Cape Cod in Winter
Girlfriend and I are going to Cape Cod for Christmas and staying for a week. Neither of us have ever been there, so we are looking for suggestions as to where to go/stay/eat/visit.We're looking for the most scenic beaches, forrest hikes, and towns. I will have my car and am thinking of splitting up the trip to two locations. We're pretty much trying to find the most beautiful spot of nature and food/acommodation is not as important- although a nice restaurant with oysters would definitely be nice! Maybe thinking of going to a nicer area with restaurants for the first half and then a more abandoned location for the second, if that exists. Budget is flexible, but preferably below $150 a night for a room.
What is Provincetown like during Christmas? We're both artists, so I feel obliged to visit, although I hear the art scene is dead in winter?
Is nantucket or marthas vineyard worth the ferry ride (will I need to haul my car to either of these islands or is it easy to get around by foot)?
2
The Cape in the winter has a bleak beauty.Dress warmly in layers; lots of wind walking the beaches. Stop at the Visitor's Center to get a map that has the walks in the National Seashore. I particularly like the White Cedar Swamp boardwalk trail. I've had the priviledge of putting the first footprints on it after a deep snow. Lovely. You can also walk from the Visitors' Center itself through the forrest, passing the marsh, across to the beach.
Check out the Land Ho in Orleans, the local winter hangout.
http://www.land-ho.com/orleans
Further out, explore some beaches that have private parking pretty much all summer, like Balston.
Nantucket features their picturesque Christmas Stroll.
http://www.nantucketchamber.org/enjoy/Nantucket_Noel_Christmas_Stroll.aspx
and a few things extend past that weekend.
3
Yeah, the Cape will be fairly lonely that time of year and it will be mightly chilly but I think it does have an emptiness to it that can be beautiful in its own right. Bring layers for any outdoor exploration at the beach or beyond for sure.There are some great bike paths on Cape Cod (Cape Cod Canal Bike Path, Cape Cod National Seashore Path, Cape Cod Rail Trail & Falmouth Shinning Sea Path) but I am not sure if the conditions will be any good for riding for any ice/sleet will render it not-passable on most bikes.
Providencetown has year-round residences so while it isn't hopping like summertime, there are restuarants that will be open so worth a day to roam around. On the actual holidays of Christmas and New Year's, not sure if much will be open. There may be stuff happening though for New Year's Eve and worth investigating possible B+B for 12/31 there but its a little late, not much might be available.
It is fairly easy to take a car on the ferry to either MV or Nantucket but you have to reserve a spot in advance. If it was summer/fall, I'd say you'd be fine with just bicycles for a day trip to MV but not sure if you have bikes and not sure if the roads will be conducive to riding so unless you want to go there and just investigate Edgartown, you will need a car. However, I am sure the ferry service is on winter schedule so be sure to check it out in advance (I have the link below). There are ferries from Woods Hole to MV and from Hyannis to Nantucket.
http://www.steamshipauthority.com/ssa/index.cfm
Its pretty easy to get to most places on the cape within just 90 minutes, esp since you won't be dealing with summertime traffic jams. You'll instead just have to contend with extremely variable weather. Enjoy your trip - take some black & white film cause the conditions might be best suited for those types of pictures.
