Provincetown occupies a special place in my heart because I lived there for a while, many years ago, when it was a truly special place. It is located at the very tip of Cape Cod and is one of the rare non-island places in the world in which you can watch the sun rise out of and set into the sea. It is the sea – Cape Cod Bay on the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the west – that dominates the town, what gives its light that special glow and, because it is rarely out of view, gives any visitor open to it a particular inner glow.
P-town, as it is called informally, has also been affected by the tourism virus; the symptoms are elevated prices, clogged beaches and bars and feverish partying, but only in summer. But it is still special because its ‘soul’ – if you believe, as I do, that a place can have a soul – has remained the same.
When to Visit Provincetown
Back in the day, the town had two distinct seasons: summer, when its population increased tenfold, and the quiet, calm winter. That is still more or less true, though the tourist season now spills over somewhat into non-summer months.
That’s why I suggest that you visit Provincetown and Cape Cod between late September and mid-November or March to mid-May, when most of the tourists have gone, many places are still open and the weather can still be good enough for you to take long walks in the dunes and/or ride a bike.
If you’re hardy and don’t mind gloomy skies and some cold, damp weather, go in winter, around Christmas, for example. There will be fewer food and overnight options and fewer parties, but the dunes are still there for long, solitary walks, there is that special winter light and you will have the town, the dunes and the sea pretty much to yourselves.
Unpredictable Cape Cod Weather
But you should know that the weather can change in a heartbeat on the Cape. One rainy afternoon in October, years ago, the temperature dropped 30 degrees (Fahrenheit) in one hour(!), turning P-town’s streets into sheets of ice and forcing people with cars to heat up their keys to unlock the doors.
There was also the day when the currents must have shifted down the coast, because an ice floe the size of a small island suddenly drifted into the bay and broke up on the shore. But the light redeems everything. Even when black clouds cover the sky, the light coming off the water gives the gloom a particular luster.
Provincetown’s LGBTQ+ Community
Something else that has not changed over the years is the presence of a vibrant LGBTQ+ community in the town. Queer people have played a prominent role in the community for more than a century. A new exhibit at the Provincetown Museum narrates the history of that community, with first-hand accounts.
I know that spending more than two or three days in a small town surrounded by water doesn’t appeal to everybody, but I lived there for two years and I was never bored. I’m going to suggest that – unless you want a very restful two-week holiday with lots of walks, lots of sleep and lots of wintry beaches – you make Provincetown part of a New England itinerary. You could:
- spend two weeks on the Cape, with an occasional excursion to Boston (which, I confess, is not my favorite city); or
- a much better idea, rent a car for a few days and drive to New Hampshire and/or Vermont, especially in autumn, when the leaves are turning; or
- the best idea, use P-town as your base and explore the entire Cape at your leisure.
How to Get to P-Town
Fly into Boston and either (a) rent a car, (b) take a plane, (c) take a bus or (d) take the ferry. The bus is the cheapest option, but also the longest. There is no reason to take a plane; it’s the most expensive and not even the quickest. If your plans are to explore the Cape and perhaps even also New England, by all means rent a car. If not, the ferry is fast (about 100 minutes) but pricey (87 bucks one way, 128 round-trip). It’s your call.
What to See in P-town
The sea, the sea, the sea. And there are many spots to see it from, starting with Commercial Street, the narrow thoroughfare that runs along the shoreline.
Scenic Stops Along Commercial Street
First check out the so-called Historic District and the old wharf (and maybe sign up for a whale watch excursion), then follow the street to the aptly named Dog Beach, where canines are allowed to romp.
Continue on Commercial Street until you come to the Pilgrims First Landing Park, which commemorates exactly what it says: the spot where the Pilgrims first set foot on what is now American soil.
Keep going on the street and you will come to Herring Cove Beach, part of the Cape Cod National Seashore and the only National Seashore beach on the bay side, rather than on the Atlantic. Which means that, in addition to the wonderful sunsets, it has calm waters. Because the beach offers facilities, such as lifeguards, snack bars and rest rooms, there’s a fee for use of the beach from late June through Labor Day, and on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day until the end of September.
Exploring Herring Cove and Beyond
From there, you can see, and walk to, the Wood End Lighthouse and, if you’re feeling gung-ho, all the way to Long Point Beach and the Long Point Light Station.
Going in the other direction for a couple of miles from Herring Cove, you get to Race Point Beach, which is another species of animal altogether. It’s on then Atlantic and in winter it gets wild and woolly, with huge waves crashing against the shore and the occasional seal or perhaps even whale to spot. If you go there in late fall or winter, inform yourself of conditions and possible erosion dangers.
The Historic Dune Shacks
There are a total of 19 shacks that were built many years ago in the dunes and which used to be open to anyone hiking there. Today, some are occupied by artists or organizations, and all are official historical landmarks. But the Dune Shacks Trail, which begins at Snail Road, is a great pretext for walking the dunes all the way to the beach.
