Provincetown is at the end of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. It is the last piece of land on the east coast of New England-the tip you see at the end of Massachusetts on a map. It has 30 miles of protected national coastline full of pristine beaches. What makes the shore different around Provincetown from other New England beaches, are the mountainous sand dunes throughout the beach areas.
The town of Provincetown is eclectic and artistic. It is full of unusual shops and delicious restaurants. "P-town" is known for welcoming non-heterosexual individuals and can be a bit flamboyant but if you are a family, the town will usher you in as well.
Here is how a family can enjoy a summer or off-season trip to Provincetown.
Decide how long you wish to stay. We did one night to accommodate our budget expectations. Some people do day trips from Boston or other points on the Cape. Others prefer to really experience Provincetown and spend a weekend or a week.
Pick a place to stay. We found a family-friendly hotel about one mile from the center of town. It had a pool with a pool bar and clean basic rooms. It was one of the Cape Inn Resorts and was about $140 per night. You can take the shuttle every 30 minutes to get into town for $2 per adult.
Provincetown has many inns and luxury hotels in town or around the area. They include: The Black Pearl Inn (rooms start at $139 and go up to $250 a night), Anchor Inn Beach House (rooms from $185 and up), Oxford Inn (rooms from $265-535), and The Commons ($165-275 per night). Check for internet and call for specials.
You can rent a home or an apartment for a longer stay.
Some people opt to stay in nearby Truro or Wellfleet and drive over to see P-town for the afternoon.
Choose how to get there. P-town has their own municipal airport and flies to Boston in about 20-30 minutes on Cape Air for about $200.
There are several ferries from Boston. The Provincetown Express boat (this is the high speed one) takes 90 minutes from Boston (leaves from the Commonwealth Pier) and is $65 roundtrip, less for seniors and children. The regular three hour boat, the Provincetown II is $44 roundtrip and less for seniors and children. Both boats leave from downtown Boston. From Long Wharf in Boston, there is the Boston Harbor Cruise boat, and like the express, it takes only 90 minutes and is pricey at $70 roundtrip. There are boats from Plymouth to P-town, too.
The key is to get to Boston and from there you can fly, take a ferry, or drive (or get to Plymouth and take the ferry.) If you are lucky enough to be in Massachusetts already, you can easily drive. We drove from a suburb of Boston.
Go to the beach! Many hotels have private beaches. If yours does not or you just want to see another part of the beach, go to Race Point or Herring Cove, the two Cape Cod National Seashore beaches in P-town. You must pay $15 a day for a car or get a pass from the park service for the season (about $60) or as a walk-in, the fee is about $5. At both beaches, you need to bring in and out all beach equipment. There is a bath house and a snack bar at Herring Cove, but not at Race Point.
These beaches are about a 5-10 minute ride from the center of town.
Rent or bring a bike. Many people experience Provincetown on bike. It is relatively flat and has many bike trails to explore.
The automobile traffic in Provincetown can be gridlocked in the summer. Parking is difficult and expensive although on our second day there we were able to find an all day meter.
Sign up for a dune tour. We did and it was amazing. Your driver takes you through limited-access sections of the bumpy dunes, tells stories of people who live and used to live on the dunes and points out their "shacks", and lets you run up and down one dune. It costs about $20 per adult and it was worth it!
Go on a whale watch. East coast whale watches originated in P-town. The whales feed at Stellwagen Bank off the coast of Race Point. You are guaranteed sitings and the tour lasts about 3 hours. It is a little pricey-about $30 per adult and a slight reduction for the kids.
Eat well in Provincetown. You can eat budget beach food like pizza, fried clams, and lots of ice cream all over town. For a great meal at a very popular restaurant (we saw some political celebrities there) I recommend Bubbelas. It has a varied menu, including many wonderful vegetarian options and a kids menu. Another one is Napis-both restaurants are moderately priced.
For a sweet treat, go to the Purple Bear. Here you will enjoy coffees, teas, gelato and excellent baked items. I also recommend Twisted Sisters for ice cream.
Shop in Provincetown. One shop that occupied my kids for hours was the Puzzle Maze. It was filled with amazing games and books on puzzles to delight both an adult and a child.
There are at least 5 premium dog and cat shops, too. Every item you could possibly want for your pampered pooch in this most dog-friendly town. Dogs are welcomed almost everywhere, even inside some restaurants!
There are shops filled with paintings done by local artists, interesting clothes and jewelry, and local kitsch for tourists, too.
People watch! One of the most fascinating things to do in Provincetown is to park yourself strategically in the center of town on a bench and watch people. The man who wants to promote his henna spa marches by completely painted, the people who want you to come to their theater will perform on the street, Rosie the Riveter is a woman completely painted in gold sitting and moving like a statue and more!!! My kids loved it!!!
