Cape Cod Travel Blog

Chapin Memorial Beach in Dennis is a magical place. Tucked away at the end of a long road lies a tiny parking lot and a sandy path through tall dunes.

Low tide

Low tide at Chapin Memorial Beach is an amazing thing to see. You can walk out into the Cape Cod Bay for at least a mile on the flats. Feel the waves of sand under your feet and follow the remaining water turn into “rivers” that flow out into the bay.

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Sunset at Chapin Beach

Sunset at Chapin Beach can be an amazing experience. The sunset can burn across the whole bay that images can be hard to capture. I’ve posted a couple, but for a better glimpse, check out @capeklc on Instagram (and her husband @robaroo3209) who we met one gorgeous September night where the sky was ablaze.

All day fun and education

The Chatham Fish Pier is a very cool place where you can view commercial fishing boats unloading their catch. They have a viewing deck, and in the summer, they have Pier Hosts brought to you by the Cape Cod Commercial Fisherman’s Alliance in which they explain the history and future of Cape Cod’s small-boat fishing industry.

Sunrise and seals

My favorite thing to do it to come before the crowds and fisherman and enjoy the sunrise over the commercial fishing boats peaking through the clouds, and the seals poking their heads above water to greet the day.

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The Chatham Fish Pier is located at 45 Barcliff Avenue Extension in Chatham. There is an upper parking lot for visitors, the lower lot is reserved for the workers.

Stop by the Chatham Pier Fish Market if you’re there during the day to pick up what it probably the freshest fish you will find on the cape!

Hidden on side streets in West Yarmouth, on the edge of Hyannis lies the Great Green Whale of West Yarmouth. There is little written about this whale on the internet, but there she blows, nestled between two houses overlooking Lewis Bay.

The Great Green Whale of West Yarmouth is a sculpted hedge seemingly 100′ long and 10′ wide with it’s own cute little sign and hydrangea bush.

It’s easy to spot from the road, but it is on private property, so be sure to respect the owner’s and their neighbor’s privacy.

Who knows the history of this amazing sculpture? Is it the work of a single person or a group effort between neighbors? When was it started? I’d love to know!

I’ve been living in Chicago for over 20 years, with the occasional summer trip back to the cape.  In just under a month, we are going to be venturing back east to look for a house, and explore all the things I never did, and revisit all the things I did.