Where do the surfable waves of Cousin’s Beach meet the charming bookstores and brunch spots of Star’s Hollow? Where colonial-style homes and blue hydrangea gardens sit within walking distance of piña coladas and mini golf locations — Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Cape Cod, a Massachusetts peninsula made up of fifteen small towns, is the ideal summer location. When I visited my best friend’s summer home in Brewster this summer, I immediately knew I wanted to revisit the following year. Driving from small town to the next from the Boston airport, I watched out the window as beautiful coastal and colonial homes whizzed by. It felt calmingly residential, without big city pollution or noise, and less claustrophobic than Palo Alto.
The beaches sprawled far along the coast, the waves were sprinkled with surfers, and the sand was dotted with blue beach umbrellas. Ocean Edge Resort and Club was by far my favorite, only a bike ride away from the summer house. The historic mansion offered coastal dining and outdoor family activities, while the beach resort provided food and drink — my favorites were the ice-cold piña coladas. The crashing of the blue-green water, always carrying a sailboat or two, made the perfect background for reading under the sun.
While the towns were small and almost everything within town was a minute’s bike ride apart, we never ran out of activities. When we weren’t at the beach, we were browsing at the quaint Brewster Bookstore, hopping between the various thrift shops and boutiques, bowling at The Alley, or playing mini golf at Arnold’s Lobster and Clam Bake in nearby Eastham. One night, we stocked up on candy and snacks from Brewster General Store, padded the back of the hatchback with blankets, ordered two large pizzas, and rode to the Wellfleet Cinemas drive-thru movie theater to watch How to Train Your Dragon under the stars. I had never been to a drive-thru movie before, and suddenly wished there was one in Palo Alto.
While the Cape is known for its lobster and clam dishes, there was much more to the peninsula than seafood. The Kitchen Café was a family favorite, conveniently located en route to Ocean Edge. The blue-painted, coastal-style restaurant, half outdoor patio and half indoor area, was the perfect brunch spot to start the day. We ordered mason jar chai lattes, toasted breakfast sandwiches, and burritos while discussing how to spend our afternoon. Cobie’s was a popular lunchtime burger and ice cream joint in Brewster, with outdoor seating and a bike path leading straight to the summer house. For dinner, Land Ho was the ideal choice, red gingham tables underneath the creatively decorated ceiling full of hanging signs from all over the peninsula. For a classier meal, the Ocean Edge mansion offered both outdoor seating with an ocean view and a candlelit indoor meal option.
My summer ice cream needs were more than met, with swirled soft serve from Cobie’s, creamy root beer floats from Brewster Scoop, and my personal favorite — rich brownie ice cream smothered in chocolate jimmies from Arnold’s.
If you are ever stuck on where to spend your small-town summer, Cape Cod embodies every aspect of the ideal vibe — delicious food, drive-thru movies, quaint boutiques, and relaxing days at the beach.
