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CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS

Quaint Villages, Sand Dunes, Sea, and Sky

Cape Cod offers an increasingly artificial world the chance to reconnect with elemental things. Walking along the shore poking at the washed-up sea life or watching birds fish in the surf, listening to the rhythm of the waves -- all this is life affirming and satisfyingly real.

Separated from the Massachusetts mainland by two heavily trafficked bridges over the Cape Cod Canal (17½ mi long and, at 480 ft wide, the world's widest sea-level canal), the Cape is always likened in shape to an outstretched human arm bent at the elbow, its Provincetown fist turned back toward the mainland. Writer Philip Hamburger, a Wellfleet habitué, has said the Cape "winds around to face itself"; Cape Cod Bay rests within the arm's embrace. The open Atlantic Ocean pounds the Cape's eastern coast, and Nantucket Sound washes the southern shore.

Happily, much of the Cape's land is protected from                  development. Nature preserves encompassing pine forests,     marshes, swamps, cranberry bogs, and other topographical features are patterned with well-marked walking and cycling trails. Thanks to the establishment of the Cape Cod National Seashore in 1961, in low season you can walk for almost 30 mi along the Atlantic beach and rarely see a trace of human habitation, other than the lighthouses that stand watch over the Cape's dangerous shoals and a few old shacks in the dunes of Provincetown.

Through the creation of National Historic districts, in which change is kept to a minimum to preserve the area's historic integrity, similar protection has been extended to the Cape's oldest and loveliest man-made additions. One of the most important and eye-pleasing districts is the Old King's Highway (Route 6A), on the Cape's north shore, where some of the Cape's first towns were incorporated in the mid-1600s. Lining this tree-shaded country road are simple saltboxes from the earliest days, fancier houses built later by prosperous sea captains, and traditional Cape cottages, shingles weathered to a silvery gray, with soft pink roses spilling across them. Here, too, are the Cape's windmills, as well as the white-steepled churches, the taverns, and the village greens so redolent of early New England.

If you come here in summer, you'll soon see that the Cape is family oriented. The endless child-friendly amusements range from miniature golf to nature walks, from canoe trips to baseball games.

In fall, the water might be warm enough for swimming as late as October -- the crowds are gone, and prices are lower. Fall and winter are oyster and scallop season, so those restaurants that remain open serve a wide selection of dishes made with these fresh delicacies. Winter is a quiet time, when many facilities and activities shut down, but prices are at their lowest, and you can often walk the beaches in total solitude.

Shaped continually by ocean currents, this windswept land of sandy beaches and dunes has an amazing natural beauty. Everyone comes for the seaside, yet Cape Cod's crimson cranberry bogs, birch and beech forests, grassy meadows, freshwater ponds, and marshlands are just as splendid. Local history is fascinating; whale-watching offers an exhilarating encounter with the natural world; bike trails lace the landscape; shops display everything from antiques to fashions to kitsch; and restaurants cook up seafood as fresh as it comes, as well as fine international cuisine.

The Cape is always likened in shape to an outstretched human arm bent at the elbow, its Provincetown fist turned back toward the mainland. The open Atlantic Ocean pounds the Cape's eastern coast, and Nantucket Sound washes the southern shore.

The Upper Cape -- think "upper arm" -- encompasses Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, and Sandwich. The Mid Cape includes Barnstable, Yarmouth, and Dennis. The Lower Cape covers Brewster, Harwich, Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown. The Outer Cape, as in "outer reaches," is the end of the Lower Cape; technically it includes only Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown.

Station yourself in one town and take excursions from there, or stay in a string of towns as you make your way from one end of the Cape to the other. Be prepared for summer crowds, however, or come off-season, when many beaches are dream material for solitary walkers and life returns to a small-town hum.

LINKS:
http://www.capecodweb.com
http://www.capecod.com
http://hyannismarina.com/
http://www.whales.net/
http://www.zooquariumcapecod.net/
http://www.capecodrec.com/minigolf/minigolf.html
http://www.melodytent.com/
http://www.thesoundings.com/marine.htm
http://www.capetrain.com/dinner/
http://www.hy-linecruises.com/
http://web1.steamshipauthority.com/ssa/
http://www.hyannisgc.com/

Arriving by Car: Directions Here

Arriving by Air

The major gateway to Cape Cod is Boston's Logan International Airport (BOS) (PHONE: 617/561-1806 or 800/235-6426, www.massport.com/logan).

The T. F. Green Airport (PVD) (PHONE: 401/737-8222 or 888/268-7222, www.pvdairport.com) in Providence, Rhode Island, served by the low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines and other major carriers, is an alternative.

Smaller airports include:
Barnstable Municipal Airport (PHONE: 508/775-2020) in Hyannis, the main air gateway on the Cape.
Provincetown Municipal Airport (Race Point Rd., PHONE: 508/487-0241), served year-round by Cape Air from Boston.

