10 Great Things to Do on Cape Cod

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Cape Cod is one of the most popular beach attractions in the United States. Nonetheless, the Cape offers way more than beaches. There are lots of fun things locals and tourists can do on the Cape all-year-round. Below are some of the top fun things you will enjoy doing when on Cape Cod.

1.     Explore Cape Cod Trails by Bike

Biking on Cape Cod is one of the most popular outdoor activities with both tourists and locals during the summer and fall months. The Cape has hundreds of miles of paved and unpaved bike paths. With most of the dedicated bikeways passing through beautiful greenery and landscapes, biking could be one of the most fun things you do while on the Cape.

Popular bikeways include the Cape Cod Rail Trail that stretches over 25 miles from Yarmouth to Wellfleet; the Province Lands Trail that runs for 7.25 miles from Provincetown’s Province Lands Visitor Center to Herring Cove Beach and Race Point Beach; the Shining Sea Bikeway that stretches for 10 miles from Buzzards Bay to Falmouth Town; and the 8-mile Cape Cod Canal Bikeway that runs from the Bourne Bridge to the Sagamore Bridge.

2.     Go on Scary Ghost Tours

Lovers of spooky experiences will love Cape Cod’s hair-raising ghost tours. Cape Cod has several haunted properties that tourists can access during guided tours. Tales of people refusing to leave their properties after their death are commonplace on the Cape. There have been reports of people spotting strange beings in these haunted properties. Popular TV ghost shows such as Ghost Hunters have explored some of the properties and confirmed the existence of some entities. In Ghost Hunters’ Inn of the Dead (S06E08), Jason and Grant heard an entity scream at Orleans Inn, one of the Cape’s notorious haunted properties.

The Barnstable House, the House of 11 Ghosts, is one of the most haunted houses on Cape Cod. The house has a long history of dead tenants that date as far back as 1713. One of the original residents of the property was James Paine, the grandfather to Robert Treat Paine, one of the Americans who participated in the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Of the 11 entities haunting the property, Lucy is the most notorious. It is said that Lucy, a small girl, drowned at the property while trying to retrieve her ball from a spring flowing under the house. Visitors have reported seeing Lucy at the property with a blue ball. Lucy’s mother has also been seen at the property. When Lucy died, she was devastated and hoped that Lucy would return one day. She has been seen sitting on one of the chairs in the property still waiting for Lucy to return.

3.     Visit Cape Cod Beaches

Cape Cod has some of the best beaches in the United States. Besides lounging on the beach to catch a tan, if you are in the company of family members or friends, you can enjoy a beach game on the expansive stretches of beach sand that characterize most of the Cape Cod beaches. Kids will enjoy kite flying, treasure hunting, building sandcastles, marble racing, and drilling games. Adults can enjoy beach volleyball, beach soccer, Frisbee, foot racing, and other fun games.

4.     Watch Cape Cod Baseball League Games

The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) is one of the most storied collegiate leagues in the country. Several legends who dominated the pros once played in the CCBL. They include names such as Jeff Bagwell, Barry Zito, Nick Swisher, Lance Berkman, Tim Lincecum, and many others. At the moment, there are more than 200 CCBL alumni playing in the MLB.

If you are on the Cape during the summer, you should spare some evenings to watch top amateur talent compete in the CCBL. The league attracts top talent and scouts from all over the country. There are ten teams in the CCBL representing various towns on the Cape. The games are free to attend and it is usually a family-friendly experience. No alcohol is sold on the grounds.

5.     Go Bird Watching

Cape Cod provides an incredible opportunity to go birding and spot lots of rare bird species. Popular birding spots on the Cape include Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (Wellfleet), Sandy Neck (Barnstable), Fort Hill (Eastham), Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, and Beech Forest Trail on Cape Cod National Seashore.

Cape Cod is home to hundreds of bird species. According to eBird, more than 291 bird species have been spotted in Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary alone. These include rare species such as Lazuli Bunting, Black-Necked Stilt, and American Avocet. In Barnstable, the Sandy Neck is 10 acres of several habitats that support more than 1000 birds at any given time when the conditions are good. You will find shorebirds such as sandpipers, phalaropes, woodcocks, and plovers on site. It is a popular stopover for many migratory bird species heading to the East Coast.

