So what can you do on Cape Cod with your kids year round??

Here is a list I have come up with so far ( a lot of which is geared to the lower Cape because that is where I am based – but there are many fun ideas to check out). I will continue to build upon it. I will also document some of our days together here on this blog.

Hope you find it helpful (and FUN) so please share, bookmark and comment with your own suggestions for the list!

Would love to hear about your Cape Cod adventures too!

 

I posted on my facebook page recently. A very personal post. I had an outpouring of love, support and it was so refreshing to hear how so many people could relate. Here is the exact text for reference…

 

“Personal Post – I will probably start crying mid paragraph…may start rambling…but I am an artist and mom so you can forgive me. I made a promise to myself and to these two kick ass dudes that I would do things differently in 2015. I would take a full day off for them every week (bye bye social media, emails, phone calls, house cleaning) it will be a day of exploration and fun! Sadly we live mere moments from the beach and although I spent nearly every summer evening there I brought my kids less than I can count on two hands. Now I am lucky – I have a balance. I can be at home with them all day and photograph on the weekends and evenings. I am with them a lot. But my attention is always split. I was spending the majority of my days corresponding with clients, editing, posting, online shopping etc etc etc. Which as you can imagine…working from home with a 1 and 3 year old by your side 24/7 slows down your work flow. Add the fact that my hubby is an offshore fisherman and is away 2 weeks a month it can be overwhelming. This season will be different. I have hired a nanny one day a week. That one day will be the day I do the heart of my workload. I have an amazing intern coming in to help with with the day to day things – she’ll keep me organized and help manage my social media/workflow. And I am taking that elusive day off – which I never really took before. I just worked when I could. 7 days a week with tiny adorable humans needing and demanding my attention. So why am I telling you this? Well for a few reasons…I feel like I have always been an open book. I want to keep myself accountable.We are all human. We all strive for a balance. Will you notice a change at all this year in my business because of these changes? Maybe but probably not. Soooo this is where you come in BIG time…I want to make a Summer Bucket List. Tell me things that you plan, dream or just love doing on the Cape. I will compile this list on my blog in the next few weeks and will document the days my boys spend together when my season officially kicks off in April. Hey, maybe you’ll make your own list too! So if you have made it to the end of this babbling – thanks for listening smile emoticon. I will start this list…I want to go to Thomas Land at Edaville, go blue crabbing at Bells Neck and take a boat ride to Monomoy!! Please keep this list going and comment away!!!”

 

• Fun Activities for Kids on Cape Cod • Family Fun on Cape Cod • What to do on Cape Cod •

 

 

Fun & (Mostly) Free Activities

• Brewster Herring Run at Stony Brook Grist Mill
• National Seashore Hike
• Coonamessett Farms
• Visit One Beach in Every Cape Cod Town
• Visit P-Town’s Giant Dunes
• Clam on the Chatham Flats
• Fly a Kite (Dr. Gravity)
• Have a Picnic at Chase Park in Chatham and Find Shapes in the Clouds
• Flats of Eastham, Tidal Pools and the “Lazy River”
• Chatham 4th of July Parade
• Catch Fireflies in our Backyard
• Watch Seals at Chatham Fish Pier on the Observation Deck
• Bunny Hop at the Chatham Friday Night Band Concert at Kate Gould Park
• Find Sea Glass at Forest Beach in Chatham
• Take a Cruise down the Cape Cod Rail Trail
• View the Marshes around the Sandwich Boardwalk
• Hand feed Chickadees at Beech Forest Trail
• Get out Some Energy at Luke’s Love Playground
• See our Uncle John Coach an A’s Game at a Cape Cod Baseball League Game
• Digging for Bioluminescence in the Sand
• Pay it Forward (Check out Pinterest for Ideas)
• Find Heart Shaped Rocks at the Beach
• Go Pond Fishing
• Explore the White Cedar Swamp Trails
• Evening Swim at School House Pond
• Visit Animals at Taylor Bray Farm
• Take a Boat Ride Around Pleasant Bay in Chatham/Harwich
• Watch the 4th of July Fireworks from Wequassett Inn/Eastward Ho!
• See a Cranberry Bog Being Harvested
• Enjoy a Stroll through the Cape Cod Lavender Farm in Harwich
• Become a Yogi with Chatham Lighthouse Beach Yoga
• Off Road on Nauset Beach
• Look for Whales at Race Point Beach
• Enjoy a Concert at the Harwich Bandstand at Brooks Park
• Ride a Caboose at the Chatham Railroad Museum
• Catch Minnows and Crabs at Red River Beach Bridge
• Watch Sunset at Skaket Beach in Orleans
• See Train Display at Snow’s Home and Garden
• Touch A Truck in Eastham
• Take a Boat Trip at Monomoy Island
• Window Shop Along Main Street Chatham
• Have Breakfast at Hardings Beach and Walk the Dunes to the Lighthouse
• Shop, Play and See Familiar Faces at the Harwich Cranberry Harvest Festival

