| From the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown to the | | | | charming. They may be tucked away on a shady lane |
| Sagamore and Bourne bridges, Cape Cod is a special | | | | or surrounded by old trees near a cranberry bog. |
| destination that can be enjoyed over a week, a | | | | Some are a short walk to a public beach and others |
| month, a summer or a lifetime. There is simply too | | | | may require the car to get to a beach. |
| much to see and do here for a daytrip or weekend | | | | While it is possible to spend your entire vacation just |
| visit. | | | | staying around the home away from home you've |
| It's hard not to feel excited or relieved as you drive | | | | rented, you're probably going to want to do some |
| over one of the two bridges spanning Cape Cod | | | | driving and explore all that the Cape has to offer. |
| Canal. Crossing the bridge means you have escaped, | | | | Leave your car at Woods Hole and take the ferry |
| your vacation is truly under way. Yes, depending on | | | | for a daytrip to Martha's Vineyard or, at the other |
| the day of the week you may spend more time | | | | end of the Cape, set out from Provincetown for a |
| getting to the bridge or sitting on the bridge than | | | | whale watching excursion. There is plenty of |
| you wanted to, but traffic is the price for access to | | | | non-beach activity to do outdoors, as well. There are |
| this prime vacation spot. As you spend your first day | | | | a number of golf courses, both the grown-up and |
| listening to gentle waves lap at the foot of a sandy | | | | the putt-putt varieties. Many towns have fishing |
| dune on Cape Cod Bay, the tension of work and | | | | charters, the Lower Cape has the Cape Cod Rail Trail |
| traffic will recede and you will not regret your | | | | for biking, and the Cape Cod National Seashore is |
| decision to spend a week or two on the Cape. | | | | excellent for walking and enjoying the pristine |
| If relaxing on the beach is one of the main goals of | | | | scenery. Wildlife refuges and state parks are good |
| your Cape Cod vacation, proximity to the beach is | | | | destinations for birding enthusiasts. And since the |
| probably one of the biggest factors in deciding where | | | | Cape has water on all sides, why not learn to kayak |
| to stay. You'll want a place where you can unload | | | | while you're there? |
| your beach gear, hang your beach towels to dry, and | | | | Believe it or not, there is plenty of nightlife and |
| even rinse the sand off your legs and feet before | | | | cultural attractions to enjoy on the Cape. There are |
| you head inside. Come to think of it, it might be nice | | | | many history museums and theaters, the best |
| to have a grill handy to cook the fresh swordfish or | | | | known of which is the Cape Playhouse. For music |
| sea bass you're going to pick up at the seafood shop | | | | lovers, the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis gets |
| in town. | | | | big-name pop and rock performers, while those |
| It sounds like you need to rent a vacation home. | | | | seeking a more intimate atmosphere might like the |
| Vacation homes are the best way to experience | | | | Beachcomber in Wellfleet. Sports fans will enjoy the |
| Cape Cod. There's nothing more perfect than pulling | | | | Cape Cod Baseball League with games all summer |
| your car onto a sandy driveway that is lined with | | | | long. Shopaholics have their pick of factory outlets, a |
| rose bushes and wildflowers and which sits in front | | | | mall, the upscale Mashpee Commons, quaint Main |
| of a weathered Cape Cod house. The smell of lilac | | | | Street shopping districts, and more antique shops |
| floats across the yard on a steady breeze that is | | | | than you can hope to visit during your vacation. |
| tinged with salt. You are on Cape Cod. | | | | Let's not forget Cape Cod cuisine. Your choices range |
| Cape Cod houses have a classic style that goes back | | | | from family to fine restaurants on the waterfront; |
| centuries. Some rental homes on the Cape are | | | | salty old pubs, where the freshest feature is the |
| hundreds of years old and you can feel the history | | | | latest Samuel Adams seasonal brew; and, of course, |
| before you get out of your car. The house might | | | | the finest and freshest seafood from the Atlantic. |
| have been built by an old whaling captain or maybe | | | | Get up early enough (really early) and head to any |
| it's a converted cranberry shack tucked into a grassy | | | | harbor on the Cape and you will find fisherman |
| dune. Many homes on the Cape have been built over | | | | returning with the day's catch, much of which will end |
| the last few decades, but some of them, along with | | | | up on the menu that day. |
| their neighborhoods, maintain a quiet charm that is | | | | While it's always nice to have someone prepare a |
| unique to Cape Cod. | | | | surf and turf dish for you, it is hard to top the same |
| Depending on your budget it is possible to rent | | | | meal when you choose the ingredients and prepare it |
| modest or opulent homes right on the waterfront or | | | | yourself. Which brings us back to the vacation home. |
| with private beach access. Imagine watching the sun | | | | When you rent a vacation home, you can let the |
| rise or set over the bay or ocean with nothing to | | | | steamers spit sand in the sink while the potatoes |
| interrupt your view. Stay up late roasting | | | | bake on the grill. The lobster you picked at the |
| marshmallows over a small beach fire and then | | | | lobster pound on the way home from the beach boils |
| trudge up the path between the dunes to fall asleep | | | | away in the special pot that was included in the |
| to the sounds of the sea on the couch on the porch. | | | | home's amenities. Steaks sizzle on the gas grill. ... It's |
| But even the homes that aren't right on the water | | | | summer on Cape Cod. |
| aren't so far away and most of them are just as | | | | |