Low tide: 

• Walk the tidal pools searching for crabs, minnows, small baby flounders, hermit crabs (so cute!), mussels, and the occassional (very hard to find) baby lobster. Even when babies lobsters pack a punch, so be careful if you are lucky enough to find one! Water shoes are recommended so you can roam easily where there are rocks. Best to enjoy by starting an hour before low tide so you are in the tide pools as the tide goes out and can return to the beach as the tide starts to return. You don't want get wetter than you planned. ;-) 

• Walk south towards the other end of our beach (about 2 miles away). It's fun to see the other areas of the beach, all the different styles of stairs down the bluffs, and look for different kinds of birds. Again, plan your walk to start before maximum low tide so you are returning before high tide. 

• Play Beach Soccer on a sand bar w/your family 

• Skim board! 

• Walk to the northern point (Stage Point) of our beach and see if you can see the seals that commonly hang out between Stage Point and Manomet Point. Start your walk early enough before the tide starts to return so you have enough time to visit the point and get back to our beach before the tide gets too high. 

  • Why is the point visible from our beach called Stage Point and not Manomet Point? In 1643 John Hewes and William Paddy were given permission to erect fishing stages on the point, and this is the origin of its name. Manomet Point is just around the corner from Stage Point, out of view from our beach. 

High Tide: 

• Bring a "noodle" to the beach. Enjoy a swim or a float in the cool water. There are two floatie "noodles" on the back porch of the cottage ready for your use. 

• Have a cool seat. Move your chair down to the water's edge and cool your feet while reading a book or talking w/friends and family. 

Rejuvinations Salon and Day Spa - 5 Manomet Point Road. 

• Spoil yourself with a well deserved break.  A full service salon and spa to provide you with a get-away during your Manomet get-away. Salon and Day Spa  508-224-7566 

This is a very nice walk in the morning. Turn right as you leave the cottage and walk down Manomet Ave heading south. You can compare the different types and sizes of cottages on this part of the walk. Keep an eye out for light traffic on the road.

Continue until Manomet Ave dead-ends at Old Beach Road. Turn left and walk down the public access (OK for public use) to the beach. Once on the beach you can turn left and walk back up torwards our beach stairs and go up the stairs and back to the cottage. You can also turn right and continue down the beach if you want - the world is your oyster. :) 

A beach key is not required to exit the beach at our stairs so you don't have to bring one to go up the stairs. 

NOTE: Check the tides before you leave...the water will be too high to make the walk back up to the cottage stairs if the tide at or close to high.  Manomet Tide Chart.

Sight-see some typical Cape Cod cottages: 

• Going out of the cottage, turn left on Manomet Avenue, walking down hill, you will pass through many quiet dirt road by-ways with typical Cape Cod rose covered cottages. 

• Also down that way is the Manomet, Inc. Center (formerly known as the Manomet Bird Observatory) known world-wide for the environmental research it conducts - mostly realted to sea birds.
  
  They offer public programs on and off during the summer, some of which are perfect for kids. 
  
  The property itself is worth a visit- a beautiful garden, Japanese tea house and wonderful cliff view out to sea.

Walk down Manomet Ave and turn right on Rabbit Pond Road. The road goes around the pond, and there are spots along the road where you can get a good view of the pond. Lots of opportunities for shade during the walk. 

And no, we've never ever seen a single rabbit anywhere near the pond. ;-) 

Check out the the Plimoth and Patuxet Museums site for information on local attractions like The Mayflower II, Plimoth Plantation, the Plimoth Grist Mill, and others. 

Plymouth Rock is located on the waterfront in the Pilgrim Memorial State Park and is one of the must-see items in a visit to Plymouth. You'll be surprised at how small the rock is - years of souvenir hunters chipping off bits of the rock reduced it, but it is now protected and remains a significant part of Pligrim history and American lore. 

The National Monument to the Forefathers is an amazing monument in downtown Plymouth that you don't want to miss. It was erected in 1889 and it is huge - 81 feet tall! It is believed to be worlds largest solid granite monument. You'll find it at the north end of Allerton Street. Free parking at the site. 

Some of our Plymouth favorites: 

• The Mayflower II  - a scale reproduction of the original Mayflower (how did they dare sail across the seas in a ship that small!?) completely restored and returned to her berth in 2020.  Pretty amazing to see in person. 

• The Plimoth Grist Mill where they still grind corn for grits and cornmeal flower, as well as other grains. 

• The Pilgrim Hall Museum contains an excellent set of permanent and changing exhibits about Pilgrims, early Plymouth, and their impact on America's founding. Fun for adults and kids. 

• https://seeplymouth.com/ 

• https://plymouthchamber.com/calendar-events/community-events/ 

We have a Pretentious Pickle in Plymouth!  Seriously!  190 Water Street 

• If you're a fan of pickles and pickled foods, or just enjoy exploring unique and charming shops, check out The Pretentious Pickle in downtown Plymouth, at the north end of Water Street, just past the Waterfront Bar and Grille). Located in a charming building, with a wide range of homemade pickles, pickled vegetables, relishes, and other delectable items. It's a unique experience only available here in Plymouth. 

