Family-friendly, five-bedroom house in Chatham The Outer Cape: Dominated by the 44,000-acre Cape Cod National Seashore and its 40 miles of beaches and lighthouses, the cape’s ruggedly wild tip includes bucolic Truro, which inspired the paintings of Edward Hopper Eastham, which is crisscrossed with hiking and biking trails Wellfleet, which boasts its own variety of oysters and Provincetown, a historic village that dates back to the arrival of the Pilgrims (they came here before Plymouth, 402 years ago) and later emerged as one of the East Coast’s gay-friendliest beach resorts and party destinations.ġ.

The Lower Cape: Located on the Cape’s “elbow,” this stretch includes four towns: Brewster, with its grand sea captains’ mansions artsy Orleans, with its galleries and performing arts venue the former whaling port of Harwich, from which you can now embark on seal-watching cruises and charming, pedestrian-friendly Chatham, with its high-end boutiques and plenty of access to nature.

The former stomping grounds of the Kennedy clan, this populated and commercial section is also a gateway for sightseeing tour boats and the ferries to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. The Mid-Cape: Flanked by Cape Cod Bay to the north and Nantucket Sound to the south, the region’s buzzing tourist heart includes Dennis, Yarmouth, and the seven villages of Barnstable-one of which, Hyannis, is often referred to as the Capital of the Cape.

Less glitzy than some of the more remote destinations farther along the peninsula, the area is home to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, historic museums, and charming fishing hamlets. The Upper Cape: At only about an hour’s drive from Boston, Cape Cod’s most accessible stretch comprises the towns of Falmouth, Mashpee, Bourne, and historic Sandwich, which dates back to 1639.

Cape cod beach house airbnb