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Discovering Cape Cod - Page 2

© Rowena Carr-Allinson

In summer you can sit in the rocking chairs on the front porch and sip iced tea while during the cold months, you can cosy up in front of the open fire and relax on the four poster bed.

All the rooms are furnished with antiques, which are especially popular in this area. Cape Codders are extremely proud of their heritage, and much of their antiques come straight from the first settlers straight off the Mayflower.

Barnstable The Beechwood Inn is located on the famous 6A Route, the Old King's Highway.

The 350-year-old route boasts one of the most scenic and historic stretches of road alongside which nestle some of the oldest buildings on the Cape, beautifully restored sea captain's homes, cranberry bogs and salt marshes with stunning bay views. The 6A runs all the way up the peninsula to Provincetown. Situated Mid-Cape, Barnstable's location is ideal. Access to the Lower and Upper Cape couldn't be easier.

Barnstable is a 60 square mile area and the largest 'village' on Cape Cod. The community has retained a lot of its original old-world feel. Originally a small fishing community, the seven villages eventually merged to create a larger town.

Hyannis is better known as 'the homeport of Cape Cod'. The town is heaving with shops, restaurants and bars and was famous for being JFK's home from home. In the waterfront district, on Ocean Street you can find the JFK monument and further along the JFK memorial park and museum which exhibits over 80 photographs spanning from 1934 to 1963. The port town is also where the ferries for Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard depart from.

The Cape also has strong foreign influences. West Barnstable has a cosmopolitan feel thanks to a large Finnish contingent, while in Hyannis there is a large Brazilian community.

Activities on the Cape range from bird watching, horse riding and whale watching in season (April through October) for wildlife enthusiasts, to biking or hiking along the trails for the more energetic visitors. Golf is also big in the area with around 80 courses and, along the 115 beaches you will find kayaking, jet-skiing, sailing, fishing and windsurfing.

In and around Barnstable there are 100 miles of public beaches. Towards the Northern end of West Barnstable, beyond the salt marshes you will find the 6-mile stretch of coastline of Sandy Neck Beach with its dunes, beach grasses and marshlands and views on Cape Cod Bay.

The Southern side, the shores of the Nantucket Sound is a tourist haven with beaches galore including Kalmus Beach, Orrin Keyes and Sea Street Beach. The sheltered Veterans Beach and busy Craigville Beach come complete with ice cream vans, boutiques and seaside paraphernalia.

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