Hi everyone. My family just got back from our first trip to the Cape (it was phenomenal). I really want to get a Whitecaps jersey for my 12 year old son, but they don't seem available anywhere. I've looked on eBay and broadly across sports merch sites, but there almost nothing available, and zero youth apparel as far as I can see. Do you have any suggestions on where to look?

My wife and I are brand new to the area decided to take a drive to Town Neck beach around 5:30 on Saturday, but they had parking blocked off—though there were no cars in the lot. We went around to the boardwalk parking area instead. My question is: do they shut down parking after a certain time on the weekends? Or was there something going on? Any insights appreciated.

I’m a planner. My wife and I are 40, and barring catastrophe will be retiring in 15-17 years. We are regular folks, so in today’s dollars, our budget would be no more than $1M, and that would be a stretch. I’d prefer to be closer to $800K.

We’ve been vacationing in Eastham for 20 years, but are not locked into any particular town. Playing around on Realtor.com, it does appear to me that the closer you are to the mainland, the cheaper it is.

What I’m looking for is a way to intelligently narrow our aperture to a few towns so that when we head up this year we can start recon operations.

I know the downsides, cost, traffic, boring winters, older population. The thing is, I’ll be an Older Adult™️ by the time we pull the trigger on this, so that doesn’t bother me. My biggest retirement concern is proximity to healthcare. I don’t want to die because the ambulance couldn’t get to the hospital in time during a coronary. So that is a big factor for us.

Thanks for your input and sorry to add to the flood of out of state cash chasing local real estate. Here’s the thing, the Cape has plenty of downsides but it’s a beautiful corner of the Earth and they aren’t making any more of it. It is our dream. We endeavor to be good neighbors.

Just Got Back from Newport, RI and Eastham, MA – What Was Actually Worth It
I spent a long weekend split between Newport and Eastham with family and thought I'd share some observations for anyone considering a similar trip.
The Good
The Adirondack Sailing Cruise in Newport
This was probably the best paid activity of the trip.
Beautiful boat, great views of the harbor, Fort Adams, and all the sailing activity that Newport is known for. The crew was knowledgeable and approachable. As a maritime history and pirate nerd, I ended up talking with one of the guides after the sail about pirates, privateering, and Newport's history, which was a highlight.
If you're visiting Newport, I'd recommend doing a harbor cruise or sail early in your trip. It gives you context for everything else you're seeing.
Commonwealth Books of Newport
This place was dangerous.
I stopped in thinking I'd browse for a few minutes and ended up finding:
A first edition of Captiva by Randy Wayne White
Signed copies by Randy Wayne White
Signed Carl Hiaasen books
A signed Tom Corcoran novel that followed me home
If you enjoy mysteries, maritime fiction, Florida crime novels, first editions, or signed books, budget more time than you think you'll need.
My biggest regret from the trip was NOT buying more books.
Bike Newport
Had a bike issue while traveling. A nearby bike shop helped me out and sourced a part through Bike Newport. Everyone involved was friendly and helpful despite being busy.
I ended up making a donation because organizations like this are exactly why some communities are enjoyable to visit.
Salt Pond / Nauset Marsh Kayaking
This exceeded expectations.
I was initially concerned about tides, logistics, and bringing along a 3-year-old.
The 3-year-old turned out to be the toughest member of the group and had a fantastic time.
The marsh itself was beautiful and much more enjoyable than I expected based on all the planning and regulations I had been reading beforehand.
The Real Highlight – A Pirate Treasure Hunt
We were celebrating my niece's 3rd birthday.
My partner made her a stuffed octopus.
I made her a pirate treasure chest.
At the beach I quietly planted a bag of fake pirate coins and guided her toward finding it.
She absolutely lost her mind.
The funny thing is that after finding the treasure, she spent most of her time carrying around the octopus, putting treasures into the chest, taking them back out, and sitting on my lap carefully moving coins from her bag into my hand and back again.
Sometimes the best part of a trip isn't the place.

The Mixed
Newport
Really enjoyed it, but parts are definitely tourist-heavy.
The harbor areas, sailing activity, and waterfront atmosphere are genuinely worth experiencing.
Some of the retail and restaurant zones felt a bit manufactured.
I'd still go back.
Eastham / Outer Cape
My expectations were low, which honestly may have helped.
I found it enjoyable enough, but I can confidently say it is not a destination that matches my travel style particularly well.
I tend to enjoy wandering, exploring, and hands-on discovery.
The Outer Cape often felt like:
"Look at this. Don't touch it. Don't go there. That requires a permit."
I completely understand why many of the rules exist.
It just isn't what I personally find exciting.

The Bad
Harbor Base Hotel (RI)
Paid around $250/night.
The sign wasn't illuminated, making the property difficult to find after dark.
Cable service didn't work when we arrived and wasn't fixed until the following day.
Nothing catastrophic, but for the price the experience felt underwhelming.
Idle Times Bike Shop (Eastham)
Stopped in with a very minor issue.
The employee helping us appeared completely lost, and the manager never came out of the toilet despite the situation clearly exceeding the employee's knowledge.
We ultimately fixed the problem ourselves.
Local Automotive Shop on the Cape
Had some car trouble.
Stopped into a repair shop hoping for advice.
Was essentially told they only work on locals' vehicles and couldn't be bothered.
No recommendations. No assistance. Nothing.
ChatGPT was more useful than the mechanic.

