My family and I took a road trip through New England in August of 2023. It was a bucket list vacation for me, as I had always wanted to travel through New England and see its rugged coastlines, beautiful lighthouses, and experience the freshest seafood imaginable. The trip exceeded all my expectations- we loved our time on the east coast and are planning another trip for summer of 2024. I’m eager to use our experiences from last summer to plan an even better second trip. If you are looking to plan a New England vacation, look no further! Here is my Unofficial New England Travel Guide:
I will be splitting this guide up into a series. The first stop in my Unofficial New England Travel Guide is Cape Cod.
Cape Cod Massachusetts
The Hampton Inn, Buzzards Bay
Buzzards Bay MA
Cape Cod was a rather last minute addition to our New England road trip- which I’m so glad we added! Because it was last minute though, lodging was difficult to find (especially being that it was August). We were able to get a room at the Hampton Inn in Buzzards Bay, a cute little town right before the bridge to Cape Cod. The Canal runs right behind the hotel and gives beautiful views of the Cape Cod Canal Railridge Bridge. The Hampton Inn was perfect for us; it was either new or had been very recently remodeled, because everything seemed brand new. The room was clean and spacious, and the complementary breakfast each morning was perfect for us- four kids can get expensive to feed, so continental breakfasts are definitely a plus!
Exploring the Canal behind The Hampton Inn
The Lobster Pot
Our first stop was The Lobster Pot in Buzzards Bay. My goal on this trip was to get as much fresh seafood as possible, and this place did not disappoint! We got a lobster roll, oysters, and the fish and chips dinner- all fresh and delicious.
Hyannis MA
After our meal at The Lobster Pot, we crossed the bridge and began our exploration of Cape Cod. Our first stop was Hyannis.
Hyannis is a bustling little city, with a quaint shopping district. We loved walking through the various gift shops, antique stores and jewelry shops. We stopped at Katie’s Homemade Ice Cream and tried some fun and unusual flavors, such as Lavender Honeycomb and Cape Cod Mud.
Goofing off in downtown Hyannis
Craigville Beach
It was a toasty day in mid August, so we were more than happy to head to the beach after a couple hours of exploring Hyannis. Craigville Beach is a popular beach located in Centerville, which was a ten minute drive from Hyannis. The waters were calm, and there was a wide expanse of sandy beach for us to explore- perfect for families, in my opinion.
Spanky’s Clam Shack and Seaside Saloon
We ended our first day on Cape Cod with dinner at Spanky’s Clam Shack and Seaside Saloon. This is a waterfront restaurant in Hyannis, and it was one of our favorite experiences of the whole trip. The atmosphere was unbeatable. We sat on the patio, next to the marina. It was a magical evening, sitting outside in the warm summer air while watching the sun set over the harbor. The menu is extensive, chock full of fried and fresh seafood.
Lobster Roll at Spanky’s- amazing!
Chatham MA
Our second day on Cape Cod was spent in Chatham. This is a charming little town on the ‘elbow’ of Cape Cod, and seemed (to me, at least) to encompass everything I imagined the Cape to be. Main Street was packed with gorgeous shops, both franchise and independently owned. We spent quite a bit of time exploring the downtown area, browsing from shop to shop. Around lunchtime, we had worked up quite an appetite and decided to have lunch at The Chatham Squire, a beloved and historic establishment nestled in the heart of downtown Chatham.
After lunch, we adventured out to check out the Chatham Lighthouse, and Chatham Lighthouse Beach. I had read that the lighthouse was considered one of the most historic landmarks of the town of Chatham, so I definitely wanted to check it out. It was beautiful! Definitely worth seeing. The beach across the street was lovely, and made for a relaxing afternoon stop.
Chatham Squire
An area favorite, called a ‘Stuffed Quahog’
Downtown Chatham
My favorite store of all time- Lilly Pulitzer
Chocolates from Chatham Candy Manor
Local Art on Display Downtown Chatham Art In The Park
Chatham Lighthouse and Beach
Posing in front of the Chatham Beach Shrine
Also found on our beach exploration
That wraps up our two days on Cape Cod! It wasn’t enough time to do the exploring that we would have wanted to do, which is why we’re planning on going back during summer of 2024. We are planning on spending four days next time. It’s not a huge area, but there’s so many cute little towns to explore!
The next stop in our Unofficial New England Travel Guide is Nantucket, so stay tuned!
