Our Historic Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast is a perfect place to stay to discover the wide variety of Cape Cod attractions.

Cape Cod beaches are some of the most beautiful in the world, with over 550 miles of unspoiled shoreline. Within a mile of the sand and surf, the Inn at Sandwich is your gateway to finding your ideal seashore oasis.

All your adventures on the Cape will certainly leave you hungry! From formal to casual, Cape Cod restaurants offer a diverse collection of dining experiences. Sandwich itself offers everything from a DiRona Award-winning restaurant to a charming homemade ice cream stand.

Located at the start of the Massachusetts peninsula, the Inn at Sandwich is the perfect place to stay to enjoy all that Cape Cod has to offer. Whether your visit takes you to one of the 14 Cape Cod lighthouses, the nearby state parks and wildlife refuge, oceanic activities, other excursions through the 70 miles of cape, or visits to the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, the Inn at Sandwich offers the best of Cape Cod's casual elegance.

From the moment the first crocus pushes its little face through the snow to reach the warmth of the sun, until the last golden leaf drops from the trees and Cape Cod is wrapped in a blanket of snow, there are endless things to do in Cape Cod. We hope the information found here will be helpful in planning your visit.

Guidebooks:

One of the best guidebooks about our area that we have seen is An Explorer's Guide - Cape Cod Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket written by Kim Grant. It can be found in book stores and online at Amazon.com.

Whale Watching:

One of the most popular activities for visitors is a Whale Watching Cruise. If you've never seen a leviathan breach in the waters off Cape Cod, visit from May until October to witness just that. Humpback, Minke, Finback, and Wright whales await your visit. The following information will help you choose which cruise is the best for you.

Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises - Departing Barnstable Harbor - 1-800-287-0374
Dolphin Fleet - Departing MacMillan Wharf, Provincetown - 1-800-826-9300

Lighthouses of Cape Cod:

Another popular Cape Cod adventure is lighthouse gazing. Volumes have been written about the Lighthouses on the Cape including many documented comments by Thoreau from his visits here. He even wrote about his overnight stay in Truro's Highland Light. Whether these beacons of light are your passion or just a whim, you should not pass up the opportunity to get up close and personal when visiting Cape Cod. Here are some great informational sites.

Cape Cod Lighthouses from Bourne to Provincetown: Here you can go to the bottom of the page and click onto individual lighthouses to read about their history and location.

A map with lighthouse locations and information about the lighthouses will help you find your way.

Beaches:

Cape Cod beaches are some of the most beautiful in the world. The beaches on Nantucket Sound on the south side of the cape have warm gentle waves, while the eastern shore has wild and roaring surf. The beaches on Cape Cod bay are calm and cool. Some beaches have comfort stations and food vendors while others are much like they were when the pilgrims landed in 1620. If you plan to relax in the sun with a great summer read, just pick your spot.

Outdoor Adventures:

The wild beauty of Cape Cod offers an abundance of outdoor activities for nature lovers, from hiking trails and bike paths to rivers and streams for canoe or kayak trips. There are many scheduled kayak tours led by experienced naturalists that provide all the equipment you will need. Great information is also available from the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

Cape Cod Bike Guide has information about these great Cape Cod bike trails.
Cape Cod Canal Bike Path: Bike along the Cape Cod Canal.
Shining Sea Bike Path: Bike along Buzzards Bay through Falmouth and Woods Hole.
Rail Trail Bike Path: Bike from South Dennis to Wellfleet.

Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary located at 345 Bone Hill Road, off Route 6A in Barnstable, is one of our favorite places to go for a nature fix. They have beautiful walking trails and a sustainable farm you can visit. There is a visitor's center with great views of Sandy Neck Light, and you can even sign up for guided kayak tours that go up the river and across to the beach. Call (508) 362-1426 for more information or visit the Massachusetts Audubon Society website. Another beautiful Audubon Society nature preserve further out on the Cape is the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary located on Route 6, South Wellfleet.

Covering 80 acres of conservation land off Route 6A in Brewster is the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. This is a living museum featuring the plants and animals of Cape Cod. There are mud flats and salt marshes to explore, nature trails to meander, and guided field walks. A 17,000 square foot museum exhibits the flora and fauna, whales, birds, and crustaceans of Cape Cod. There is also a library and a museum shop.

Golf:

If roughing it in the great outdoors is not your thing, and you prefer the organized beauty of a well-kept golf course , they are in abundance on Cape Cod . You will have your pick of some great places to swing that club.

Mini Golf:

Cape Cod has a large variety of mini golf courses . One of the oldest is Sandwich Mini Golf on Route 6A in Sandwich. Here is a listing of mini golf courses on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. Play one, or play them all.

For Foodies:

What's a visit to one of the country's best seafood locales without munching a bunch! Most of Cape Cod's wonderful restaurants (and they are plentiful) have great seafood dishes on the menu, but we love those with that classic Cape Cod feel. They are usually crowded, but when you take that first bite, you'll be glad you waited….and no, you can't make reservations.

