Any Cape Cod fans here?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Aaaaaaaahhh the Cape!</p>

<p>My college roomies and I summered on the Cape back in the day and we all still return nearly every summer. </p>

<p>Luckily, in May, you won’t have to deal with the summer crowds and traffic jams and it’s not overrun by those annoying college students!</p>

<p>So, you’re staying in Chatham? At the lovely Chatham Bars Inn, perhaps? A favorite of mine. It’s off season so definitely a much better deal. They offer all kinds of packages for golf (I think there are like 40 golf courses on the Cape), whale watching, fishing and sailing, etc. Check out the Chatham Squire for dining and entertainment --they have great food and music in the tavern (and I think open mike night is on Thursday?)</p>

<p>In Brewster, check out The Woodshed (owned by friends of mine from college–it’s attached to the Brewster Inn and Chowder House, which is fab.) The Woodshed is a great little “dive” with live music which tends to be “folky.” Also, pretty good comfort food. They also sponsor a 5k race (in August) which is a lot of fun.</p>

<p>For great homemade ice cream–my picks are The Smuggler (near the Village Green) in Dennis (try the French Raspberry Truffle) and The Sundae School (quaint and old-fashioned–opened when I was in college) in Harwich Port or East Orleans (try the Blueberry) and the Highland Creamery (fun and funky decor) in Truro (on the Nat’l Seashore–try the Chocolate Heart Attack!) </p>

<p>And don’t forget to watch the sunset at Nauset Beach–very romantic! </p>

<p>Enjoy.</p>

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<p>there was a fun place in Harwichport to eat right on the water eons ago. Not sure if its still there?</p>

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<p>The place in Harwichport - I believe you are referring to Thompson’s Clam Bar? It has been turned into a private club-type of place now. We tried to get there at least once each summer, so we were disappointed when it changed. I can’t remember the new name.</p>

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<p>Is this the place that also had the acapella singers (guys) who performed nightly. They were TERRIFIC…all college students from different colleges, and very talented.</p>

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<p>BAfromBC –
H. and I used to LOVE The Woodshed. Went there many times pre-kids back in the mid-to-late 80’s. They always had some of the most fun bands around. Have been tempted to go back many times, but I’m afraid we ‘aged out’ long ago… :(</p>

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<p>And Thompson’s Clam Bar was a tradition too – always jam-packed, and it was fun to get a seat along the water</p>

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<p>Thank you all for sharing in this discussion!</p>

<p>paying3, Wood’s Hole was always a treat to visit. Many years we would arrive the night before the traditional ‘move-in’ date for Cape rentals, and would stay at the Nautilus Inn. Our Ds always looked forward to a ‘fancy’ dinner at The Dome restaurant next door. We would always make a visit to the aquarium. It was always a great way to begin our vacation.</p>

<p>lspf, I definitely will let you all share in my trip when I return. :)</p>

<p>BAfromBC, yes, we will be staying at the Chatham Bars Inn. Looking forward to it very much.</p>

<p>thumper, I’m not sure if Thompson’s was the one with the singers. We only ever ate there once because the line was always so long and with four kids(or more when we’d take a friend or two along), waiting in line wasn’t something my H was every prepared to do. I do remember it being a HUGE restaurant!</p>

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<p>For something completely different, try the Susan Baker Memorial Museum in Truro. It’s open Memorial Day to Labor Day and is really quite amusing. Described by her husband as, “The biggest ego trip on Cape Cod”, it is not to be missed, says bethievt!</p>

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<p>We’ve spent several summers in Wellfleet and more recently, we’ve been going to Nantucket. We love both areas. There are great recommendations here. I’ll add a couple. For a very special dinner, I’d go to Chillingsworth. It’s in Brewster–French food, which is excellent. There’s a main dining room and a bistro. If you go to Nantucket for a day trip–I’d definitely rent a bike and get on one of the bike paths to the beach. The Whaling Museum is a great way to spend a long afternoon. Exhibits are interesting and the docents are quite knowledgeable. Don’t know if you fish, but there’s great surf fishing on both the mainland and Nantucket.</p>

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<p>As requested, am reporting back after our trip to the Cape! It was everything wonderful that I remembered about it, and more. Certainly, going in May, for the first time, gave us no traffic and fewer people, both of which we enjoyed. The Inn was absolutely beautiful, with fabulous service and food, and wonderful amenities. We were happy to be able to walk all over Chatham with no worries about parking (although it wouldn’t have been a problem during this visit!) The view from the Inn was just so pretty that I could have sat on that veranda, or on one of our decks, and drank my morning coffee right through to my late afternoon glass of wine, and been perfectly content. :)</p>

<p>We revisited many of our favorite places, including Sandwich, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham with a relaxing drive across 6A. We stopped at Cobies for a lobster roll and reminisced about the times when we’d need two of their picnic tables to fit our gang. We spent a day in Wellfleet and loved it’s hilly, winding streets and charming little galleries and shops. Not everything was open yet but enough was to make it worthwhile. Our day in Woods Hole was one of our favorites this time, as always, and the visit to the aquarium there always puts a smile on my face. Talking with the people who work and volunteer there has always interested me. There was an extremely well-behaved and well-supervised school group there and the little kids provided us with much enjoyment as they oooohed and aaaahed over the exhibits. Lunch at Captain Kidd’s afterwards, overlooking the harbor was yummy, and scenic, and just made me feel so darn good.</p>

<p>Thank you to all of you for the suggestions. We enjoyed the ice cream suggestions (more than once!) and we ate all kinds of seafood while there. Did lots of walking, exploring beaches, played golf, did a little shopping, and found time to relax enough to read two books. All in all, a perfect getaway.</p>

<p>Much of the pleasure of this vacation was in seeing how very little the Cape has changed since we’d been there last. It had been 10+ years and, honestly, not much has changed. The bustling areas are still bustling and the quieter towns are still quiet! So many wonderful memories from our family vacations over the years, and this trip made me realize that I can’t wait to take all of our Ds back, with their significant others. I know that they would enjoy it as much as they did as kids. I’m already planning! :)</p>