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What to See and Do in at The Hideaway on the Marsh and the Wellfleet Area Nature from the Deck at the Hideaway on the Marsh: The front yard of this vacation retreat is Wellfleet Bay and the Massachusetts Audubon Wildlife Refuge. Mass Audubon http://www.wheatoncollege.edu/Academic/academicdept/biology/research/Terrapin/TerrapinStory.pdf Nature Trails – Massachusetts Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary is the front yard to this delightful vacation property. Walk around Lieutenant Island on low tide, http://www321.pair.com/oaries/localattitude/lieutenant.htm Bike Trails – The Cape Cod Bike Trail can be picked up directly across Route 6 from Lieutenant Island Road. From there, one can head north to Provincetown or south to Eastham, Orleans and beyond. Fishing – Guests can fish directly from the Lieutenant Island bridge, or from the numerous ponds and streams in the area, or surfcasting on the beaches. A fishing license can be purchased at the Wellfleet Town Office or the harbor in the summer. Waterways are patrolled by the harbormaster, so be sure to obtain the correct licenses. Shellfishing – Guests can dig for clams directly on the west side of Lieutenant Island or on other beaches. A shell-fishing license can be purchased at the Wellfleet Town Office or the harbor in the summer. Waterways are patrolled by the harbormaster, so be sure to obtain the correct licenses. Lighthouses – Cape Cod has numerous lighthouses, historic relics from the old days of shipping when the Cape was known as “The Graveyard of Ships”. The beam from the lighthouses from the Nauset Light on the National Seashore in Eastham can be seen from the deck of The Hideaway on clear nights. Other lighthouses near The Hideaway include Highland Light in Truro and Chatham Light in Chatham. Maps for lighthouse locations are included in the guest notebook in The Hideaway. Lifesaving Houses – Cape Cod has several historic relics from the old days of lifesaving circa 1800s, when the Cape was known as “The Graveyard of Ships”. The Massachusetts Humane Society to founded the world’s first organized lifesaving service in 1785 after several thousand shipwrecks took place in the shifting sandbars around the Cape. By the early 1800s, remote stations were established. By 1872, the Department of Treasury officially staffed the first station, marking the beginning of the U.S. Life Saving Service. Most lifesaving houses were decommissioned in the 1940s. Some were torn down, some were relocated. Several are still in place in the Cape although used as private homes, museums or, here in Wellfleet, as a seasonal restaurant/bar, the Beachcomer, on Cahoon Hollow Beach. Other Lifesaving Stations are still visible at Race Point Beach in Provincetown, Pamet River, and on Nantucket. Pirates – Within two years of her maiden sailing, the Whydah (widda, as is widow), had started a successful and profitable second life as a pirate ship and then abruptly sank to the bottom of the ocean floor off the beaches of Eastham, Cape Cod in 1717. Captain Black Jack Bellamy and his crew and plunder all went down in a fierce storm. Story has it that he was returning to his lover on the Cape when the storm hit. Almost 300 years later, the ship was found with plenty of treasure. The Whydah Museum is on the wharf in Provincetown. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/whydah/story.html Golf – The Cape is known for its wonderful golf courses. In Wellfleet, the Chequessett Yacht and Country Club is open to the public. Nearby is Chatham Seaside Links and, in Truro, Highland Golf Links. Tennis – Courts are available to the public at Chequesset Yacht and Country Club, Mayo’s, Baker’s Field Recreational Area, Oliver’s Tennis Courts (clay), and in Truro, Eastham, and Provincetown. Art Galleries – Wellfleet is known as the Cape’s “Art Gallery Town,” with multiple galleries specializing in all different types of art and sculpture. http://www.capeandislandsartsguide.com/ Theaters / Drive-in Theater – Wellfleet boasts a blast from the past with its Drive-in Theater. The theater complex also has a multiple-screen indoor movie theater which offers matinees on rainy afternoon. This is only 1.5 miles from The Hideaway. http://www.wellfleetdrivein.com/index.htm Flea Market – At the location of the Drive-in Theater, on Wednesdays and weekends, the open lot becomes home to scores of dealers offering wares from new jewelry to old books, furniture and lots and lots of whatnot. Antiques – As all around Cape Cod, Wellfleet is home to many antique stores offering books, glass, jewelry, furniture, nautical items, etc. http://www.frommers.com/destinations/wellfleet/0374010031.html Beaches and Swimming – There are bay beaches on Lieutenant Island that are often quiet and intimate. Across the marsh and ¼ mile up the road to the left is the entrance to the Marconi Ocean Beach, a part of the National Seashore. http://www.nps.gov/caco/planyourvisit/marconi-beach.htm Kettle Ponds – Wellfleet boasts many fresh water ponds made from broken fragments of glacial ice which melted after the last Ice Age. http://www.berkshirereview.net/places/ponds1.html The National Seashore: Shopping – The Wellfleet area offers a wide array of shopping, including local crafts to nautical items to international import boutiques: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/wellfleet/0374010031.html http://www.wellfleetchamber.com/shopping.html In Town: Boating and Kayaking: Hiking: Birding from the deck or from the mainland; http://www.capecodbirds.org/CapeCodChecklist2008.pdf Honeymoon Cottage (for two!), is available for rental for Wellfleet’s Oysterfest http://www.wellfleetoysterfest.org/ <<back |
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