By Jodee Weiland
Visiting Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is a wonderful idea for anyone, young or old. The Cape has a series of small villages running all along its coastlines, and each one has something to offer tourists.
We recently spent a week there and stayed in a condo resort in West Yarmouth on the Cape. Hyannis which is just west of Yarmouth is in fact the largest of seven villages that make up the town of Barnstable, one of many towns that make up Barnstable County, on Cape Cod. We chose West Yarmouth because it was centrally located on the southern coastline of Cape Code and was close to the ferries in Hyannis that would take us over the Nantucket Sound to either the island of Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard.
Eager to see it all, we did the best we could. Although we attempted to see as much as possible in the week we spent there, there were certain areas that stood out the most for us. Those areas are the ones I have decided to highlight in this post.
One of the first towns we visited was Hyannis for all the obvious reasons, such as the John F. Kennedy Museum, the JFK Memorial, the shops, and restaurants. In fact, one of the best restaurants we went to was right across the street from the Hyannis Inner Harbor, where you could take the Hy-Line High Speed Ferry or Traditional Ferry to Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard. They offered a variety of cruises as well for whale watching and more.
After spending a day in Hyannis, we walked over to the harbor to get more information about the various ferries. We decided that we would take the Hy-Line High Speed Ferry the next day over to Nantucket. The reason for our choice was the trip would take about fifty-five minutes rather than the one hour and fifty minute ride on the traditional ferry. Since we were only going for the day that seemed the wiser choice, although the price was higher.
While at the Hyannis Harbor, we noticed The Black Cat Tavern, a restaurant we had heard was voted the Best Clam Chowder on the Cape and the Best Giant Lobster Roll. We decided to have dinner there and enjoyed it so much, we went back a couple more times during the week.
The award winning clam chowder was wonderful! It was creamy with fresh clams and a smooth flavor that left you wanting more. The Giant Black Cat Lobster Roll was fantastic! We were told it had about nine ounces of fresh lobster, and it was great. It wasn’t oozing mayonnaise, so you could really enjoy the taste of the large pieces of fresh lobster on a roll that was fresh and lightly toasted. It was served with your choice of chips, skinny fries, or sweet potato fries and a dill pickle, and it was absolutely delicious or as my husband would say, “Worth the price of admission!”
The next day, we went across Nantucket Sound to the island of Nantucket on the Hy-Line High Speed Ferry. Arriving at Nantucket Island, you can’t help but notice the beautiful town almost immediately. We explored the town with its quaint shops, museums, and restaurants. It really was quite beautiful and had a style all of its own. Visiting for a few hours really didn’t do it justice and didn’t allow for much exploration of the island itself, but I’m glad we took the time to visit.
The next few days were spent driving through the various villages on Cape Cod. We spent time browsing and shopping in the lovely Falmouth, went to the Yarmouth Seaside Festival, spent a day visiting Provincetown, the northern most point of the Cape, where we had lunch at the well-known Lobster Pot. We did some shopping in Barnstable and had dinner there on our anniversary at The Barnstable Restaurant and Tavern, another fabulous choice for fresh seafood meals and more. We drove the scenic route 6A through various villages on the northern coast of the Cape, stopping from time to time, exploring antique shops and more.
All in all, we saw most of the Cape during our week long stay and ate at some really great restaurants. We even had some of the best homemade ice cream ever at the Cape Cod Creamery in South Yarmouth, where colorful wooden Adirondack chairs lined the front lawns and porches around the typical Cape Cod style building. It was a lot of fun and an enjoyable vacation for us. In some ways, it wasn’t what we expected, while in other ways, it was exactly what we expected. If we go back in the future, at least now we’ll know what we want to do and see, and be able to focus on those areas we liked the best. If you get a chance to go to the Cape, be sure to have fun and enjoy!
