Hotel at a Glance: Sandwich Inn & Suites

Set in a cluster of seven cottages amid groves of oak trees, Sandwich Inn & Suites complements its small-town New England setting nicely. Less than 3 miles from the hotel, visitors marvel at the collection of vintage automobiles at the Heritage Museum and Gardens or dine on stuffed quahogs at Marshland Restaurant and Bakery.

• Where you’ll stay: Guest rooms include a mini fridge and microwave, as well as WiFi and a high-definition TV.
• Newly-refurbished rooms all feature new, 800-coil-count beds and soft duvet bedding packages.
• The free breakfast bar puts a healthy spin on traditional continental breakfasts, with meals such as gluten-free cereal and oatmeal with pecans.
• The town of Sandwich includes several top-quality museums and sites to visit, along with waterfront dining with fresh Cape seafood.
• The Dexter Grist Mill (a three-minute drive away) makes for an ideal vacation photo-op, with three and a half centuries of colonial history on its grounds.
• The Sandwich Glass Museum gives visitors an insight into the town—the oldest one on the Cape—and its Industrial Revolution heritage with live demonstrations of glassblowing.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts: Quaint Villages, Protected Beaches, and Miles of Shoreline

In the late 19th century, Cape Cod began to blossom into a summer vacation destination as visitors swapped crowded coastal cities for the sandy shores of eastern Massachusetts. Today, the arm-shaped peninsula encompasses a string of idyllic fishing villages, rolling dunes, and 300 miles of sandy shoreline—and it’s still the place where many East Coasters choose to spend their leisurely summer days. Popular attractions include fresh-seafood restaurants, quaint stores, and bicycle trails, such as the 11-mile Shining Sea Bikeway that wends from North Falmouth to Woods Hole.

But there’s also plenty to do in winter, when the crowds are a lot smaller. On the uppermost tip of the Cape, the free-spirited art colony of Provincetown attracts visitors year-round. This is one of the best places to head for a vibrant nightlife scene—there are cabarets, bars, and lounges aplenty. Pop into the Provincetown Art Association and Museum to check out local artwork, both historical and contemporary. Farther south, the Woods Hole Science Aquarium houses 140 marine animals native to the Northeast and mid-Atlantic region. You might even see marine biologists feeding the seals in the aquarium’s outdoor enclosure.