10 Classic Things to Do On Cape Cod in the Summer

There are a lot of things to do on Cape Cod in the summer. Let’s narrow the list down to some classic seaside activities that are a must-do in this local’s opinion.

I’m willing to bet money that the following images come to mind when you think of a typical Cape Cod vacation. Walking Main Street in a quaint seaside village, sunbathing on the beach, mini-golf, and ice cream at night. Am I right?

Cape Cod has grown and changed over the years since the heyday of seaside vacations in the 1950s and ’60s, but I’m confident that these activities and the everlasting memories they create will be here forever. They are all a critical part of the pure magic of summertime on Cape Cod. Generations of families have experienced and loved them for decades, and they will always be around.

Classic Things to Do On Cape Cod in the Summer

1. Play Mini Golf

Any Cape Cod vacation would be incomplete without a round of mini-golf. Full stop.

As a kid, was choosing your club and the color of your ball of the utmost importance to you? And equally as important was playing on a course with a cave and a waterfall, amiright? News alert – it’s just as important when you’re an adult!

My favorite places to play mini-golf on Cape Cod:

• Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf, Yarmouth
• Steve + Sue’s Par-Tee Freeze, Hyannis

2. Go Out For Ice Cream – OFTEN!

Every summer night deserves ice cream! Furthermore, any night out mini-golfing is incomplete if it doesn’t end with a heaping serving of vanilla soft serve ice cream with extra, EXTRA rainbow jimmies.

Or whatever else you’re into.

Some of my favorite places to get ice cream on Cape Cod:

• Steve + Sue’s Par-Tee Freeze – Hyannis
• The Shipwreck Ice Cream – Sandwich
• Katies Homemade Ice Cream – Hyannis

3. Eat New England Clam Chowder

Everyone has an opinion about clam chowder. I like it thick and creamy, cooked with bacon, with lots of potatoes and not so many clams. I prefer adding a dash of Tobasco sauce and plopping only two or three oyster crackers in the chowder at a time.

Some of my favorite places to get a cup of chowder on Cape Cod:

• Fresh Ketch, Hyannis
• Captain Parker’s, Yarmouth
• The Land Ho!, Orleans

4. Watch 4th of July Parades & Fireworks

When I was a little girl, I believed the 4th of July only happened on Cape Cod, and everyone came here to celebrate.

It seemed like the whole country convened here to line the sidewalks and watch me parade down Main Street in Centerville with my Girl Scout troop. Later that night, they all carried blankets in their arms, strapped beach chairs to their back, and pulled babies in Radio Flyers down to the beach by my house to watch the fireworks.

Parades and fireworks shows happen across Cape Cod on the 4th of July and a few days before and after. Check the Cape Cod Times or each town’s website for updated celebration schedules.

I’m partial to the Hyannis 4th of July celebrations since that’s where I grew up. The parade travels down a crowded Main Street, and the fireworks set off over Lewis Bay.

5. Watch the Sunrise and Sunset Over the Water

Nothing beats watching the sun fade into the ocean. The sky transforms from soft blue, pink, and lavender to blazing bright orange, red, and violet. I could watch the sunset every single day and never get bored.

If you’re an early riser, then you’re lucky! Seeing the sunrise from the depths of the sea is equally as beautiful. And you can easily do BOTH in one day on Cape Cod.

With over 500 miles of beach, there are countless places to watch the sun both rise and set on the water. The beaches along the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay in Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown are great places to do just this.

My favorite beaches for sunrise:

• Coast Guard Beach, Eastham
• Ballston Beach, Truro

My favorite beaches for sunset:

• Duck Harbor Beach, Wellfleet
• Paine’s Creek Beach, Brewster
• Cold Storage Beach, Dennis

6. Visit Historic Lighthouses

There are 14 lighthouses on Cape Cod, the oldest dating back to 1797. Some are currently working to warn sailors of treacherous passages, while others are at work as museums to teach the public about the history of lightkeeping and sailing in the area. And all are worth visiting!

Some lighthouses maintain regular visiting hours, others allow visitors on special occasions, and some only with guided tours. These are my favorite lighthouses on Cape Cod:

• Wood End Light, Provincetown
• Nobska Point Lighthouse, Falmouth
• Nauset Light, Eastham
• Race Point Lighthouse, Provincetown

Read More: Best Things To Do in Falmouth

7. Watch a Cape Cod Baseball League Game

The league’s ten teams are the summer home to hundreds of college athletes every year. Over the years of the league’s operation, thousands of players have moved on to play for Major League teams across the country. That’s why they say these games are “where the stars of tomorrow shine tonight.”

I grew up near the Hyannis Harbor Hawk’s field and went to games often in the summertime. The games are free to attend and are fun for the whole family! Visit the Cape Cod Baseball League website for game schedules and more information.

8. Visit the Cape Cod National Seashore

The creation of the Cape Cod National Seashore by President John F Kennedy in 1961 saved 68 square miles of the Cape’s most fragile ecosystem and shoreline. CCNS spans the forearm of Cape Cod from Chatham up to Provincetown, conserving not only the land but also the quaint look and feel of 1960s Cape Cod.

There are lots of things to do in the park. Explore and relax on its beaches, tidal flats, salt marshes, and kettle ponds. Hike, bike, and learn about the rare pitch pine and scrub oak forests, heathlands, and sandplain grasslands of the park.

Learn about the natural and cultural history of the park at the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham or the Province Lands Visitor Center in Provincetown.

Some of my favorite features of the Cape Cod National Seashore:

• Race Point Beach, Provincetown
• Doane Rock, Eastham
• Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail, Wellfleet

Read More: The Ultimate Guide to Camping on Cape Cod

9. Go Whale Watching

Humpbacks, Finbacks, Minkes, and Atlantic White-sided Dolphins are just some of the whales that live in the waters surrounding Cape Cod. Sometimes, whales can be seen in the distance from beaches on the Outer Cape, but the best way to see them up close is on a whale watch tour.

Catch a tour from the harbors across Cape Cod.

• Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch, Provincetown
• Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises, Barnstable

10. Watch a Double Feature at the Wellfleet Drive-in

The Wellfleet Drive-in has been in operation since 1957! Not a whole lot has changed since then, either. The same receivers line the parking spots today as in decades past, although tuning your radio to listen to the movie is more popular now.

Catching a double feature at the drive-in is one of my favorite summer activities on Cape Cod. They usually play current blockbusters for kids and adults on weekends during the summer months, but they also play classics like Jaws, Goonies, and The Princess Bride.

For a long while, this was the only drive-in on Cape Cod. Over the summer of 2020, several other drive-ins popped up to provide tourists with more socially distanced activities to enjoy. The Yarmouth Drive-in (located in the same spot as another drive-in that closed down 40 years ago) and the Falmouth Drive-in at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds have the potential to be much-loved permanent features. I hope to see them return for future summers!

Another drive-in I hope to see again was Movies on Main, a pop-up drive-in located in a parking lot on the corner of Main Street and High School Road in Hyannis. They used an inflatable screen set up in a parking lot and showed one movie weekly for six weeks.

While this drive-in wasn’t the most incredible (light and noise from Main Street were distracting), they did do something meaningful to make it worthwhile. Proceeds from the showings were donated to the Cape Cod Resilience Fund and the Hyannis Film Festival. Plus, patrons were encouraged to order food from Main Street restaurants to enjoy during the film.

Read More: 10 Movies Filmed on Cape Cod & the Islands

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