Dennis in August

I%26#39;ve been reading here the past few weeks and think I scored a nice stay. I ended up booking an Ebb Tide cottage. It was reasonable and I%26#39;m hoping the location is a nice one. At the very least, the restaurant is good so how bad can the trip be? :) I have my list of recommended restaurants. Yet, I have a few more questions if you%26#39;ll indulge me.

We%26#39;re a family of 4 with two teenage boys. I%26#39;m wondering about the beach across from the cottages. Is that a good choice or are there better close by?

Where are we in relation to P-town? Is it close enough for an evening out and then back to our cottage? And we%26#39;re interested in a couple of boat trips. Deep sea fishing and maybe a whale watching or seal trip. Any suggestions for those, and where they depart from?

Anything else you might think boys that age would enjoy would greatly be appreciated.

Dennis in August

Hello shesfyne,

I%26#39;m not familiar enough with Dennis to comment on your lodging and beach questions.

I would figure about an hour or so depending on traffic to get to Provincetown. If you%26#39;ve never been there, don%26#39;t miss it. You%26#39;ll have a ball! Great for teenage boys!

There are three whale watch operations in the area. Closest to Dennis is Hyannis Whale Watch from Barnstable Harbor: http://www.whales.net/index.html; next closest is Dolphin Fleet of Provincetown http://www.whalewatch.com/ and last is Captain John Boats in Plymouth. Driving to Plymouth would be an hour and a half or so. Don%26#39;t worry about which one is going to be best for seeing whales; although they%26#39;re all in competition, when the boats get out on the water they stay in touch with each other on the radio and share information. Sometimes all three will go in together and hire a spotter plane so they can fulfill their satisfaction guarantee. It%26#39;s always an excellent experience and sometimes depending on how active the whales are, it can be downright spectacular! You might want to consider a day-trip to Provincetown that would include a whale watch. If so, read the parking availability advisory on the Dolphin Fleet website. The lot does fill up quite often. Also, I would recommend a reservation for the whale watch trip.

Have a nice trip

Harry

Dennis in August

The beach across from Ebb Tide (enter at Belmont or Inman) is a lovely Nantucket Sound beach with a lifeguard. That along with the Ebb Tide pool should keep the boys happy if they want to be in the water.

Even so I will recommend visiting two other Dennis beaches during your stay and you%26#39;ll have to drive to them (and pay to park). One is South Village Beach also on Nantucket Sound. When you arrive walk east and you%26#39;ll see kids swimming and floating across Swan River to the other side. Swan River empties into Nantucket Sound right there. If you go at low tide there are sand bars in several spots that you can walk or swim out to. Then there is the long beach to walk in the other direction toward the Lighthouse Inn. Take a snack with you or walk (or drive) to the Lighthouse Inn and have a nice lunch on their deck. The Inn rents jetskis for some high powered fun on the Sound. The other beach that I recommend is Mayflower beach on Cape Cod Bay or any of the other bay beaches in Dennis.

The best time to be there is when the tide is going out if you can manage it or anytime that the tide is low so that you can experience the tidal flats. However, both of these beaches%26#39; parking lots will fill up early in August so I suggest you get there by 10 or try going after 2:30PM. Although there is a snack shack at Mayflower you still may want to take your lunch. Handy to you is Bob%26#39;s Best Sandwiches and one of his sandwiches is just about enough for two people. Lastly you might enjoy the deep freshwater kettle pond at Scargo. Find Princess and Scargo beach there and climb the (short) tower too for a panoramic view of the Cape. You%26#39;ll be able to see the Pilgrim tower in P-town.

Other ideas:

Rent an electric paddleboat or a kayak from Cape Cod Waterways and paddle out to Nantucket Sound and back.

Everyone seems to enjoy a trip out on Water Safari%26#39;s Starfish which leaves from the Bass River Bridge in West Dennis. Call first as they moved their exact location last year.

The Cape Cod Rail Trail has it%26#39;s scenic start in Dennis and Barbara%26#39;s Bike Shop is right next to it. Park free. Pedal in shade on that stretch past cranberry bogs and lovely ponds. Stop at the Pleasant Lake General Store on the way out or back as it is perfect for cyclists to pick up a sandwich or an ice cream then sit by the pond ....I%26#39;m not sure how to describe the spot we always pick. Maybe you%26#39;ll notice it on the ride out.

Catch a Cape Cod league baseball game to mid-August. www.harwichmariners.org for the schedule at the next town over. Also very close to your location is the Harwich Junior Theater - www.hjtcapecod.org.

There are fishing boats departing from Saquatucket Harbor (in Harwich) that depart on day or half day fishing trips. And while we are talking about Harwich (and you will be located a stone%26#39;s throw from the Dennisport/Harwich line) would the boys enjoy the batting cages and the pitching cages at Grand Slam Entertainment on Rt. 28 in Harwich?

Sometime mid to late August Dennis has the Festival Days that go on for about 5 days.

The West Dennis Yacht Club offers a sailing school for kids to age 14. Classes are three-hours each and are for beginners and others for advanced students. 508-385-2211.

Batting cages. Indy-style go-carts and an arcade - www.capecodcartwheels.com

Two golf courses and a driving range (The Longest Drive).

Ice skating at Tony Kent arena in nearby South Dennis.

Fine dining in Dennis includes the Ocean House that you can walk to as well as the Oyster Co....a little farther walk. There are many more on the Dennis side. For casual dining try Clancy%26#39;s Beach House on Lower County Rd. If you have a fridge then you can try Clancy%26#39;s Restaurant on Upper County cause you%26#39;ll surely have left overs if you go there. If you are going out for breakfast at all then I highly recommend Bonatt%26#39;s in Harwich. Order from their blackboard specials menu which you%26#39;ll have time to study as there is always a wait in-season of 30 minute or more. Perhaps you can call ahead.

You have two nice shops within walking distance of the Ebb Tide and one IS the Ebb Tide%26#39;s shop. The other is Grandma Daisy%26#39;s on Lower County east of Depot St.

Lastly, of course you%26#39;ll go to Sundae School for their homemade ice cream and their old fashioned sundaes (with new types of ice cream).

When you drive onto the Cape on Rt. 6 watch for the information booth that is after Hyannis and before Yarmouth. You can pull in there and get any literature that looks good to you. Be sure to pick up the newspaper insert called Cape Week. It comes out every Friday. While the paper can%26#39;t list everything that their website does it will give you coupons. Online take a look at www.capeweek.com.

Lastly contact the folks at the Dennis Chamber. If you decide to walk in they are the small house near Kreme and Kone at the intersection of Rt. 28 and Rt. 134 in Dennisport. 800-243-9920 or 508-398-3568. www.dennischamber.com. You%26#39;ll probably speak with Leeann or Spiro.

I expect that you%26#39;ll get lots of response about P-town so the only thing I%26#39;m going to suggest here is that you look around at www.nps.gov/caco. Perhaps you%26#39;ll be able to fit in an evening at a beach bonfire with scary stories with the park rangers.

You%26#39;ll surely have lots to do. I hope you get some time to relax and soak in the sun and the Cape%26#39;s natural beauty too.

Thank you Harry and Charlie! That information is worth it%26#39;s weight in gold! You know, we honeymooned in Dennis 20 years ago and although I remember loving the area, I can%26#39;t seem to recall many of the specifics. And they said it wouldn%26#39;t last. ;)