6.     Charter a Boat and Go Fishing

Fishing is part and parcel of the Cape Cod lifestyle. There are people who fish as a hobby and then there are those who do it to make money. If you are on the Cape between April and October, you can take a boat trip deep into the sea to make some impressive catches. Most trips start at dawn and end at around 3 pm.

Boat charters can be easily found during the fishing season. Cape Cod fishing adventures include shark fishing (July to October), haddock and cod fishing (March to October), bass fishing (May to October), and bluefin tuna fishing (June to November). There’s very little fishing activity on the Cape in January, February, and March. You won’t find any available charters, either. You will need a saltwater fishing license that you can buy online or from local vendors.

7.     Hit the Greens at Cape Cod’s Golf Courses

With more than 50 golf courses and golf resorts, Cape Cod is a golfing haven. More than 30 golf courses are open to the public. Popular public golf courses you should consider going to include The Captains Golf Course (Rating - 69.4 / Slope – 123), Cape Cod Country Club (Rating - 69.6 / Slope – 125), Dennis Pines Golf Course (Rating - 71.9/ Slope – 127), Bass River Golf Course (Rating - 67.3 / Slope - 121), and Highland Links Golf Course (Rating – 67 / Slope – 114).

The green fees at the public golf courses are reasonable. In early 2020 at the Captains Golf Course, for example, the green fees are as follows:

Monday to Thursday:

• 18 Holes - Before 3:00 p.m. - $46
• 18 Holes - After 3:00 p.m. - $31
• 9 Holes - $35

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday:

• 18 Holes - Before 1:00 p.m. - $56
• 18 Holes - 1:00 P.M. - 3:00 p.m. - $46
• 18 Holes - After 3:00 p.m. - $31
• 9 Holes - $35

8.     Hit the Ice Cream Trail and Sample the Best of Cape Cod’s Ice Cream

If you have been to the Cape over the summer, you probably already know that ice cream is pretty much a ‘staple dish’ over here. Cape Cod serves the best ice cream in Massachusetts and the shops are very popular with locals and tourists. Nearly all of the Cape Cod Ice Cream Shops are small family-run businesses. Some have been passed from one generation to the next for several decades.

You can ask around to be directed to the best shops near you. However, consider visiting any of the following ice cream shops:

• Sundae School Ice Cream (Multiple Locations - 606 Main St., Route 28 Harwich Port, MA)
• Somerset Creamery (Route 6 (G.A.R Hwy), Somerset or Route 28A, Cataumet)
• Ice Cream Smuggler (1555 Route 6A, East Dennis, MA)
• Cobies Restaurant (3260 Main St, Brewster, MA)
• Four Seas Homemade Ice Cream (360 S Main St, Centerville, MA)
• Smitty’s Homemade Ice Cream (326 East Falmouth Highway, East Falmouth, MA)

9.     Sample Cape Cod’s Craft Beer

Craft brewery culture is fully alive on the Cape and the scene is getting better every year. If you want to sample interesting styles that have been brewed to perfection and that you can’t find anywhere else, Cape Cod Beer Scene is the place to be.

You can hit the trail alone or in the company of family and friends. Most of the establishments provide friendly communal spaces where people can hang out and chill. Popular craft breweries on Cape Cod that are worth checking out include:

• Cape Cod Beer (1336 Phinney’s Lane in Hyannis)
• Naukabout Brewing Company (13 Lake Ave., Mashpee, MA)
• Devil’s Purse Brewing Company (120 Great Western Road, South Dennis, MA)
• Cisco Brewers (Bartlett Farm Road, Nantucket, MA)
• Hog Island Beer Company (28 West Road, Orleans, MA)
• Barnstable Brewing.

10.  Take a Tour of the Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory

The Cape Cod Potato Chip is sold in many stores all over the country. They have been in operation for more than three decades. Visiting the facility to learn how their popular potato chips are made should be on top of the list of things-to-do while on the Cape. Every time you pick a bag of the potato chips at your local store, you will fondly remember the tour. Over 250,000 people tour the Cape Cod potato chip factory every year.