Winter Holiday Trip: Cape Cod
For Christmas or Hanukah Enjoy the Outdoors, Lights and Festivities
Cape Cod hosts many holiday festivities including light displays, caroling and boat parades. Access to bike trails and beaches is easier and people more relaxed
While everyone can picture Cape Cod in the summer with its miles of beaches packed with people, winter on the Cape is a much less hectic affair. And come the holidays, buildings, public gardens and boats are lit up. While few will brave the waters for a swim, outdoor activities are still possible.
One of the things that makes Cape Cod unique is that it is a peninsula, an arm of land surrounded on three sides by water. Water based activities are central to the Cape. And it is no different on the holidays. Although the waters tend to be a bit rough for spending much time offshore, that’s no reason not to go to the harbor to view the boats. Many of them are beautifully decorated with lights. And in several towns, Santa abandons his sleigh for a boat.
Christmas Lighting Ceremonies and Festivities
Thanksgiving weekend marks traditional lighting ceremonies for many towns. The Heritage Museums and Gardens in historic Sandwich host the Spectacle of Lights where both indoor and outdoor light displays abound on the one hundred acre site. This year’s theme is trains, with both working models and displays of antique toy trains to view. Or take a ride on the recently restored carousel. The Spectacle of Lights is open from 5-9 pm Nov 23rd to Dec 26th. December 7-9 the Museums and Gardens open at 10 am for a special flower show.
Out on the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown also hosts a Thanksgiving weekend lighting ceremony, with the 252 foot Pilgrim Monument as its centerpiece. Barnstable is noted for its boat parade while Chatham, Brewster, Hyannis, Bourne, Dennis, Harwich and Falmouth each host their own holiday events with candlelight processions, carolers, and individual town activities. For a complete listing visit the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce website. Accommodation and other information is found there as well.
Winter Outdoor Activities
So what to do during the day? Cape Cod’s winter weather is somewhat tempered by the sea. There is less snow and it is a bit warmer that inland. So hiking and bicycling on the Cape’s many trails continues year round. In muddy weather there are plenty of paved bike paths to choose from. With the end of summer parking restrictions at most public places are gone. And there are no fees for enjoying the Cape Cod National Seashore’s beaches, walking and biking trails.
Those empty beaches just beg to be walked as well, as seals and seabirds feed just offshore and there's always a chance of spotting a fin whale or even an endangered northern right whale. Keep an eye out for a Cape Cod tradition of decorating trees and shrubs near the beaches with shells and other beachcast treasures. Everyone is welcome to contribute.
After enjoying a day in the great outdoors, many restaurants and inns provide a warm cozy fire to sit next to and sip a glass of wine or a cup of hot chocolate before its time to set out to view those wonderful light displays.
