First Encounter Beach, where Samoset Rd meets Cape Cod Bay, is a fine place to watch the sunset. With its vast tidal flats and kid-friendly, calm, shallow waters, it offers a night-and-day contrast to the National Seashore beaches on Eastham's wild Atlantic side. Parking costs $18 to $20 in summer.
And the name of the beach? It's the site of the first encounter between the Pilgrims and the local Native Americans, in 1620, prior to the Pilgrims settling in Plymouth.
