Cape Cod's Crown Jewel - Provincetown, Massachusetts
Written: Jul 05 '04 (Updated Jul 13 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Endless Beaches, Unique shopping & dining, nightlife, open & welcoming for gays and lesbians
Cons: Can be hard to get to, accomodations fill up fast
The Bottom Line: With almost endless beaches, shopping, dining, nightlife, miles of bike paths, and one of the most welcoming and opening atmospheres of any location – Provincetown is unique
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| jps246's Full Review: Provincetown, Massachusetts |
So you’re visiting Cape Cod in Massachusetts and you’re wondering where to go while you are there…
Maybe you’re looking for one of the premiere gay and lesbian destinations in the country?
Are you looking for miles and miles of undeveloped ocean beaches?
Do you want unique boutique shopping and world class dining?
Maybe you’re looking for artwork?
Perhaps you’re just looking for some wild nightlife to go with your beach vacation?
You can find it all at Provincetown – at the very tip of Cape Cod!
Where is it?
Provincetown is located in Massachusetts, at the very eastern tip of Cape Cod. It is about 65 miles from where you come across the Cape Cod Canal and on to the Cape. You can ride the ferry from Boston for about an hour and get there and you can take a plane from several different airports (including Boston’s Logan, New Bedford, the Islands and a few airports further away), or you can drive along Route 6 along the Cape until you reach Provincetown at its tip.
Provincetown is snuggled amongst the Cape Cod National Seashore, which provides a rural and undeveloped region surrounding the town and offers miles and miles of undeveloped beaches.
To the north, east and south of Provincetown you have the ocean. The small town of Truro is immediately west of Provincetown, followed by the other towns on the outer portion of Cape Cod.
What’s there?
Beaches, beaches and more beaches! Provincetown is famous for some of the best beaches on the Cape and none of the many beaches surrounding the town disappoint. Most of the beaches are located in the Cape Cod National Seashore, but several are located right in town and are accessible from the main commercial district of Provincetown. Beyond Provincetown the beaches continue along the rest of Cape Cod.
Beaches that are located within the National Seashore require a day-use fee. A single carload is $10 per day, bikes are $3 per day and a Cape Cod season pass is $30 for the season and gives you access to all the National Seashore beaches. You can use a National Parks pass for entry into the beaches and a Golden Age Pass.
If you want more than beaches, Provincetown itself is made up of two narrow parallel main streets that are about three miles in length. There are a series of cross streets, connecting the two that start at the harbor's edge and run back toward the dunes. Commercial Street runs along the water and is where many of the restaurants, shops and clubs of Provincetown are, while Bradford Street runs parallel but further back and has many of the town’s hotels, bed and breakfasts and guest houses.
In Provincetown proper, you’ll find extraordinary shopping opportunities with many one-of-a-kind shops and boutiques including art galleries, bookstores, clothing stores and more. When you get tired of shopping, Commercial Street is also lined with many different restaurants. Most of these focus on the Cape’s specialty – seafood, but for those of us who don’t like that, most restaurants have plenty of options to make everyone happy. One of the best and the most famous in Provincetown is the Lobster Pot – where big portions, great food and excellent service are on hand every day.
Where do I stay
There are many options for people looking to spend the night or longer in Provincetown. Several larger hotels are located in town, as are smaller bed and breakfasts and guesthouses. Rates at the various hotels, bed and breakfasts and guesthouses run anywhere from about $100 a night to several hundred dollars a night during the season (May through September) and are generally about half that during the off-season. Bed and Breakfasts are generally the most expensive, followed by the guesthouses and hotels.
For those considering longer stays, many of the houses in Provincetown are rented by the week. Most 2-bedroom homes rent for about a $1000 a week and larger homes for larger groups are available at higher prices.
Accommodations in Provincetown go fast and reservations are generally needed almost any time of the year (except for the depth of winter – and then you should check to see if it’s open). Expect the holiday weekends to be very hard to book (and very expensive) if you are not booking well ahead of time. Generally most reservations should be about a month in advance to make sure you get the time and the location that you want. Too book a house for a week or two, it’s best to start looking at various rentals during the wintertime – as they go fast – faster than most of the hotels and other accommodations.
Getting Around
Almost all of Provincetown’s streets are open to vehicles, but the streets are small, narrow and filled with people. It’s best to leave the car at the hotel and either rent a bike to get around or just walk. Most of Provincetown is compact enough and most accommodations are close enough that it’s easy to go from hotel to restaurant, to shopping and to the beach.
