When we had to vacate my New England home earlier this year due to water damage and repairs, my wife and I and our two golden retrievers packed up and drove to Provincetown, on the northernmost tip of Cape Cod. We chose it because the town is famously dog-friendly, not only the most welcoming on the Cape but according to Dog Fancy magazine, the most dog-friendly town in all America.
But this is just one of the appeals that have kept it one of the most popular vacation destinations in the Northeast for many years, and Provincetown’s touristic specialty has long been a sense of welcoming. This has also made it one of the most popular places in the entire nation for LGBTQ+ travelers. That’s the case all year-round but especially during the annual weeklong mid-August Carnival, one of the nation’s premier such celebrations. Provincetown is also very family-friendly with its endless beaches and natural attractions, it is one of the top culinary destinations on the Cape, and has a long art tradition, full of galleries and the impressive Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM), much more extensive than you would expect to find in a town this size. The arts and culture extend to a thriving theater, music and cabaret scene as well.
Most importantly, the town itself is charming, built around a 3-mile main street paralleling the ocean, lined with restaurants, galleries, and shops. This all emanates from a central waterfront hub at Macmillan Pier, jutting into the Atlantic and lined with craft shops in cottages. This is also the home of the many water-based pursuits available here.
In these challenging times, Provincetown has also proven friendly to more cautious travelers, with a wealth of outdoor activities and dining - the tourist board claims more than 65 restaurants with outdoor eating options, remarkable for a town this size. Some have extra bells and whistles such as private dining greenhouse, igloos and the like, and many are heated for al fresco dining well into fall. From Labor Day into October is one of the most beautiful times here, but about as quiet as town gets when everything is still seasonally open before winter closures - no crowds, plenty of choices. For those traveling with dogs, off-season also means off-leash use of the town beaches. It is just a perfect place and time to be outside, away from crowds, and Massachusetts currently has one of the country’s lowest COVID infection rates, less than half the national average.
Most people drive and take in the full length of the Cape en route from Boston or the rest of the mainland, but Provincetown is surprisingly easy to get to without a car, especially in peak spring to fall season. The small but very convenient municipal airport operates year-round with 20-minute flights to Boston Logan on Cape Air, and in summer they also fly from New York City directly. Provincetown has a natural deep harbor that can accoladed virtually any size boat and this is a top option with tens of thousands of annual visitors arriving on ships operated by Boston Harbor Cruises, Bay State Cruises and Captain John Boats Fast Ferry. Most operate May to October, all welcome dogs and fast ferries make the trip from the Boston waterfront (near the airport) in 90 minutes.
There is something here for almost every taste, and the top attraction is the Cape Cod National Seashore, the nation’s second oldest designated National Seashore. There are many ways to enjoy and explore this, from park road drives to hiking trails to miles of car free paved bike paths, accessible right from downtown with numerous rental shops. Most notable is the Province Lands Bike Trail, the first bike trail ever created in a National Park, a 5.5-mile scenic loop. But one of the coolest - and most educational - ways to see the dunes is with a 4x4 dunes tour, offered only by trained and licensed concessionaires like Art’s Dunes Tours, a family-owned multi-generational business that has been at it for 75 years. An SUV for your family or party ensures total privacy.
Other standout activities include whale (and seal) watch cruises, 40 miles of beaches, the historic Race Point House, deep-sea fishing, scenic and sunset cruises, and the Pilgrim Monument which towers over town from a hilltop on the inland side of downtown. The Pilgrims first arrived here in 1620, and the monument was built in honor of this in 1892. At 25 stories tall it is the highest all granite building in the U.S., modelled on the towers of Italy’s Sienna in Tuscany. To reach the top and a stellar view requires climbing 116 stairs and 60 ramps, and it also contains a history museum.
Provincetown has a ton of restaurants, and while I am not an expert on the town’s dining scene, I am an expert on eating out and had some great experiences. Fanizzi’s is a longtime reliable favorite with a great view over the water, indoor and outdoor dining and a mix of New England seafood classics and Italian specialties. Liz’s Café Anybody’s Bar is funky one stop shopping for breakfast, lunch, dinner or drinks, indoor and out, including weatherized plastic igloos and a fun menu that stresses fresh local seafood at dinner. The Lobster Pot is casual waterfront dining and a top takeout choice with every imaginable take on New England seafood specialties and lobster in countless forms, from mac n’ cheese to paella. Strangers and Saints is a great cocktail spot and dinner only choice with outdoor heated dining, people watching and an eclectic broadly Mediterranean inspired menu emphasizing seafood, very cool. Spindler’s was a favorite of mine, with Italian and French influenced takes on the freshest New England ingredients, interesting spins like duck panzanella, burrata with grilled peaches and steak frites jazzed up with chimichurri. It has covered but open-air deck dining, an outside patio with firepit and greenhouses, and an indoor dining room, and is part of the Waterford Inn, an upscale lodging choice right in the heart of town.
In keeping with the small-town flair, there are no traditional full-service hotels or resorts, and instead, lodging is in a lot of small inns, B&BS and boutique lodging. Some top choices in this vein include the Waterford Inn, Brass Key Guesthouse, Queen Vic Guesthouse, Carpe Diem Guesthouse and there are many others. The closest to a full-service upscale option is the boutique Crowne Point Hotel and Spa, well located within walking distance of all downtown shops and restaurants. The Surfside Hotel & Suites is lower mid-range non-descript property that is distinguished by virtue of having a private - and dog friendly - beach and welcoming overnight pets. Links to restaurants, lodging, attractions and transportation options can all be found at the Chamber of Commerce site.
Safe Travels!
