Cape Cod Recap – 8 Days in Chatham

A couple of weeks ago we spent 8 incredible days on the Cape that went by wayyyy too fast. We rented a house in Chatham (on the elbow of Cape Cod) with my sister and her husband, as well as my mom. My other sister rented a house in the same town with her in-laws. And we ALL brought our dogs. It was such a fun week! Have you been to Chatham (Cape Cod)? Wanted to go for July 4th?

Cape Cod for July 4th

The Fourth of July is a prime week on Cape Cod, and it is B-U-S-Y. Where in the off-season you could walk into any restaurant and immediately get a table for 10, all of a sudden you have to have reservations for a spot for two people at the bar of the biggest restaurant in town. I’ve never seen so many boats out at Boaters Beach as on the 4th! (Boaters Beach is in West Dennis/Yarmouth, and is only accessible by boat, hence the name!)

See what I wore at the Cape in this post

my monogram travel bag | E’s monogram travel bag (size medium) | baby Sperry shoes | monogram swimsuit

How to get to Cape Cod

Depending on which Cape town you are visiting, it could be 1 hour or 3 hours from Boston. We always drive because our destination is just 2 hours from our home, but you can also now fly into either Boston or Hyannis and drive from there.

We borrowed a CX-9 from Mazda for the week. We knew that we would need a little extra room because we were driving down with not just the baby and Sprout but my mom, too. (And I have never been known to pack lightly!) The CX-9 has a third row, which came in handy during the week, but you can fold that down and have extra trunk space, too. And when you’re renting a house, you have to bring SO much more stuff than you would if you’re staying at a hotel. Not just the Pack n Play for Eleanor, too – but towels, beach tents, etc.

There are a few things I really liked about the CX-9 that have made it a contender for our next vehicle:

• Rear controls are actually controls (you can put in your desired temperature), not just “on” or “off”
• Heads Up Display for the driver shows you the speed you are going and if you’re coming to a stop sign right in the windshield, so you never have to look down
• Um, the interior was called Auburn. As in my hair color!
• That third row let us have extra passengers and no one felt cramped

What to do in Chatham (Cape Cod)

Chatham is an adorable town with lots to do whether you have little ones or not.

lobster roll at Chatham Bars Inn^

Here are some of my favorite things to do in town:

• Sit in the Adirondack chairs at Chatham Bars Inn for a cocktail
• Drive over to Dennis and get a lobster roll at Sesuit Harbor (they’re cash only, fyi!)
• Stroll downtown, getting candy and fudge at Candy Manor
• Pop into Gustare downtown for specialty olive oils and vinegars (You can do a tasting, and they’ll help you pick out a great pairing!)
• Go to Cuffy’s for a souvenir Cape Cod t-shirt or sweatshirt
• Catch a baseball game when the Chatham A’s are playing in town, or go one or three towns over to watch them play
• Take a photo of the many hydrangeas around town
• Charter a sailboat ride at sunset

The Cape is my favorite place to be in the summer. I can’t wait to head back soon!