Biking is the unofficial pastime in Provincetown. There are several different bike rental stores and there are bike paths running throughout the area – including many trails through the sand dunes and forests of the National Seashore.
The airport is located a few miles from town and taxis are available to get you to and from, in addition to throughout locations in town.
That Gay Thing…
You may be wondering…isn’t Provincetown gay? Yeah, it is. However everyone is welcome, gay, straight, anyone. The town is one of the most welcoming and feel good places anywhere. People are in Provincetown to enjoy themselves and both the townspeople and the visitors alike strive to make everyone feel welcome.
I’m not sure how to explain it, but Provincetown is a wonderful place for gay and lesbians. The atmosphere is electric and gay and lesbians are everywhere and aren’t afraid to be gay. You’ll see couples walking down the street holding hands, you’ll see women checking out women, men checking out men and you’ll probably even see women and men checking out each other. Provincetown is like any other beach resort, just that there are also gays and lesbians who aren’t afraid to be themselves.
Just because there are plenty of gay and lesbians in Provincetown, open-minded straight people shouldn’t feel that the town is off limits for them. Heterosexuals are more than welcomed to Provincetown.
Provincetown celebrates with gay and lesbian events throughout the summer. There’s Woman’s week, Circuit Week, Gay Parent’s week – really there’s almost something happening every single weekend throughout the summer. Many of these theme weeks or weekends also feature special activities such as parades, dances, cultural activities and other such things. These kind of activities just make your trip to Provincetown that much better.
Gay Marriage
Are you gay or lesbian and want to get married on the beach in Provincetown? At the moment only Massachusetts residents or visitors who will be moving to Provincetown can officially marry under Massachusetts law. However, Provincetown is one of the plaintiffs with a suit that seeks to overturn the law that is preventing out of state gay and lesbian couples from marrying.
Perhaps you aren’t looking for the official marriage but a commitment ceremony? There are plenty of options available for you.
And if you’re straight and want to get married, then there are just as many choices for you.
What else?
Home to some of the Cape’s wildest nightlight – Provincetown has several clubs that give you a chance to party through the night. While many of these clubs could be considered gay clubs, straights are welcome at most, if not all (there are a few you’d probably want to stay out of) of them. Provincetown also has some theater for those of you looking for a more quiet night.
However one of the best (and cheapest) activities in the evening is watching the sunset on the beach. Then you can start a fire with the driftwood, enjoy the sounds of the ocean and have a great time with some good friends.
Wondering how long to stay? You’ll need at least 2 or 3 days to find everything that Provincetown has to offer. Spend some time at the beach, shopping, dining, enjoying the nightlife and exploring the National Seashore.
For More Information…
There are plenty of resources for Provincetown – but here are some starting points for people considering a vacation:
Provincetown.Com – http://www.provincetown.com - the all around best site for anything Provincetown. There’s information the beaches, the shopping, the accommodations, dining, theater, nightlight and more.
Provincetown Daily – http://www.provincetowndaily.com - Provincetown’s local newspaper where you can catch up on the latest news.
Provincetown for Gays and Lesbians – http://www.ptown.org - the most comprehensive information for gay and lesbian visitors to Provincetown. You’ll find information on accommodations, activities and more!
Provincetown for Women – http://www.provincetownforwomen.com - Think that Provincetown is only for gay men? Then you’re wrong and this site will help you find more information.
Provincetown’s Beaches - http://www.provincetown.com/here/activities/beaches/ - information on all the beaches surrounding Provincetown.
Provincetown - http://www.provincetowngov.org/ - The town of Provincetown’s official site – find out official information on the town and get the latest news on gay marriage information.
Cape Cod National Seashore - http://www.nps.gov/caco/ - find out about the various beaches, resources and destinations throughout the Cape Cod National Seashore on the official site.
National Seashore Beach Guide - http://www.nps.gov/caco/activities/beachguide.pdf - get the lowdown on all of the National Seashore beaches – from fees to access to rules and regulations
Final Thoughts
Provincetown is a one of a kind destination. With almost endless beaches, unique shopping, dining and nightlife, miles of bike paths, and one of the most welcoming and opening atmospheres of any location – Provincetown is unique.
Provincetown thankfully lacks much of the touristy honky-tonk that makes up much of the lower Cape and creates its own world out on that narrow spit of land at the very end of Cape Cod. People at Provincetown are there because they want to be – between the long drive there and its isolation from the rest of Cape Cod.
You might come for a specific reason but once you get there, you’ll find there’s an almost unlimited amount of options to chose from and you’ll find yourself wanting to go back as soon as you have to leave.
Provincetown Sites and Restaurants
Governor Bradford Restaurant
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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