The Flexed Bicep Cape Cod is shaped roughly like the arm of someone flexing a bicep. It is divided into four regions from west to east or from the "shoulder" to the "hand": the Upper Cape, the Mid Cape, the Lower Cape and the Outer Cape. Each region is made up of towns and most towns include several villages. The Upper Cape town of Bourne, for example, is made up of seven villages: Sagamore, Bournedale, Buzzards Bay, Bourne, Monument Beach, Pocasset and Cataumet.
To the north of the Cape, enclosed by the arm to the south and east and by the mainland to the west, is Cape Cod Bay. To the south, between the Cape and the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, is Nantucket Sound. To the southwest is Buzzards Bay and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. Thanks to its low and sandy profile, the Cape has countless inland marshes, rivers and ponds, many of which are great for swimming, canoeing and fishing.
Three major thoroughfares traverse the Cape. Route 6 is a four-lane highway for much of its length and extends all the way to Provincetown on the tip of the Cape. Route 28 is a slower road that ends at the "elbow" of the Cape; its many stoplights, bargain shopping opportunities and restaurants make it a parking lot on summer weekends. Route 6A, also known as the Old King's Highway, runs parallel to Route 6 along the Upper and Mid Cape, but is closer to the shore. Its graceful turns through picturesque neighborhoods make it a favorite scenic route.
Historic Villages The Upper Cape refers to the area around the western "shoulder." The Cape Cod Canal cuts through here, connecting Buzzards Bay in the southwest to Cape Cod Bay in the northeast. Two bridges, the Sagamore and the Bourne, connect the Cape to mainland Massachusetts. Built in the 1930s, they are backed up for hours on weekends in the summer.
The Upper Cape has some very old towns. The oldest is Sandwich, founded in 1637. Native Americans have contested claims on the town of Mashpee as recently as the 1970s, and it is still the home of many Wampanoag Indians. Quakers founded Falmouth, on the southern shore, in 1661.
Woods Hole, one of the villages in Falmouth, is on a tip of land that extends into Buzzards Bay. Home to the world-famous Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, it is also among the busiest ports on Cape Cod. With its mix of scientists, students, locals and tourists, this is the Cape's funkiest and most cosmopolitan village outside of Provincetown.
Shops and Tourists The Mid Cape is the "bicep" and includes the towns of Yarmouth, Dennis and Barnstable. The village of Hyannis, made famous as the summer home of the Kennedy clan, is in Barnstable. This part of the Cape is the destination of many summer vacationers who return year after year to enjoy the soft sand and warm waters of the Nantucket Sound beaches. Other features include the tourist attractions and shopping in Hyannis and the unabashed campiness of the miniature golf courses, T-shirt stands and obnoxious road signs along the (poorly zoned) section of Route 28 that runs through the Mid Cape. The Barnstable County Airport is located here as well.
The Quieter Cape The "elbow" is called the Lower Cape and includes the towns of Harwich, Chatham, Orleans and Brewster. Similar in feel are the "forearm" Outer Cape towns of Eastham, Wellfleet and Truro. The Atlantic waters of the Cape Cod National Seashore, which runs the length of the eastern side of the Outer Cape, are colder and less protected than either Cape Cod Bay or Nantucket Sound and the wild beauty of the dunes and marshes is very different from that of the calmer Mid Cape beaches. While the many islands and inlets in this area are beautiful, they can make for treacherous navigation. You will find the Cape's most scenic and photographed lighthouses are here, including the Cape Light in Truro and Chatham Light.
Although tourism is a major part of the economy of the Lower and Outer Cape, the towns here are generally quieter than those elsewhere on the Cape. The exception is Orleans, which has beaches on both the east and west shores and is the site of sport fishing in Rock Harbor. It is also where Routes 6A and 28 end as they merge into Route 6 in busy and feared rotaries. To capitalize on the traffic, there is more shopping in Orleans than elsewhere in this part of the Cape.
Provincetown (often called P-town) is on the very tip of Cape Cod, more than 60 miles on Route 6 from the Sagamore Bridge. The Pilgrims landed here in 1620 before moving on to Plymouth on the mainland, where they found fresh water and better soil. In the intervening centuries, artists and writers have flocked to P-town, inspired by the huge dunes and what painters have described as the unique quality of light. It has also become a mecca for gays and lesbians, who are able to be very open in a welcoming atmosphere. With all of these influences and attractions, plus whale watching, ferry boats from Boston and scores of shops, restaurants and galleries, it's no mystery why P-town, like the entire Cape, is packed in the summer with families, couples, tourists and students from all over the world.
Susan Early
|
|
|
|
| Spotlight
Cape Cod Hotels |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wequassett Inn
Over the years, Wequassett Inn has been the preferred destination for those who expect something more from a vacation on the Cape. Because only Wequassett Inn provides the rarest of combinations: the world class accommodations, dining and ...
150.0 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Narrow your Cape Cod Hotel Search by price: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| These Cape Cod Hotels have the most traveler reviews: |
|
|
|
|
|
