presented by Lifestyle Ambassador: Samantha Lynch
A trip to Cape Cod and Nantucket has been patiently waiting on my bucket-list for what seems like an eternity. I finally had enough, called up my Mom and sister, and within minutes our “girls' weekend” trip was booked. Because I am not a native New Englander (maybe one day, fingers crossed!), I had to fly to New Jersey where my parents live. From there, we made the 5-hour trek to Harwich, Massachusetts.
I will preface this post by saying that if you are the “explorer type” like myself, a weekend was not enough time to see The Cape and The Islands. I need to book another trip and spend a whole week just on Nantucket, a day was too little!
Friday- Harwich/Harwich Port:
We checked into the beautiful Inn on the Beach and I was in complete awe. The Inn had their own private beach, and the patio was absolutely to die for! I loved that the rooms were separate from the main building (not typical for B&Bs). The Manager and Owner both gave so many recommendations on what to see and do; and made us feel so welcome. I will definitely be booking with them again in the future!
*Side note: It was a very hard choice when it came to looking for a place to stay. We knew we wanted to be centrally-located to all the amazing things The Cape has to offer and also be close to the ferry for our day-trip to Nantucket. If you are on a budget (like me), I would recommend going in the “off season” and you’ll find prices that are more budget-friendly. We booked our stay the first weekend in June, and scored reasonable B&B pricing!
After we checked in to our hotel, on Friday afternoon, we explored the town of Harwich, and scoped out places to eat. We came across a cute, vintage baseball-themed restaurant called Hot Stove Saloon. It was there that we discovered our love for Cape Cod Blonde Ale (insert all the heart- eyed emojis).
Before our trip, I came across a lighthouse trail online, and knew I had to check some off during our trip! We decided to drive out to Chatham, on Friday evening, to check out Chatham Light. There is something so intriguing about lighthouses; their history and purpose, it fascinates me. We snapped a few photos before it got dark, and walked a little down Commercial Street. On the ride back to the hotel, we passed a place called The Red Nun and ended up turning around to grab a quick bite. The atmosphere was exactly what I look for when choosing a restaurant. It was filled with locals, and many fishermen, who would shake hands and exchange words over dinner at the bar. I loved it, the perfect find.
Saturday- Our Day on Nantucket:
Our day-trip to Nantucket did not get off to a great start. We planned on taking the early Steamship Ferry out of Hyannis Port, but when we went to purchase our tickets, they were sold out for that specific time. Apparently purchasing them ahead of time is the thing to do! Luckily, parking for the day was an easier task. We had about 1 & 1⁄2 hours to explore the port and it was recommended to make the walk down to the JFK Memorial. My Mom, being a huge JFK fan, jumped at this idea. It was a beautiful park, and I recommend setting some time aside for a visit.
There is nothing like rounding Brant Point Light into the port on Nantucket. I’ve seen so many pictures on Instagram, it was truly a dream come true. We were slightly overwhelmed by Main Street when getting off the ferry. There are tons of shops to get lost in, and we were really crunched for time. We stopped into some before making our way to Young's Bicycle Shop. Because we only had a few hours on the Island, renting bikes was the most logical choice to take it all in. We awed at dream homes, and biked our way to Brant Point Light. After we returned our bikes, we walked over to The Juice Bar, where there was no line! If you order anything other than their homemade waffle cone, you missed out.
We had a little more time to stop into shops before catching our evening ferry back, and one I had on my list was Peter Beaton Hat Studio. What a cute little shop, nestled in ivy! I am still kicking myself for not purchasing one of their gorgeous hats.
If I had more time, I would’ve loved to visit: Handle Bar Cafe, Black-Eyed Susan's, the ‘Sconset area, and Endeavor Sailing.
Sunday:
We got up early, enjoyed a beautiful complementary breakfast on the patio, and parted ways with our innkeepers. We made the drive up to the highly-recommended Provincetown, or, as the locals call it: “P-Town”. We didn’t have too much time to explore, since we had a 6-hour drive ahead of us, but I was determined to grab a bite at The Lobster Pot (which, of course, did not disappoint). I also would have loved to visit Race Point Lighthouse while we were up there. I will definitely be adding more lighthouse visits to my list for my next trip to The Cape.
I left a little piece of my heart on Cape Cod & Nantucket. I cannot wait to go back! XO, Sam
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