Sesuit Harbor Café is on Sesuit Neck Road in Dennis. The Cafe is a bit hard to find if you are unfamiliar with the area, but it is right on Sesuit Harbor with a million dollar view and a priceless quintessential Cape Cod experience. This is an Innkeeper Favorite, but you must bring your own wine and beer... and your appetite. 508-385-6134

Other classic Cape Cod restaurants include:
Cobie's Clam Shack in Brewster
Arnold's Lobster & Clam Bar in Eastham
Osterville Fish Too on Barnstable Harbor
Liam's at Nauset Beach, Orleans - 508-255-3474; no website but you can see the menu.
Chatham Fish Pier, Chatham, 508-945-FISH - This fresh fish market and takeout restaurant is right on the pier.
Spanky's Clam Shack on Hyannis Harbor

You can pick your own lobster at the Lobster Pound on Route 6A in Orleans. 508-240-1234

Another Innkeeper favorite is the Lobster Pot in Provincetown. Try their New England Clam Bake. This is a great place to go for dinner after you have been whale watching.

Ice Cream:

New Englanders consume more ice cream per capita than any other area of the United States. It's safe to say... Cape Codders know their ice cream! Here are some of our favorites.

Twin Acres Ice Cream is on Route 6A in Sandwich. Open April to mid-October with generous servings and extensive flavor choices, this place is fabulous. It is a great after-the-beach place, or pull in for an ice cream while you wait for the traffic on Route 6A to lessen. They also serve sandwiches. We hear from many folks that they have the best BLT on Cape Cod! We plan to check that out.

Four Seas Ice Cream on South Main Street in Centerville (on the south side of the Cape) is the third oldest ice cream shop in New England and is homemade ice cream at its very best. Open daily mid-May through Mid-September, they are a National ice cream award winner. When you have a taste, you will understand why.

Ghelfi's Candies and Ice Cream on Main Street in Falmouth.

Nauset Ice Cream on Route 6 in North Eastham – homemade ice cream daily.

Ben & Jerry's at Route 6 and Brackett Road in North Eastham.

Cranberry Bogs:

Nestled among the towns and villages of Cape Cod are some of the most picturesque fall sights: cranberry bogs during harvest from mid September to early November. The bogs are flooded with water so that the berries float to the water's surface to be gathered. The contrast of the golden fall foliage and the crimson berries against an autumn sky is breathtaking.

Cranberry harvest celebrations are held throughout Cape Cod in September and October. Check each individual village and town web page to find location and festival information. At the Cape Farm and Cranberry Company, you can tour a working cranberry bog.

Art on Cape Cod:

What better way is there to remember your visit to the Cape than with a wonderful piece of art created by a local artisan? Working artists, art studios, and art galleries are abundant on Cape Cod. For information about artists, galleries, and studios, visit the Web sites for the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce and Cape Cod Art. What better way is there to remember your visit to the Cape than by taking home a wonderful piece of art created by a local artisan.

Theatre on Cape Cod:

Live theatre may not synonymous with Cape Cod, but theatre is alive and well here. Throughout the Cape, from Bourne to Falmouth, from Sandwich to Provincetown, and all the villages in between, you will find small theatres presenting first-rate entertainment. From comedy and drama to opera, musicals, and music performances, we have it all.

Island Hopping:

A ferry ride to the islands of Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard is one of the most popular things to do while visiting Cape Cod. Each location offers a great day-trip. Sandwich is the ideal place to stay on Cape Cod and visit either or both.

Martha's Vineyard is just 7 miles, or a half-hour ferry ride, out of Falmouth. The island is much larger than most folks think: roughly 100 square miles with 6 villages. Aquinnah, Chillmark, and West Tisbury are the more rural villages, and Edgartown, Vineyard Haven, and Oak Bluffs are more populated. Each has unique character and charm. Transportation to “The Vineyard” is available on the Steamship Authority out of Wood's Hole to the village of Vineyard Haven, and aboard the Island Queen, a pedestrian ferry out of Falmouth and into Oak Bluffs. If you plan to take your car, you can reserve space aboard the Steamship Authority Ferry. Advanced reservations are strongly recommended and are available for online booking. Great public transportation, and bike and automobile rentals make bringing your car unnecessary. The Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce Web site is filled with great information to help plan your visit to the island.

Nantucket Island is 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod and is much smaller than people think: just 14 miles long and 3.5 miles at the widest part and has one main village. The island is both quaint and historic with great restaurants and amazing shopping. A guided island tour enables you to see areas that you may otherwise miss. Bikes and automobiles are available for rent on the island. You can visit year-round by booking passage aboard the Steamship Authority or Hy-line Cruises out of Hyannis. Both companies have a high-speed ferry that makes the trip in an hour, and a traditional ferry that takes two hours. The island discourages people from bringing automobiles, but if you are interested in doing so, information is available on the Steamship Authority website. Visit the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce Web site or the Nantucket Historical Association Web site for great information to help plan your visit.