The dune shacks were always popular with artists and writers who came to town. For example, Eugene O’Neill wrote Anna Christie and The Hairy Ape in one of the dune shacks, and Jack Kerouac conceived part of On the Road in another. Other major figures who visited or lived in dune shacks include Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Tennessee Williams, E.E. Cummings and Norman Mailer, who eventually had a summer home in town.
Cultural Landmarks and Museums
Back in town, the Provincetown Museum and Pilgrim Monument are housed in that tall structure that towers over the town. There’s an inclined elevator that takes you to the top of the hill on which the monument stands. You can then climb to the top of the 252-foot monument – good luck: it has 116 steps and 60 ramps – to have a brilliant view of the town and bay.
In addition to the LGBTQ+ exhibition, the museum has several other historical exhibitions, including one about the town’s long whaling and fishing tradition. Most of the fishermen were of Portuguese descent, which was still the case when I lived there.
There is also the Provincetown Art Association and Museum on Commercial Street, which has a permanent collection as well as temporary exhibitions. Admission is a hefty $15, but it’s free on Fridays after 5 p.m. and for youths under 16.
This is a good time to mention the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, which was founded in 1968 by a group of poets and painters, including Alan Dugan and Robert Motherwell, and continues to produce fine young artists and writers. For a long time, P-town was considered an artist colony because so many painters and writers lived there.
Dining in Provincetown
I can recommend a dish: clam chowder. It’s what I often ate when I could afford to eat out. There was a small Portuguese eatery near where I lived on Bradford Street and they had wonderful clam chowder. That place seems to have become Liz’s Café – Anybody’s Bar, and they serve a New England clam chowder for $7.
What to See on Cape Cod
Cape Cod has more beaches than you can shake a stick at, literally. It has also got a lot of lovely small towns, each with its own personality.
Beachside Towns to Explore
Truro is just a long walk from P-town and is known for its beaches. Try the Atlantic-side beaches, especially Head of the Meadow Beach, to see the seals that often rest on the sand bars not far from shore. Also check out Highland Light, Cape Cod’s first lighthouse, and the nearby Highland House Museum.
Wellfleet, the next town down the Cape, offers more beaches and the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, which takes you over a variety of ecospheres, including salt marshes, pine woods and grassland.
At Orleans, check out the town’s historic harbor, as well as Nauset Beach (on the Atlantic side) and Skaket Beach (on the bay).
Highlights of Chatham
Chatham is probably the Cape’s second-most charming town – though its supporters say it’s way more charming than P-town (they’re wrong). Chatham’s population is about 6,500; in summer, it is nearly five times that. It is located on the Atlantic side of the Cape and does offer a lot for the casual visitor. For starters, it has a large number of, yes, charming 18th-century buildings, on which the town’s charming reputation is based.
There is also the Atlantic White Shark Center (Awsc), which carries out research and shark-spotting and informs the public on all things related to our ferocious finny friend, the Great White. (There is also an Awsc in P-town, by the way, right in the center of town).
The Chatham Lighthouse, which is 48 feet tall and towers 80 feet above sea level, is one of the few lighthouses in America that still operates 24 hours a day. It overlooks the so-called Chatham Bar, a stretch of water renowned for sudden high waves and dangerous currents.
The Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge is another multi-habitat preserve on the Cape. Half of it is designated as Wilderness, which basically means that it has been untouched by human carelessness or stupidity. So tread carefully.
Other towns on the Cape you may want to check out are Brewster, Harwich and Eastham.
Where to Stay on the Cape
If you like hanging with other travelers and want to have great dune walks as well as an amusing night life, P-town is the place to stay. Surprisingly many places are open in the off-season, most of them too expensive for your budget. Your best bargains are probably the Sandcastle Resort and the Breakwater Hotel. But research what’s available and reserve well ahead of time. If you want a quieter place to rest your head, try further down the Cape. The Cove Motel in Orleans is an affordable alternative. But there are others.
A Favorite Spot in New England
If you want to get off the Cape for a day or two, I definitely recommend a visit to Block Island. It’s a three-hour trip by car from P-town to Point Judith, Rhode Island, and then a short ferry ride to the island. (The ferry takes cars, but you must reserve.)
Block Island has a population, in winter, of about 1,400 and boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in the US. It also has restaurants overlooking its wild shoreline, the 1800s red-brick Southeast Lighthouse on top of the stunning Mohegan Bluffs, and the North Lighthouse, built in 1867. Its National Wildlife Refuge is very popular with migratory songbirds. But more than that, it is a place of rare austere beauty and, in winter at least, tranquility. And, of course, there is the Atlantic Ocean, all around it.
Last words (really!)
There are people who visited Provincetown once and came back to stay for years. I was one. And I’d happily live there again, if it were possible and I could afford the rents. Regardless of the inevitable changes wreaked by mass tourism, the town and Cape Cod itself still offer – if you go at the right time – the chance to enjoy a restful stay with long walks along the sea, through habitats you will rarely see again. And the town is unique.
Of course, if you want to have a wild and woolly holiday, with elbow-to-elbow crowds and all-night parties, P-town is a wonderful setting for that too. The sea is still the sea, the beaches are still great and, fortunately, P-town is still P-town and always will be.