Hotel at a Glance: Town Crier Motel

With three beaches within 3 miles, the Town Crier Motel is a convenient spot for a vacation on Cape Cod. It has an indoor pool with a retractable roof to let the sun in on warm days, plus barbecue grills and tables on a landscaped lawn outside. A stone’s throw away is the Cape Cod Rail Trail, a paved bike trail that leads to the shore.

• Where you’ll stay: a standard double room with a microwave and mini fridge, plus free WiFi
• Optional romance package includes a bottle of wine, a lobster dinner, bike rentals, ice-cream cones, and daily breakfast.
• Friendly competition: Play billiards, foosball, or ping-pong in the game room, or basketball or volleyball on the courts outside.
• Fill up on fresh seafood at Arnold’s Lobster & Clam Bar, a 2-minute walk away. Boston magazine, the Washington Post, and USA Today have praised its food and casual atmosphere. Arnold’s is open seasonally beginning on Memorial Day.
• Play mini golf at Arnold’s throughout the season, which has an 18-hole course replete with streams, waterfalls, and a pirate ship.
• In the morning: Indulge in eggs, sausages, pancakes, muffins, and fresh fruit at the poolside restaurant, which is open seasonally beginning on Memorial Day.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts: Historic Towns and Miles of Protected Beaches

In the late 19th century, Cape Cod blossomed into a summer vacation destination as visitors swapped crowded coastal cities for the sandy shores of eastern Massachusetts. Today, the arm-shaped peninsula, located 60 miles south of Boston, encompasses 15 idyllic towns, 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.

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.

Along the Lower, or Outer, Cape, the 44,000-acre Cape Cod National Seashore stretches from Orleans to Provincetown and features six swimming beaches, wild cranberry bogs, and miles of walking and biking trails. In Eastham, be sure to check out the Nauset Lighthouse, which has overlooked the Atlantic and helped guide vacationing British fish to shore since 1838. This coastal region is also known for whale watching; between April and November, tour boats take passengers out to sea to catch glimpses of humpback and minke whales.

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