Get Your Goat in Barnstable

Ocean Song Farm has a great herd of goats that they graze on public lands. They are happy to have visitors come learn about the goats and the ecosystem, walk the goats from place to place, and participate in other "goaty" activities. Visitors can enjoy many other farm and nature pursuits on the farm, as well. The elementary and middle school kids I have taken there have loved it! - Kim Kay Holt, LEAP Arlington

Here Comes the Train!

A friend from our church highly recommends the Cape Cod Railroad, which is open from May through October, when the "Halloween Fun Train" ushers out the season. "We took the "Scenic Fun Train," said Don Griffin, "and we definitely recommend it." For a schedule, visit the official website of the Cape Cod Central Railroad, located in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Subscribe to the Dispatches for exclusive discounts on the railroad and other Cape destinations.

Herring River Kayaking

We are hosting the teenaged daughter of a close friend for a few days here on Cape Cod while before she visits her aunt down in New York City. The weather hasn't been great, but yesterday was forecasted to clear up, so we looked around for an outdoor activity. We ended up letting our guest choose between a whale watch and kayaking with the Mass Audubon Society, and she picked the kayaking trip.The trips are run by Mass Audubon's Long Pasture facility. The cost is $40 per person, and all equipment is provided (although some people on the trip did bring their own kayaks and paddles). Trips run throughout the summer and can be booked at 508.362.7475 ex. 9355. The trips are scheduled based on the tides. Ours was a late afternoon paddle, from 3-6 PM. The starting point was the public landing at the Herring River in Harwich MA. - Thanks for this Dispatch from DayTripper Rick S., Gather.

Winter Walking at Eastham

Year-round Cape visitors and active retirees have known about the Eastham Walking Club for years. The Club walks weekly, every Wednesday from September to May. Recently drafted after longtime leader Hortense Kelley stepped down. Don Heyer leads the weekly pack of several dozen retirees and walkers of all ages, trekking down access roads and along beaches at a challenging, but reasonable pace for the crowd. Club members do extensive research before each walk, scouting and even clearing trails, getting permission from landowners, and reading up on local history and geology to entertain walkers during the occasional stop to collect stragglers. For more on the club and other Cape walks and hikes, visit the Cape Cod Trails Conference blog.

---

Click Here to Buy the Book!

Seagull Sunset

Seagull Sunset at West Dennis Beach, Cape Cod
Photo by Barbara Peirce, Sturbridge, MA
Taken July 7, 2008

West Dennis Beach Information: Off Rt. 28, West Dennis, MA 02670. Phone 508-394-8300

New Cape 'Tripper on the Way!

by Marlissa Briggett

When my friend Charlotte of Pierce Press approached me about working on a Cape Cod and South Coast edition for the Compleat Day Tripper series, I was thrilled. Not only was I a big fan of the Boston edition of The Compleat Day Tripper, but I’ve spent more than half my life spending the summers in Onset, Massachusetts, just off-Cape. Over the course of those summers, I acquired a storehouse of favorite day trips. Friends often turned to me prior to Cape visits for destinations they knew they couldn’t find at the Chamber of Commerce or in the canned internet guides.

When Charlotte’s idea for a Cape Cod Day Tripper edition sunk in, my nuggets of information suddenly found a home and my indolent summers spent at the beach took on a more tangible meaning. So, emboldened by this mission, I enlisted my three very plucky Day Tripper sidekicks – my husband Peter and daughters Shea and Ella - and manically conducted “serious research” on behalf of the book for a good year and a half.

We have to emphasize that this book is no encyclopedia or Internet digest – think of it as a quirky, personal selection of magical spots, classic amusements, and must-do’s. From Fall River to Provincetown, every destination has been family-tested by us or by our trusted Cape and South Coast friends.

In the upcoming Compleat Day Tripper: Cape Cod, you can find out where a handful of quarters can buy you a boatload of family entertainment, and where you can pause before heading out on a sunset bike ride and set your watch by the descent of a railroad bridge over the canal. It’s that kind of guide book. Now, if you think we’ve missed something you feel belongs in this kind of a book, please let us know at daytripper@piercepress.com, or call 781-648-8166.

Many families revealed their own favjavascript:void(0)orite destinations and inside tips and tricks, and the book is much better as a result. Many thanks to the Carignans, the Dohertys, the Kupers, the Ritzkowskis, and the Thomases; and a special thanks to Lisa Moncevicz, a Dennis native and Arlington friend, who helped me immensely by sharing her personal stash of out-of the way places and hidden finds.

We’d also like to thank all the kids who gamely threw themselves into the research with Shea and Ella: Anna, Asher, Emma, Helena, Jane, Louisa, Marta, Roxane, Sabina, Savannah, Sierra, and Toby. We hope you have as much fun checking out these spots as we did!

Click Here to Buy the Book!