The  Shining Sea Bikeway is a beautiful 11 mile dedicated bike path that starts in North Falmouth and ends in Woods Hole (home of the world-famous oceanographic institute) at the Steamship Authority parking lot. It's a beautiful and easy ride and if you want you could combine it with a walking tour of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute for a very fun day.

We rent bikes at the Bike Zone in their North Falmouth location. After getting fitted for your bikes you can start on the Shining Path trail right across the street from their store, and you are off on your ride quickly and easily.  A really fun ride, highly recommended. 

Sandwhich 

Settled in 1637, Sandwich is one of the first towns when you enter the cape and is a quick drive from the cottage. It is full of fun and historical things to see and do. Make sure you call ahead to confirm that sites are open before you leave, and note that many sites are closed on Mondays. Some of our favorites: 

• Hoxie House 

  • One of the oldest homes in Cape Cod and arguably the oldest continuously occupied home in the US. Lived in virtually unchanged until 1950! No heat or cooling (other than fireplace or windows), no insulation, no electricity or running water. Pretty amazing to see how people lived w/very few creature comforts. Learn the origin of the "Sleep tight" expression. 

• Dexter's Grist Mill

  • See a fully functioning original grist mill in action, and even purchase freshly ground corn meal from their grinding stones that are hundreds of years old. Next to the Hoxie House so you can easily do both w/one stop. The grist mill is at a beautiful site. 

• Sandwich Glass Museum

  • View and purchase hand-blown, handmade glass, and view glassblowers and more in their museum. $12 for musem entrance

• Pairpoint Glass

  • America's oldest glass company, with incredibly artful glass creations and viewing of glassblowing/creation from their shop down in to the glassblower's workspace. Free. 

• Thorton Burgess Green Briar Nature Center and Jam Kitchen

  • Part nature center, part homage to children's auther Thorton Burgess (creater of Peter Cottontail books), and part homemade jam store, the Thorton Burgess site is both beautiful and interesting, Some particular fun for younger ones w/native cape cod animals on display, and a large jam kitchen you can walk through, and well stocked gift store. The site is beautiful  a large pond behind the main building and beautiful gardens. 

• Sandwich Boardwalk A beautiful place to visit and stroll, the boardwalk is 1300 feet long, and crosses a creek and a marsh. Very beautiful. The current boardwalk is being demolished and replaced starting in Fall of 2022, so see the current boardwalk in the summer of 2022 or you will miss the historic one! 

• Heritage Museums and Gardens An amazing site with acres of beautiful grounds and gardens, a truly  impressive car museum showing the development and evolution of the auto from the late 1800s to the 1960s, and other changing museum exhibits. 

• Seafood Sam's
  With locations in Sandwich, Falmouth, and South Yarmouth, you can enjoy a traditional New England seafood family restaurant in several locations on the cape. The Sandwich location has a nice view of the canal and bridge from the back patio. 

Yarmouth

Yarmouth has a long history of human occupation, it was settled by indigenous people as long as 10,000 years ago! Settlers from England arrived there in the 1630s, and by 1640 there were almost 30 families living there. Food was plentiful, with abundant seafood and dense forests full of game. 

• Edward Gorey House in Yarmouth Edward Gorey was an illustrator, author, Broadway set and costume designer (most famous for Broadway's "Dracula"  with Frank Langella). He was a genius who created an amazing collection of art over his lifetime. Gorey had a dark sensibilty and sense of humor that is not for everyone, but no one can doubt the unique, intense, and detailed nature of his creations. Gorey visited Yarmoth his entire life (to see his uncle and cousins),  and acquired his own house in 1995 and lived there until he passed in 2010. Tours of his house are lead by knowledgeable docents and it is quite interesting to hear about his life and see his art in his own home. 

If you're interested in taking a drive to a site, consider this one.  The Miles Standish monumet is a 116 foot granite shaft with a 14 foot statue of Mile Standish, the military leader of the Plymouth Colony. When the tower is open you can climb 125 steps to a viewing area. (Assuming you want to climb 125 steps!!)

One word - AMAZING!! In Newport Rhode Island there is a collection of summer "cottages" built by extremely wealthy families, like the Vanderbuilts, in the late 1800's.  

There are nine mansions, and a subset of them are open to the public for tours daily. It is quite an experience to enter and explore these grand houses (30,000 square feet and more!) that were the summer get-aways of some of the wealthiest members of American society. Approximately 1 1/2 hours from the cottage. 

The Newport Mansions

The International Tennis Hall of Fame is a must-see for any avid fan of tennis. There is a very well done museum, grass tennis courts (tournaments are held there), gift shop, an example of a "Real Tennis" indoor court (feels like a combination of squash, tennis, and racquetball) and other features. The hall of fame is housed in the historic former Newport Casino, a playground of the sumer elite in Newport at the turn of the century. 

This is a visit you can combine with the Newport Mansions if you wish. Well worth the drive, approximately 1 1/2 hours from the cottage.  

International Tennis Hall of Fame