Flying time to Boston is 1 hour from New York, 2½ hours from Chicago, 6 hours from Los Angeles, and 3½ hours from Dallas.

Carriers

To Boston:
American (PHONE: 800/433-7300, www.aa.com).
Continental (PHONE: 800/525-0280, www.continental.com).
Delta (PHONE: 800/221-1212, www.delta.com).
Northwest (PHONE: 800/225-2525, www.nwa.com).
US Airways (PHONE: 800/428-4322, www.usairways.com).
United (PHONE: 800/241-6522, www.ual.com).

To Cape Cod:
Cape Air/Nantucket Airlines (PHONE: 508/771-6944 or 800/352-0714, www.flycapeair.com) flies direct from Boston to Hyannis and Provincetown year-round and from New Bedford to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Cape Air has joint fares with Continental, Delta, Midwest Express, and US Airways and ticketing and baggage agreements with eight major U.S. airlines and with KLM.

Nantucket Airlines (PHONE: 508/790-0300 or 800/635-8787, www.nantucketairlines.com), run by Cape Air, flies direct from Boston to Hyannis and Provincetown year-round and from New Bedford to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

Island Airlines (PHONE: 508/228-7575 or 800/248-7779, www.nantucket.net/trans/islandair) has flights between Hyannis and Nantucket.

Southwest Airlines (PHONE: 800/435-9792, www.southwest.com) serves Providence.

US Airways Express/Colgan Air (PHONE: 800/428-4322, www.usair.com) flies to Hyannis from Boston and New York (La Guardia Airport).

From the U.K.:
American (PHONE: 0345/789-789).
British Airways (PHONE: 0345/222-111).
Delta (PHONE: 0800/414-767).
United (PHONE: 0800/888-555).
Virgin Atlantic (PHONE: 01293/747-747).

Transfers Between the Airport and Town
Both Barnstable and Provincetown airports are just a few minutes from their respective town centers. Car rental agencies and taxis are available at both terminals.

By Car
To get to Hyannis from the Barnstable Municipal Airport, turn left on Mary Dunn Road, go north for about a mile until you reach Independence Road, make another left onto Route 132, Iyannough Road, and go southeast for a half mile. Turn right on Nightingale Lane, and right again when you reach Falmouth Road, Route 28.

By Limousine
Aristocrat Limousine (PHONE: 508/420-5466 or 800/992-6163) has limousine service from the Boston or Providence airports to the Cape.

Arriving by Boat and Ferry

Capt. John Boats (PHONE: 508/747-2400 or 800/242-2469, www.provincetownferry.com) runs a seasonal ferry between Plymouth and Provincetown from Memorial Day through September, with daily service from mid-June through Labor Day. The boat departs from State Pier (near the Mayflower II) in Plymouth and docks at MacMillan Wharf in Provincetown. The trip takes approximately 90 minutes. A round-trip ticket costs $28, the one-way fare is $18, and bicycles can be transported for an additional $3.

Bay State Cruise Company (PHONE: 617/748-1428 in Boston; 508/487-9284 in Provincetown, www.baystatecruisecompany.com) makes the three-hour trip between Commonwealth Pier in Boston and MacMillan Wharf in Provincetown daily from mid-June to Labor Day, and then weekends only through Columbus Day. The three-hour trip costs $18 one-way, $5 additional for bicycles; a same-day round-trip ticket costs $30, $10 additional for bicycles. The company also runs a 90-minute express boat from Boston to Provincetown's Fishermen's Wharf daily from June to Columbus Day. The express boat costs $29 one-way, $5 additional for bicycles; a same-day round-trip costs $49, $10 additional for bicycles.

Year-round ferries to Martha's Vineyard leave from Woods Hole. Seasonal Vineyard ferries leave from Falmouth.

Arriving by Bus

Greyhound (PHONE: 800/231-2222, www.greyhound.com) serves Boston from all over the United States; from Boston you can connect to a local carrier.

American Eagle Motor Coach Inc. (PHONE: 800/453-5040) offers service from Boston to New Bedford.

Bonanza Bus Lines (PHONE: 508/548-7588 or 800/556-3815, www.bonanzabus.com) offers direct service to Bourne, Falmouth, and the Woods Hole steamship terminal from Boston's Logan Airport, downtown Boston, Providence (Rhode Island), Fall River, and New Bedford, as well as connecting service from New York, Connecticut, and Providence's T. F. Green Airport. Some of the buses from Boston also make stops in Wareham and Buzzards Bay. Bonanza runs a service between Bourne, Falmouth, and Woods Hole year-round.

Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway (PHONE: 508/746-0378, www.p-b.com) travels all the way to Provincetown from Boston and Logan Airport, with stops en route.

Arriving by Train

Because of continuing financial difficulties, Amtrak (PHONE: 800/872-7245, www.amtrak.com) service to the Cape was suspended in 1998; it is not currently scheduled to resume, but call for an update.

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