you would expect in an outer cape quaint town..different, but fun if you are ok with that.

Chatham is fantastic and has a charming Main St. with great (mostly expensive) shops.

Check out The Squire Restaurant, Roobar and The Impudent Oyster while you%26#39;re here.

The high speed ferry, Freedom Cruise Line, in Harwich Port is one way to get to Nantucket from Chatham, and it%26#39;s very convenient:

http://www.nantucketislandferry.com/

For trips to Martha%26#39;s Vineyard from Hyannis you can check out the Steamship Authority:

http://www.steamshipauthority.com/ssa/

The Dolphin Fleet and The Portugese Princess whale watching providers out of Provincetown have merged. Try:

http://www.whalewatch.com/ or http://www.provincetownwhalewatch.com/

You can also take seal watching trips out of Chatham or see the seals at the Fishing Pier on Shore Road when the boats come in mid-afternoons.

Also: The highlight of your trip may be the National Seashore beaches; they%26#39;re quite special and not to be missed. There are a variety of rangers programs for kids too:

http://www.nps.gov/caco

If you do a search for ';ice-cream'; and ';lobster rolls'; on this forum you%26#39;ll get lots of suggestions. Enjoy your planning and your trip!

With regards to your plan for a beach clam bake do consider Chatham Bars Inn. The last time I checked it was $66 per person and I know you are a family of five but it would be one of your vacation highlights.

I had lunch with a well-traveled client yesterday who stayed at the Chatham Bars Inn two years ago and did the Clam Bake. From her accounting I suggest you really consider it. You don%26#39;t have to be a guest at the hotel but you%26#39;ll need advance reservations. Call and speak to them for more details if this interests you. Otherwise you will be able to find clam bakes advertised all over the Cape when you get there.

A MUCH less expensive alternative to an organized clam bake would be a bon fire on the beach at night. You can do this on any Atlantic beach in Truro or Wellfleet and that’s not so far from where you’ll be – get a permit from the town’s fire department the day of your fire. I believe those permits are still free so the only thing you’d need to pay for is fire wood, hotdogs, marshmallows and whatever you’re drinking. While a proper clam bake (with stones, chicken wire and seaweed) is a time consuming hassle you can get a disposable aluminum tray with a cover and steam shellfish open over hot coals - you cook all sorts of things using this steaming method and there’s almost no clean-up. Mac%26#39;s Seafood on the pier in Wellfleet should be able to help you out with this (I think they par-steam lobsters). This would require a little more work and organization but it would save you lots of money.

Wellfleet and Truro especially have wonderful fresh water ponds (kettle ponds). Since you won%26#39;t have access to those town%26#39;s beach passes parking would be an issue - but they are so nice it might be worth a bike ride in if you%26#39;re renting bikes anyway (somethign I%26#39;d suggest). I%26#39;ll bet the kids would especially enjoy Gull Pond in Wellfleet as they have lots of boat rentals there to fool around with.

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