We spent a beautiful weekend in August exploring Cape Cod as a family for the first time. Hopefully the first of many to come!
I wanted to document what we did over the weekend getaway, so thought I’d do it here on the blog. Here’s a summary of our short trip exploring Cape Cod.
Where we stayed: Holiday Inn, Hyannis
While it was a standard room, it was clean and spacious enough to comfortably accommodate our family, and met our needs.
Day 1: Friday Afternoon
After checking into the hotel and unloading our bags, we kicked off our explorations by driving to Main Street in Hyannis. We ate some food (lots of options for seafood!), walked through Aselton Park, saw the artist shanties, and took in the views of the harbor. On our walk back to the truck, we came across the site where John F. Kennedy’s gave his presidential acceptance speech in 1960. We then went for a nice drive to check out the area. Driving by the Kennedy Compound was very cool. We went to Veteran’s Park Beach where we checked out the Korean War Memorial, the JFK Memorial, and saw some spectacular views. We then went back to Main Street and ended the day on sweet note with ice cream at Katie’s Homemade Ice Cream before going back to the hotel.
Day 2: Saturday
We started our day with breakfast at Sea Street Cafe in Hyannis, which was great. From there, we went to Whole Foods in Hyannis to get some water, fruit and snacks for a day at the beach. After doing some online researching to find the best beaches around us, we decided to go to Mayflower Beach in Dennis. Mayflower Beach was about a 20 minute drive from the Hyannis Whole Foods. It was a nice ride, but when we got there around 9:45am, we were met with the reality of peak season—a full parking lot. The parking lot attendants let us know if you don’t arrive early, the lot fills up and there’s no where else to park.
So, we drove up a little farther to Chapin Memorial Beach, but that parking lot was also full. There was a line of 6-7 cars waiting to get into the lot as others would eventually come out. The lot attendant told us we were welcome to wait in the car line, but it would likely be a couple hours. She said the lots usually start opening up after 2pm, so we decided to try a different beach until then.
We drove to West Dennis Beach, which had a much larger parking lot and ample parking. It cost $30 to park, and the parking pass was good at the other beaches in the county, including Mayflower and Chapin Beaches, so we wouldn’t have to pay again. Still happy to be on a beach, West Dennis beach was crowded, and there was a lot of seaweed both washed up on the sand and in the water. It did happen to be a very busy Saturday during peak season. A couple next to us asked a wind surfer as she walked by if the water there was always so seaweed-y. She said there is usually some seaweed, but that day there seemed to be an especially large amount.
After 3pm we packed up our things and headed back over to Mayflower Beach. On the way, we stopped at Captain Frosty’s Fish and Chips for a very casual lunch/dinner. Once we got to Mayflower Beach, we had no problem parking in the lot. The beach was absolutely beautiful! It’s a huge, very clean, not overcrowded beach with a large sandbar. The sandbar was great for the kids. They had the best time playing in the shallow water, jumping the rippling waves. They both laughed so much, and Aaron and I loved watching them interact with the ocean without the fear of being knocked down by large waves.
We stayed for a few hours, leaving just after 7pm. It would have been nice to stay for the sunset, but the kids were cold and very tired. When we were walking off the beach, a lot of people were walking on the beach with blankets and pizzas for beach sunset dinners. Something we’ll want to do next time!
Back in Hyannis, we indulged in some of the Cape’s finest ice cream at Cape Cod Creamery, the perfect ending to a great day.
Day 3: Sunday
Checked out of the hotel and went to The Daily Paper on Main in Hyannis for breakfast. The eggs Benedict was great, and the kids were surprised with Mickey Mouse pancakes. After breakfast we walked a little bit down Main Street for some souvenir shopping. Though most stores weren’t opening until 10:30am on Sunday, there were some open and we were able to get our Christmas tree ornament and shirts for the kids.
We then hopped back in the truck and took off further east-bound for the Cape Cod National Seashore. We ended up stopping at White Crest Beach in Wellfleet. It was $31.50 for parking in the small lot. There really seems to be no getting around paying lots of money for parking at the beaches. The view from the parking area of White Crest Beach was stunning! Steep sand dunes overlook the drop-off to the beach and ocean, and you can see for miles. Definitely a picturesque location, so bring your camera! It was a steep walk down the large sand dune to the beach, and back up again, so if you’re going to visit White Crest Beach, keep that in mind. It’s definitely not a beach you want to carry a heavy beach bag and/or coolers on… it’s a hike! It’s also a rocky beach. We didn’t find shells at White Crest Beach, but the kids did find lots of cool rocks they wanted to keep. We also saw a sea lion float by us as we were standing in the water. [It may have been a seal, but I’m calling it a sea lion because it was HUGE!]
After spending a couple hours at White Crest Beach, it was time to head out to get on the road to home. But first, we needed to fill our bellies. We stopped at Mac’s On the Pier in Wellfleet, which was a great find. LOTS of food and ice cream options, with a really nice sea-side setting. The picnic tables are shaded with umbrellas, overlooking the beautiful harbor.
I love the memories we made on our first [very short] trip to Cape Cod, and look forward to going back. I can’t wait to check out Nantucket and/or Martha’s Vineyard next time!
If you’ve been to or frequent Cape Cod, what are some of your favorite things to do or places to visit? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below! 🏖️