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Information: Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center: Junction U.S. Route 6 & Route 132 Offices: 307 Main St Suite 2/P.O. Box 790 Hyannis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts 02601 1-888-33CapeCod (888-332-2732) 508-862-0700 www.capecodchamber.org info@capecodchamber.org
Location: Cape Cod is situated at the extreme southeast
corner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at 41:39:10°
North latitude and 70:17:45° West longitude. The Cape is
approximately 70 miles from Canal to Provincetown’s Race
Point and is fishhook-shaped, running, more or less, southwest
to northeast to Orleans, and, from thence, roughly north to Area: 399 square miles Drive Albany, NY 230 miles Weather: Because Cape Cod stands guard offshore
from the New England land mass, swaddled in both cold and warm
waters, its weather is unique to the region. Winters, it is warmed
by the ocean and, summers, it is cooled by those same waters.
It is rare during even the most sultry summer day for there not
to be a cooling ocean breeze. Similarly, when the balance of
New England is painted white by snow, a true snowfall is rare
on Cape Cod. Normal temperature in January: 28.4° F
Average Rainfall and Melted Snow: January 3.9” Total average annual rainfall: 43.8” Recorded 24-hour weather information: 508-771-5522. Population: Based upon 2000 census: Barnstable: 47,821 (16.78% increase
from 1990) Geography: Cape Cod was originally a peninsula.
After the Cape Cod Canal was built, it became a man-made island,
as it is completely surrounded by water. Originally, the Cape
was united with the mainland at the ‘shoulder’ until
the US Army Corps of Engineers—realizing a three-century-old
dream—dug the 17½-mile long, 480-foot wide Cape Cod
Canal from 1909 to 1914 (the world’s widest sea-level canal),
giving “birth” to Cape Cod as an independent land mass
and joining Buzzards and Cape Cod Bays. Wind and sea have also
played more than a nominal role in shaping this peninsula, too. History: The earliest inhabitants of this peninsula, physical evidence suggests, arrived about 10,000 years ago, settling in the warmer months mainly along the Cape’s major estuaries in today’s Barnstable, Pleasant Bay and Brewster. Settlers moved to inland ponds during the winter. Originally, the Cape was populated by Native Americans and, during the 16th century, the people of the Wampanoag Federation lived—in peace—along the Cape’s coast. Cape Cod’s enduring appellation
was coined by English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold on May 15,
1602 after he took ‘great stock’ of cod from the peninsula’s
surrounding waters near the Elizabeth Islands and Woods Hole.
On November 9, 1620 at 7am, the Mayflower with 102 passengers
sailed into Provincetown Harbor in Cape Cod Bay after a 65-day
storm-tossed trans-Atlantic voyage. Although several days off
course and, given the Independence, more than any other attribute, typified Cape Codders, who grew increasingly belligerent towards British rule culminating in the great war of independence with Great Britain. Cape Towns: Cape Cod, which itself comprises the County of Barnstable, comprises 15 towns and each has its own constellation of villages. The Cape is divided into three portions—the Upper, Mid- and Outer Cape. Upper Cape towns: Bourne, Sandwich, Falmouth and Mashpee . Mid-Cape Towns: Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis and Brewster. Outer Cape Towns: Orleans, Chatham, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown. For significant detail on each
of the Cape’s 15 towns, see Golf
Courses: Cape Cod
is a golfer’s Mecca. For serious golfers, it’s always
time to play a round—or two. Winter and spring golfers visiting
Cape Cod need not be obsessive-compulsive to fancy playing a
full 18 holes—even in January. Cape Cod, blessed with a
temperate climate and temperatures at least ten degrees warmer
than the mainland (January’s mean temperature is 37°
F), is ranked in Golf Digest’s ‘top ten’ U.S.
golf destinations. Cape Cod is home to 33 public and 13 private
golf courses—the country’s fourth highest per capita.
And golfers could play on a different course every single day
for Upper Cape Golf Courses: Mid Cape Golf Courses:
Lower Cape Golf Courses: Beaches: Cape Cod is home to 115 beaches. From the sparkling waters of Cape Cod and Buzzards Bays, the calm and refreshing Vineyard and Nantucket Sound beaches to the glorious, beautiful—and sometimes wild and wonderful—beaches of the Cape Cod National Seashore, no visitor will ever want for shoreline. And with 559.6 miles of coastline, even in the height of the summer season, one can almost always find some water front real estate to be alone. The Cape is also home, coincidentally, to 365 ponds, meaning that every three years, one could swim in a different pond; Leap Years one would have to swim twice in one or discover a heretofore unknown pond. Shopping: With 2,254 places to shop, visitors are
bound to find shopping Cape Cod a delight. From the Cape Cod
Mall and refreshing Main Street in Hyannis to the boutiques and
galleries of Provincetown, the sheer diversity of shopping options
could easily overwhelm. And with 147 galleries and antique shops,
specialty shoppers are certain to find a treasure or two. Shopping
venues run the gamut, from outlet malls and strip malls, to lone Recreation: Cape Cod is a Mecca for active visitors.
From its hundreds of miles of coastline, hundreds of ponds and
rivers, all manner of watersports can be enjoyed (year round
for the stoic). There are also 46 miles of bike paths and more
roadways are being allocated for this sport every year. Visitors
can sail, motorboat, wind and wave surf, canoe, kayak, roller
blade, Transportation: Cape Cod is readily accessible from a number of regional airports and major and secondary highways. Cape Air/Nantucket Airlines: Operates daily, scheduled flights between Boston (BOS), New Bedford (EWB), Providence (PVD), Nantucket (ACK) and Martha’s Vineyard (MVY) and Hyannis (HYA). Also operates daily service between Boston and Provincetown. 800-352-0714 US Airways Express operated by Colgan Air: Operates daily, scheduled flights between New York/La Guardia and Hyannis year round. 800-428-4322 Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority: Operates daily, scheduled passage between Cape Cod (Woods Hole/Falmouth) and Martha’s Vineyard (Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs). 508-477-8600 Hy-Line Cruises: Operates high-speed catamaran between Hyannis and Nantucket year round and, in season, operates ferries between Hyannis and Nantucket and Hyannis and Martha’s Vineyard. 508-778-2600 Freedom Cruise Lines: Operates seasonal passenger-only ferry between Harwich Port and Nantucket. 508-432-8999 Bay State Cruise Lines: Operates ferry between Boston’ Commonwealth Pier and Provincetown daily from mid-June to Labor Day. 617-457-1428 (in Boston) or 508-487-9284 (from Cape Cod). Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway: Operates buses between Boston and Boston’s Logan International Airport and Barnstable/Hyannis and Provincetown with stops in several Cape towns en route. 508-771-6191 or 508-746-0378 Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority: Operates its SeaLine service along Route 28 daily except Sunday between Woods Hole and Hyannis and connects in Hyannis with the Plymouth & Brockton line. Drivers will stop when signalled along the route. The “B Bus” is a fleet of mini-vans which offers daily door-to-door service anywhere on the Cape. The H2O Line operates a scheduled service several times daily between Hyannis and Orleans along Route 28. Restaurants: Cape Cod has more than 700 restaurants
throughout its 15 towns. There are dining rooms which cater to
nearly every palate imaginable. From Cape Cod’s famous and
super-fresh seafood to restaurants featuring the cuisine of literally
dozens of ethnicities, Cape Cod diners will find a restaurant
to suit their whim and budget. Many dining rooms are located
within country inns and these should not be overlooked. Included
within the selection of Cape restaurants are dozens critically
acclaimed and award- winning eateries. |
