If you're anything like me, you have spent more time down the Cape during your summer time than you have at your own house for basically your entire life. Whether your family has a house down there, you rent a new one each year, or you actually have family that lives there: Cape Cod is a major staple to a Massachusetts summer. For me specifically: the Cape means Orleans Massachusetts.
Boats on the Canal
The sure sign that you have finally made it to the Caribbean of the Northeast . Cruising over the, far too narrow, Sagamore bridge and seeing the beautiful Cape Cod Canal beneath you. I remember as a kid, I would always have to count how many boats there were each time; sail boats, speed boats, yachts, etc.
Drip Drop Towers at Skaket Beach
When the tides got low, that's when play time became the best time. Skim boards and drip drop towers were classics for my brother and I. A tradition passed down from my mom, who use to make them as a kid down the Cape herself, I would spend hours in the low-tide sand building the most elaborate castles I could imagine for my hermit crab residents.
Off-Roading to Nauset Spit
Getting out to Nauset Spit is no mean trick, the beach can fill up before 9:00 AM during the peak of the season: but I promise it's worth it. To drive out there on the sane in the Jeep Limited with all the sides removed is the feeling of pure summer time. Spending an entire day with your extended family talking, laughing, barbecuing, tanning and playing games in the July sun seriously can't be beat. If you're ever down in the Orleans area and want to give this a shot, I'm sure you won't miss the multiple car set-up our crew gets going.
Crabbing
If you're reading this section with a giant question mark over your head then oh my goodness you must go out and have this experience! One of my all time favorite memories with my grandparents is heading out to Rock Harbor (fishing line, salami and paper clips in hand) to go crabbing. We never kept the crabs, the fun is all in the company you're with, the environment you're surrounded by and the laughs you share watching crabs try to clumsily clamp onto the fishing line you're holding down between the rocks. It's an amazing, laid back way to enjoy the sunset after a beach day.
Sundae School
My Dennis, Harwich and fellow Orleans friends: I could never forget the holy grail of ice cream shops. Sundae School has been an all time favorite for me since I could walk and will be until I can walk no more. It's a sad time when Labor Day weekend rolls around and they close up shop for the season. Although the line can be wrapping out the door most nights, it is always worth the wait.
Family and "Family"
Cape Cod is truly the hub for my family. My mom would spend summers down there with her sister and my grandparents. My grandparents bought a summer house there decades ago. My grandmother now lives there year round, my aunt and uncle have a summer home there, my oldest cousin got married there and every summer we all come together like it's one giant home. It's a place I can say I have family that I share genetics with and family that I don't. From my cousin's husband and his entire family to the many locals I've come to know as friends.
Breakfast
It can be a scene to get a table almost anywhere you go for breakfast when you're on Cape Cod. Yet, for whatever reason, it's my favorite place to go out to breakfast. Something about the Cape makes me want to always be a part of the town, out and about, waking up and being a part of every day. Summer days spent in the sun can be exhausting, but a giant stack of chocolate chip pancakes isn't a bad way to start those days out.
Seals and Infamous Shark Sightings
Being so close to Chatham, you see Shark Patrol planes constantly while sunbathing on Nauset beach. There have even been a few, supposed, Great White sightings but they're never close to shore and haven't done any damage. What's more exciting to me is seal sightings, not nearly as rare as sharks but far cuter. These little creatures love to bob and dance their way through the ocean waves, often coming up to say hi to paddle boarders and catch a glimpse of what's going on on the sands.
Chatham Shopping
The famous Chatham: thanks Jaws for making it such a tourist attraction... Although it is one of my preferred little towns; with it's quaint stores, great candy shops and small ice cream parlor; parking can be maniacal. If you ever have the desire to visit this charming little place, I suggest not going on a Saturday in July or August.
Sunsets
Although my opinion is biased, I truly believe Cape Cod has some of the best sunsets in the world. I've traveled to Mexico and Europe and there's still nothing like the soft glow of a pink and orange sunset over the Cape's Atlantic.
