Cape Cod Tour: Route Details |
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June is the golden season on Cape Cod. The weather is the best of the year, and the summer crowds haven’t yet arrived (in season the population more than doubles!). Our fully supported tour begins with a late afternoon social gathering followed by a group dinner. Our hotel is right in the middle of town, for easy access to the museums, restaurants, and shops. The following day you'll have a choice between short and long loops. Nearby sites include the JFK Memorial and Museum (JFK was the second president to use Cape Cod as a vacation spot), the Cape Cod Maritime Museum, the Cape Cod Baseball Hall of Fame, the Cape Cod Brewery, and Craigsville Beach. Lighthouses and snacks: After we leave Hyannis, we'll pedal over to Falmouth / Woods Hole. If you like lighthouses, this is your day - we'll have time to visit the Nobska, Jupiter Point, and Falmouth Inner Harbor Lighthouses, as well as the Osterville Historical Society Museum, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute & Aquarium. (Snack tip: Check out Pie in the Sky Bakery and Café or the Four Seas Ice Cream shop.) Martha's Vineyard: The next day we'll take a short ferry ride over to Martha’s Vineyard, where we'll have plenty of time to visit the old whaling port of Edgartown – a quick 6-mile ride away from our harbor side Oak Bluffs hotel (one of the last grand old Victorian hotels). You can visit the distinctive Mytoi Japanese Gardens, the East Chop Lighthouse, the Flying Horse Carousel (oldest in the nation), and the Vineyard Art Association. On our second day in Martha's Vineyard, the choice is yours: take time to explore the island – all the way out to Gay Head cliffs at Aquinnah if you want - or relax at our hotel and watch the harbor traffic. Oak Bluffs is known for ithe picturesque gingerbread cottages, located right behind our hotel. Cape Cod Rail Trail: Day 6 we'll head back to Falmouth and Woods Hole, which gives us the chance to ride the Cape Cod Canal Bike Trail. We'll get to Sandwich with plenty of time to visit their Glass Museum and to stroll Route 6A downtown, an old Indian Trail that the Pilgrims used. For more miles, head over the Bourne Bridge to the western side of the Cape Cod Canal Bike Trail. The next morning we pedal from Sandwich to Barnstable and Yarmouth via the Cape Cod Rail Trail (completed in 1873 and converted into a trail in the 1980s). Side options abound, from antique stores in Barnstable to the trails in the 1900-acre Nickerson State Park. Some of the Rail Trail cuts through woods and isolated marshes, but you'll find restaurants and ice cream shops scattered along the way. Once you're done exploring, you roll right into the parking lot of our conveniently located Sheraton hotel. Provincetown: Once we finish the last part of the Cape Cod Rail Trail, we pedal though Truro on our way to Provincetown, passing lighthouses, beaches, quaint village squares, and scenic roads uncluttered with summer traffic. P-town marks the Pilgrims’ first anchorage in the New World. Cape Cod was named in 1602 for - you guessed it - its abundant cod population, but P-town is known more for its artists, galleries, theaters, cabarets, and nightclubs. While here we can ride the dunes on the paved bike paths of the NPS’s National Seashore or schedule a whale watching boat ride (not included in the price of the tour). Heading back south, we'll revisit the towns of Truro, Wellfleet, and Eastham and get back on the CCRT. Our last night is spent in Chatham (home of the most photographed lighthouse - the Chatham Lighthouse), where we'll have our closing dinner. The final day is a short ride back to Hyannis! Mid-June temperatures range from the high 50s to the low 70s. Expect sun and wind, as we'll be cycling mainly on coastal roads. Traveling to Cape Cod: The nearest major airport is Boston’s Logan. Hyannis also has a small airport (Barnstable Municipal Airport, HYA). Jet Blue has flights from JFK to HYA (stop over in Nantucket) and Cape Air has frequent flights from Boston. Pick-up/drop-off for HYA will be available. The Plynouth-Brockton bus line provides shuttle bus service from Logan to Hyannis, and there is an Amtrak/bus connection to the Hyannis Bus Terminal. Weeklong parking is available in Hyannis if you opt to drive. |
