Next month I’ll be taking 2.5 weeks off, and spending one of those weeks in Provincetown (at my friends’ rental condo right on the beach). I’ve never taken more than a week off work before, and I haven’t been to a beach or taken a “real” vacation in almost 10 years. I’ve also never been to Provincetown before. I’m seriously burned out at work, and am *so *looking forward to this!
I live in Northern Virginia, just west of D.C., and will be driving up. It’s a 9-hour drive, so I’m going to split the trip and spend a night in NJ – where I have family – on both the way up and the way back. It’ll be a perfect way to get to do some visiting while also getting a vacation. And it’s a Wednesday-Wednesday rental, so I’ll be driving on weekdays.
I’m not gay, but I have a long history with the community and will be way more comfortable in Ptown as a single woman than I would in, say, Ocean City. While I’m looking forward to plenty of quality alone time, I’m fairly social and will be open to meeting people; I just won’t be interested in hooking up. Rehoboth also would have been acceptable, but I don’t know anyone with a rental there and I like the idea of going somewhere (a) new and (b) kind of far away. Plus, I hear lots of great things about the Cape.
I’m open to suggestions/tips about vacationing there (any Dopers live nearby?), but am not interested in suggestions about alternate destinations, etc. Reservations have been made and deposits have been paid, and I’m going. This is mostly a BEACH! VACATION! YAY! thread.
Race Point
Dune tours
Whale Watching
Whydah Museum
Plenty of bikes trails
Couple wineries in the Outer Cape area.
Be aware of the difference of an Oceanside beach verses a Cape side beach.
You’re avoiding Greenhead fly season, yeah for you.
I love the Cape, especially P-Town. D’ffrent Strokes for D’ffrent folks, but my favorite thing to do there was to go to the Marine Specialties shop on Commercial Street and buy the olde-tyme sailor shirts and hats/various military surplus stuff they have there.
My (hetero) parents used to take us there every summer during Carnival Week, when they have the big drag queen parade. As a little kid, I didn’t understand what “gay” meant exactly, but from my visits to Provincetown, I inferred that it meant men who wore cool clothes and held hands a lot, and occasionally dressed in amazing costumes and had a big parade.
Are you actually on the sand in P-town? The fun beaches (waves) are on the ocean side of the Cape, the bay side beaches are tame. And the tidal flats can get in the way of swimming at low tide.
Good seafood is a given, and some places fill up early so reservations are needed. The Mews is great, as is Jimmy’s Hideaway. Classics like The Lobster Pot serves a great lobster dinner but it’s definitely a plastic bib sort of place.
Biking on the dunes bike path is great, or you can rent kayaks and get a reasonable paddle in protected waters. Watch out for the ferries. If you’ve never been, a whale watch is a good half day.
Steps from the sand, on the bay side. I won’t care about swimming: sand and some kind of surf are all I need. Heck, some days just the view will be all I need.
Ok, I know this could get me kicked out of MA, but…I don’t like seafood. So that won’t be an issue. I’m planning to buy some groceries, at least for my lunches, and am hoping the steak/burger places won’t get too slammed.
Watch out how? Like, for rip-offs?
Hmm, good idea! I did one in Key West a long time ago, but it was kind of fun. I might be up for doing it again.
Different types of folk like different types of beaches, just saying there is a difference and Telemark filled in a major reason why.
If you know the Cape you can find obscure beaches with very few others around, but ya gotta know where to go. Married a Cape gal and would be in deep trouble at home if I said more.
Also if you like fresh water swimming there are ponds inland a bit in the Wellfleet area that are nice.
There really aren’t any steak/burger places, but all will offer some. If you’re just looking for sustenance you’ll be fine. For fine dining you’re options will be limited.
That was advice if you were kayaking. The ferries are big and move pretty darn fast.
The beach in P-Town proper is fairly boring, but it doesn’t look like you have great beach needs. If you have access to a bike ride out to Race Point or Herring Cove, much better choices just a short ride away. A walk along the breakwater from First Landing Park out to Long Point is a must, you can come back along the breakwater or walk back via Herring Cove.
You gotta see the drag show. And I don’t mean car racing.
For a change of scenery from P.Town, Hyannis and Chatham are fun for lunch and the shops.
When I was a kid, we’d take family vacations there. It’s where I first learned to sail on a little sunfish. Some of my fondest childhood memories. I’ve been back a couple of times as an adult and it’s changed, but still special to me.
My dad was stationed at Otis Air Force Base outside Falmouth in 1960’s. I spent 8 wonderful years there. Some in base housing and some in a house they bought in Falmouth.
Learned to swim at the beaches in Falmouth.
Our house was a few blocks away from a road flanked by cranberry bogs.
This is a pretty casual solo trip…no fine dining needed.
Ah, ok. Gotcha.
Awesome! Thank you!
Meh, I’ve done plenty of drag shows in my time. And I’ve been in Key West during Fantasy Fest, which fulfilled my “gawk” needs for the forseable future!
Good notes. Thanks!
Thanks! I think I’m going to be less interested in doing even more driving, though, and more interested in seeing how long it’s possible to sit in one spot without moving.
Oh, it does…I don’t go anywhere without making sure there’s parking! LOL!
There’s gonna be a gathering of tall ships in Boston next month, the 17th through the 22nd. If you’re on the Cape at the right time I wonder if any of them will be sailing by within sight of Provincetown, or transiting the canal. Wouldn’t surprise me too much if they did.
Thanks, Robot Arm! I found the Sail Boston website, and am now following them on Facebook.
I don’t know why any of the ships would circle inside the cape instead of going around the peninsula on the ocean side, but I might do some investigating. Looks like the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta fleet can be followed online. If the weather is clear enough at the start/finish, maybe there will be some “watch spots” on the ocean side.
Well, even if they’re not visible from Provincetown proper, maybe somewhere out on the end of the Cape. I seem to remember there were some telescopes at the Province Lands visitors center, so that might be a possibility. Although, winds tend to be from the west around here, so some of the ships might have the sails furled and just motor to Boston from there.
I sent in a volunteer application so I might be doing some work for the event in Boston.
Give yourself plenty of time to get there. Route 6 all the way to P’Town is longer than it looks, and heavily trafficked. Avoid Friday and Sunday evenings if you can.
Sailing cruises out of MacMillan Pier are pretty popular. The Lobster Pot is a fine seafood place.