Delicious Treats

• Stop into Chatham Penny Candy and Fill up a Brown Bag with Treats
• Scoop up some Buffy’s Ice Cream and ask for those Famous Pink Sprinkles
• Fill your Belly at Wellfleet OysterFest 
• Watch a Sunset at Mayflower Beach in Dennis and have a Pizza Delivered
• Make Jam at the Thornton Burgess Museum in Sandwich
• Grab  a Hotdog at Depot Dogs in Harwich
• Check out the Orleans Farmers Market
• Devour a Few Cupcakes at Cupcake Charlies in Mashpee Commons 
• Watch Chocolates Being Made at Chatham Candy Manor
• Visit the Snack Bar Over the Bridge at Ridgevale Beach in Chatham
• Indulge in a Lobster Roll at the Lobster Trap in Mashpee

Some More Must Dos

• Take in the Beauty of Heritage Museum and Gardens especially Hidden Hollow
• Pull up to the Wellfleet Drive-In with Blankets, Pillows and Donning your PJs
• Make Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberries you Picked at Hokum Rock Blueberry Farm in Dennis
• Jump Aboard the Cape Cod Pirate Adventures in Dennis
• Learn Something New at the Sandwich Fish Hatchery
• Sleep Under the Stars at Nickerson State Park in Brewster or Sweetwater Forest in Brewster
• Practice you Putting at Pirate’s Adventure Miniature Golf in Yarmouth
• Be Entertained with a Play or Show at the Melody Tent in Hyannis
• Spend the Day at the Inflatable Park in Yarmouth
• Shop all the Amazing Stores in Mashpee Commons
• So Much Fun to be Had and Treats to Eat at the Barnstable County Fair
• Let the Kids Play at the Children’s Museum in Mashpee
• Explore the Cape at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
• Race Each other at Bud’s Go-Karts in Harwich (Winner gets DQ)
• Tire the Kids out Before Bed at the Trampolines in Harwich
• Get Soaked and Aim for the Fences at the Cape Cod Bumper Boats in Harwich
• Climb Pilgrim Monument in P-Town
• Have Family Pictures Taken with Kelly Cronin Photography (now this is MUST 😉 )
• Take a Yummy Tour of the Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory 
• Don’t Forget your Camera when you go on a Cape Cod Whale Watch
• Bring Home Handmade Art from Color Me Mine Pottery in Mashpee
• Enjoy Nature at Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary
• Find a Treasure at the Wellfleet Flea Market

Off Cape Day Trips

• All Aboard Thomas Land, Carver
• Roger Williams Zoo, RI
• Take Ferry Ride to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket
• Pack a Towel for Water Wizz Wareham
• Check Out Nelson Park Plymouth Sprinkler Park
• Boston Aquarium
• Boston Children’s Museum
• Plimouth Plantation
• Apple Picking at Honeypot Hill Orchards

Please note this is a work in progress – I will continue to update. I am not getting paid in anyway for this list. This is meant for entertainment only.