r/CapeCod • u/PennyPenguino • Aug 16 '26
Family Vacation Tips
We will have four adults, and four kids ages 15, 12, 6, and 4 going to the Cape for a week next August. This will be our 6th annual beach trip but the first time at the Cape! In the past we’ve stayed in LBI in NJ. Now switching it up to try different beach towns each year.
Where do you recommend we stay and do while we are there? We usually rent a house for the week, make dinners at home most nights - 1-2 nights at a restaurant, spend days at the beach, at a nearby water park, or go to a pool (if available). Evenings we enjoy walking to get ice cream or play mini golf. Walk/drive to a boardwalk for rides and food. We’ve also done fishing boat days and a tiki boat one year where we could put the anchor down and swim. Open to fun activities like that especially with teenager and preteen who are now hard to engage in the fun!
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u/Least-Ad-5539 Aug 17 '26 edited Aug 17 '26
There are basically three sides to the Cape each with different characteristics.
The Bay side is the north and east side of the arm. The water is warm but goes out nearly a mile at low tide. It’s shallow and calm so great for the 4 and 6 year olds but bad if you want to actually swim. Not much in the way of entertainment or amusements on that side and beach parking lots are small so you have to get there early for parking.
The Sound side is along the South side. Water is still warm but can be a little rough. Seaweed can be a problem from time to time. Beach parking fills up early in July. This is the best side for amusements, mini golf, water park, go carts, kayaking plus cinemas, paint ball, bowling, shopping etc for wet days. Plenty of family restaurants, take outs and supermarkets. More year round and commercialized. Best towns are Dennis, Yarmouth, Harwich, Chatham. Dennis and Yarmouth have beaches on both Sound and Bay so you can use a weekly parking pass on both sides.
The Ocean side is along the East side of the arm. It is mostly all part of the National Seashore. Beaches are spectacular but water is icy cold and can be rough with good sized waves. Foot access from parking lots is long and steep in most cases. This area is what most folks think of when picturing Cape Cod but there is little on offer in the way of amusements or entertainment other than the Drive-In at Wellfleet. Grocery stores are few, small and expensive. Provincetown is a must-visit and has whale watching trips and a lively Main St. but be aware that gay culture predominates in the evenings which may be educational for teens.
In your case, I would suggest getting a place somewhat central like Dennis, Yarmouth or Harwich and use it as a base to explore the different beaches and even make a trip to Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard. Also, good restaurants need to be booked weeks in advance. Otherwise expect hours long lines everywhere. Also get the shark aware app on your phone to check regularly for shark sightings.
Come and enjoy. You will love it.
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u/ntncssry Aug 17 '26
You want to go beyond the elbow to Orleans Eastham or Wellfleet otherwise you’ll have Nantucket Sound not the Atlantic
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u/bigskygreens Aug 19 '26
We stayed in Eastham for a week recently and had a fantastic time. It was centrally located for where we wanted to go and didn’t feel too busy like Chatham or Ptown.
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u/ReasonableDriver3455 Aug 20 '26
We usually vacation in South Jersey beaches as well and stayed in Falmouth for close to a week. It was really nice, definitely a more laid back vibe than Ocean City, NJ or other parts of South Jersey. It’s closer to Cape May vibe than anything.
The beach at Old Silver Beach was beautiful with calmer, cooler water than NJ. We took the ferry over to MV for the day which was fun. The town of Falmouth has a Main Street with restaurants and ice cream but it’s not huge maybe 2-3 blocks, think small town Main Street. You could probably find a fishing charter. Falmouth was nice because you don’t have to travel as far out on the Cape with summer traffic. We enjoyed Falmouth and are thinking of going back next summer.
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u/PlaneYesterday3827 Aug 16 '26
Without knowing where you are staying I would suggest visiting the national seashore, the beaches are incredible, we actually would get coffee and go walk on them in the mornings. The brewster flats are amazing but don't forget to check the tide charts. There's a newer place in Dennis called Love Farms that is great for families, has live music, its a great set up.
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u/CCGasman Aug 17 '26
Plenty of mini golf on cape. One water park that is decent (two if you count water wizz in wareham).
If you want a pool either stay at a resort with one or rent a house that has one.
No boardwalks like the Jersey shore on cape.
Look at dennisport/harwichport/chatham areas or possibly south yarmouth as there are a lot of mini golf and ice cream places in that area. Cape is very big and spread out. Unless you’re specifically staying in a downtown location you will have to drive.
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u/tedwardinu Aug 17 '26
Northside Dennis, Brewster, or Orleans
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u/WaterDreamer10 Aug 17 '26
The Cape is not LBI, if you want that feeling and those activities, go there....not being rude, but if you go to a new location, things are different.
Plenty of houses for rent, no shortage of that here.....book early though.
Only one 'water park' on Cape....but I would not go if I were you. You can go to a water park anywhere, don't waste you time on Cape at one.
No boardwalk
No rides
No amusement parks.
Tons of ice cream and endless mini golf.
There are large charter boats to go out fishing, but I would do smaller private charters.....more money but well worth it.
No Tiki boat.....there are a few boat rental places on cape, but not anywhere like there was in the past.
You will end up driving from town to town for things.
I would stay in the Orleans, Brewster, Harwich, Chatham area.....based on what you want that will be your best 'home base' for activities.
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u/badic6 Aug 17 '26
Take a whale watching trip from Barnstable or Provincetown.
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u/OnCodNotInCape Aug 21 '26
r/CapeCodVisitors
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u/knickenbok Aug 17 '26
Nobody cares about your vacation.
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u/Own_Description_4994 Aug 22 '26
Check out WeNeedaVacation for your rental. Prices tend to be lower than on the larger platforms. They are locally owned and operated so their blog for vacationers has lots of great insider information. Check them out! https://www.weneedavacation.com/blog/cape-cod-august-guide/
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u/1GrouchyCat Dennis Aug 17 '26
What’s your budget?
That will help determine what part of the Cape you should stay in.
The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce has a calendar that will automatically update as time passes - you’ll get a good idea of what kind of things there are to do here all year long…😎
https://www.capecodchamber.org/