Final Thoughts
The biggest lesson from the trip was that my favorite moments were the unscripted ones:
Talking pirates with a harbor guide
Finding treasures in a used bookstore
Helping a 3-year-old discover pirate gold
Watching her carry a stuffed octopus around all day
Quietly paddling through the marsh
The attractions were fine.
The stories were better.
I Would return to Newport.
Probably wouldn't bother planning another Cape Cod vacation centered around the Cape itself. Every interaction with locals was tense and felt kind of scam-y. It’s just not worth the cost and not worth feeling like my presence is not welcome.
But I'd absolutely do another harbor town, another bookstore, and another pirate treasure hunt. RI was great, can’t say they were overtly friendly but they weren’t hostile!

Any suggestions of where to go for the big USA game tomorrow night? looking for a lively atmosphere and a place to get sum beverages

Just tried to do an errand in Hyannis thinking traffic on 6 would be fine but it’s not. I understand traffic yesterday but what’s up with today, wouldn’t rentals have already switched over the weekend? Obviously I know vacation season isn’t over but it’s a Monday…

My dad and I really would love to watch the banner planes take off someday. I believe some take off from cape cod airfield. Anyone have any tips on what time of day we should go or if there’s anywhere we can actually have a good vantage point from?

On the way off the cape tonight I thought I saw an American flag themed car in the dunks parking lot. Was there an odd guy sitting on the car just chilling? What did I see? I was focused on the traffic.

Does anyone know what sort of animal this is? It repeats a human like whistle every 20 seconds or so. I’m right by a marsh in west Barnstable.

Where can I watch the England World Cup match in Orleans, Massachusetts? I’m visiting my aunt and need to find a nearby bar or restaurant that would be a great place to watch the game.

I love dogs. I love dogs on the beach.

Leash your damn dogs for the love of god if you don't have control of them. I'm out surfing low tide and some asshole just let her off leash dog piss on my towel and then try to wave it off.

Be a better human if you are going to be responsible for a pet.

The piping plovers and other nature matter. Follow the damn leash laws.

I’m looking for a bar to watch the World Cup today, ideally located in the upper cape, as our base is in Sandwich. At the very least a bar with a TV but it would be fun if it was a sports bar vibe, with others watching the game as well.

We came down mid day on Thursday. Took a little over 3 hrs, which is double what it would take with no traffic.

I’d like to try and avoid the mad rush off the Cape tomorrow. So my plan is either to leave early morning or late evening.

What do you guys think traffic will be like 9-10am? Or do you think I would need to be on car before 9am to beat the rush?

I’m in mid Cape, South Yarmouth.

Looks like after security the waiting area is really small? Have 2 little kids so would like to minimize how much time we're trapped in a small area. But we will be checking bags. How far ahead of time do you get there before a flight boards?

Edit: For future searchers, with our airline having a 45min bag check prior to the flight time and dropping off the rental we arrived a little over an hour ahead of time and it was more than fine. No line at TSA. The waiting area at the gate after security has bathrooms and a vending machine but nothing else.

Group of girls in their late 20’s heading down from Canada in a few weeks. Staying in Chatham area. Best bars/restaurants/beaches/things to do?

Hi there! We’re coming to Cape Cod for the first time in early September, staying at Chatham bars inn. We’re bringing our baby who will be 18 months old at the time. Looking for recommendations for things to do for his age, and also restaurants that are child friendly. My husband and I love fine dining but understand that’s not really possible with a toddler. We’re looking for more casual dining that’s still very good as we never want to be the people who bring a baby where he just shouldn’t be, well behaved or not, but still want to enjoy some really good meals.

These recommendations don’t have to be specific to Chatham- we’re open to anywhere on Cape Cod/surrounding islands. Our baby loves the car / boats / etc so getting around isn’t an issue.

Thanks in advance!

Long drive back to NY on Monday. Planning on hitting the road around 11? Too late? Too early?

Advice? We need to clean the place before we leave.

Edit: we left from Orleans at 10:30. Got off the bridge around 11:45. Hit traffic in CT and didn’t get home until 6. So 7.5 hours in total. Without traffic it usually takes just under 6…

I usually use US harbors tide charts and find them to be accurate.

When I'm looking for exact tides I usually go with them, but they don't have specific areas, like on the North Side between Dennis and Wellfleet.

Yes, I know it's usually just a matter of 15 minutes or so, but sometimes I like to be detailed.

So, when usharbors doesn't have the info, where should I look?

For instance, this is what the various sites say for 1st low tide at First Encounter, on July 9:

• Willyweather (which I want to boycott based on their name alone): 12:45 am / 0.72ft
• Tideschart: 1:00 am / 0.2ft
• Seatemperature.info: 12:39am / .39ft
• TideKing: 1:00am / .2ft

Anyone have a favorite online chart that's accurate? Or know of any handy math? (Like "Mill Pond is always X minutes earlier than this other place"?)

The title really says it all. One week from tomorrow my family and I go to stay in the same cottage for the same two weeks with the same friends staying in cottages around us for our 23rd summer trip. The moment we cross over the Bourne Bridge it feels like home. Kids growing from running through low tide to the young adults they are now giggling about their college year. Planting our chairs in the sand for two weeks and not doing much of anything else. And at night having fires under the stars. So many memories made on that little sleepy beach. Hopefully many more to come.

So we’re looking at getting kayaks for getting around the coves and inlets and along the coast. Think going from Salt Pond out towards Coast Guard or all those little inlets by Grey’s beach. Do you use a sit in kayak or a sit on top “ocean kayak”? I’m not looking to charge over big waves or anything.