To say I love Cape Cod is an understatement. My family has returned here more times than I can count. I have my favorite haunts, the places I need to return to every time we visit.
And now, married with two children, my husband and sons have their summer must-do lists, too.
Here are the things to do on Cape Cod with kids that my whole family recommends, whether you’re planning your first summer vacation there, or your tenth.
My Favorite Cape Cod Hotels For Families
Cape Cod is one of those places where families return to the same hotel or vacation home year after year, and often book those places a year in advance. Anything available after May is going to be extremely expensive or not that great; possibly both.
Also, even clean and simple doesn’t come cheap in season in Cape Cod. Nightly rates for all the places we’ve stayed vary from $250- $1,500 a night.
When we’re willing to really splurge, we stay at the Chatham Bars Inn or the Wequasset Resort near Orleans. Both conjure classic, upscale New England.
The homey Hawthorne Beachfront Hotel is on one of the nicest stretches of Shore Road. Since it’s right next to the Chatham Bars, it’s probably the best value on the Cape. When we want something simple and inexpensive (for Cape Cod), we go there or to the Three Seasons Resort in Denis Port.
When we want both more space and a full resort experience, we book a suite at the Red Jacket Beach Resort in South Yarmouth.
The Inn on the Beach in Harwichport is a guesthouse and more intimate, but great for families if you can snag one of the private seaside cottages.
Where to Rent a Vacation House on Cape Cod
Beach houses are a very popular option on Cape Cod. If you’re planning to book a vacation rental, give some thought to what part of the Cape you want to be on.
In my opinion, South Yarmouth is the best place to stay if you’re traveling with children due to its proximity to everything fun.
Staying in Eastham puts you near both the calm bay-side beaches and the National Seashore, and closer to Wellfleet and Provincetown.
Chatham is considered by most people to be quintessential Cape Cod, and I agree. It’s our favorite town, despite its extreme popularity. Harwich and Yarmouth are close seconds.
Keep in mind that the Cape is small enough that no matter where you stay, you’ll be able to explore most of it over the course of a week.
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Quintessential Things To Do on Cape Cod With Kids Of All Ages
Get Your Kicks on Route 28
There is nothing better for kids than Grand Slam/Cape Cod Bumper Boats on Route 28 in Harwich. Our teen son adores this place for its batting cages and bumper boats with water ammunition.
Kids ages 5YO and up can try the bumper boats on their own and kids under 5YO can go with an adult. They also have some waffle balls in the batting-cage area for younger siblings.
This place has grown over the years and now has a zip line and climbing wall for older kids and teens, too. Teens and parents can also try their pitching prowess in the radar cage. It’s humbling.
Tip: Bring towels, sunscreen and mosquito repellent, especially in the late afternoon.
Bud’s Go-Karts is also quite a thrill. This is another one my teen loves.
And little kids can drive with an adult if they want to keep up with older siblings. You can take it easy if they want you to, if you don’t mind everyone lapping you.
There are both age and height requirements for driving your own cart.
There are quite a few Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf courses around the country these days. It’s still the grandest of the mini-golf places on Cape Cod and our absolute favorite.
Keep in mind the pirate theme is very well done, including periodic cannon blasts and evil pirate laughter. Little kids who don’t like loud noise might run crying before you finish the third hole.
But teens appreciate the course’s theatrical details you can make an evening out of making your way through the 18 holes.
Skull Island is our number-two mini-golf destination. It also has go-carts, too, which makes it easy to fill an evening here. There’s an excellent driving range, too, which allows teens and adults to each go their own way for part of the time, if you like.
The Inflatables Park at Wicked Waves Water Park has replaced the cheap trampoline parks along Route 28 that my oldest loved. This is a bigger investment in money and time, but it’s another good place for all ages and offers a full day of fun.
Older kids and teens will like the handful of thrill-slides, wave pool, lazy river and flow rider. Younger kids can frolic in the splash zone, wading pool and on smaller slides.
And yes, they can work out every ounce of energy among the 20 or so inflatables. You can buy an admission ticket for the inflatable park by itself. If you do that you only pay for the kiddos; adults accompany them for free.
But reserve this for late afternoons or cloudy days. You’ll be hot following your tots around in the summer sun. And you don’t want them overheating before they’ve made the most of the park.
Catch Some Sea Creatures
One of the best and cheapest Cape Cod activities is to buy a bucket and one of those long-handled nets you’ll see outside all the cheesy beach stores.
Fill it with some chicken or ham, stand on a rock jetty, lower the net into water, wait a minute or and voilà! You’ll have a net filled with crabs in no time.
This was our older son’s favorite pastime when he was about 6.
Some kids have the patience to go fishing or the jetties and piers. And nothing is as exciting as catching a fish. But the crabbing is a low-risk, high-satisfaction alternative.
Look For Whales
A whale-watching cruise is a classic first-time-on-the-Cape activity.
We’ve taken good trips out of Provincetown and Barnstable. Check reviews to make sure the captain you sail with is knowledgeable and that they have a reputation of spotting whales.
Keep in mind that these trips can be long for very little kids. There can be a lot of downtime around the whale-spotting. And when you do see one, they might not find it as thrilling as you hope they will.
Also, nature doesn’t run on schedule and there’s always a chance you’ll come back with nothing more than a long boat ride.
Tip: The choppy water can be challenging for kids or parents who have motion sickness.
• Read more: 5 + Ideass to help kids who get motion sickness.
Browse a book store
If you need to get out of the sun, Falmouth has a quaint Main Street and is home to one of our favorite children’s’ book stores, Eight Cousins.
Check the website for kid-centered author events and the occasional family game night during the summer.
I also like Falmouth because it’s out of the way and often not as crowded as some other Cape Cod towns. It has a very nice playground by the water. But there are fewer things to do here with kids than on other parts of the Cape.
Watch movies and see stars
The drive-in movie theater in Wellfleet always shows at least one kid’s flick during the summer and is a slice of Americana. There’s a small mini-golf course and a fairly large weekend flea market on the grounds.
For a different kind of viewing, try stargazing. Bring a telescope and head to the Chatham lighthouse (top) in the evening, as my husband and son like to do. It’s at the end of Shore Road outside of Chatham.
Relax on the beach
Race Point Beach outside of Provincetown is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore and is consistently ranked one of the top beaches in the world.
We often head here for late-afternoon beach time on our way back from P-Town and rarely encounter crowds.
Tip: While the National Seashore is a beautiful and long stretch of beach, it has a strong undertow and riptides. Keep a close eye on the kids.
The beach at Chatham is the wide, long stretch of beach most people expect when they come to the Cape.
It’s popular and busy and the reason so many families stay around Chatham. But it’s big enough that you’ll find room for your blanket, even on peak days.
Skaket, Corporation, Mayflower, Marconi, Corn Hill and Ballston beaches also have nice long and wide strands along the water.
You’ll also pass a lot of small inlets that are not ideal for long days of sand and surf but are fun for getting out of the car and exploring, collecting shells and peaking in tide pools.
Take The Scenic Routes
Don’t, don’t, don’t drive along route 6; it’s sterile and you’ll never get a feel for the Cape. Whenever you can, opt instead for scenic route 6A, which winds through forests, past farms and over inland ponds.
In addition to being full of things to do and places to eat, Route 28 runs through Orleans, Chatham, Harwich and Yarmouth, offering the rustic Cape of cranberry bogs, marshes and placid little lakes with rowboats.
For the posh Cape Cod of glossy coffee-table books, take a quick drive out of Chatham down Shore Road (perpendicular to Main Street). The homes are unbelievable. You also pass the Chatham Bars Inn with its gorgeous beach cabanas. Even if you aren’t staying there, you have to appreciate how photogenic it is.
Skip Hyannis
Hyannis is fine. But it’s over-hyped and often way more crowded than other towns that I find much more charming, like Harwich and Yarmouth.
Aside from taking older kids to the intimate and moving John F. Kennedy Library & Museum, I think it’s fine to pass Hyannis by.
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Lisa Antinore is a college-prep tutor and food writer from Queens, NY. Her family owned a motel in Truro, Cape Cod, for 30 years.
All photos courtesy of Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce/Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism.