Everyone has heard that the best things in life are free, but here’s a list to prove it. Stumble upon a fairy garden, tour a coastal winery, go leaf-peeping by bicycle, or look out from the top of a lighthouse—all you will spend is a perfect day.
1. There's nothing quite like a Cape Cod sunset. Grab a lobster roll to go and head toone of our favorite spots to watch one. You'll see what we mean.
2. Turn your next hike or family nature walk across Cape Cod’s miles of magnificent trails into a bona fide quest with Geocaching—the anytime, anywhere modern-day trek for treasure. Here are some of our favorite spots to go!
3. On a Friday summer evening, spread a blanket on the grass at theChatham Band Concert, where the lamp-lit glow of Kate Gould Park and a sea of balloons will inspire you to bunny-hop.
4. Stroll the heaven-scented fields and wooded trails of the Cape Cod Lavender Farm in Harwich to discover a fairy garden—and the irresistible urge to peek in the tiny windows of the miniature stone tower.
5. Standing beneath the Chinese mulberry or among the sunlit rows atTruro Vineyards, you will agree such beauty calls for a toast. Complimentary tours of the winery and distillery are offered at 11 am Monday-Friday in season.
6. Salute life before cell phones on a free, guided tour of the 1891 French Cable Station Museum in Orleans.
7. Move on to modern advances at the Marconi Wireless Station site and ocean overlook in Wellfleet, where Marconi transmitted the world’s first transatlantic wireless communication. What he sent: “cordial greetings and good wishes” to the King of England from President Roosevelt. What he could have sent: “I am standing at what is possibly the world’s most beautiful beach.”
8. Catch one of the Movies Under the Stars on Wednesday evenings all summer at Peg Noonan Park in downtown Falmouth, where the fading backdrop of dusky sky is its own special effect. You can also catch an outdoor movie night at Mashpee Commons or in downtown Hyannis in July and August (check websites for schedules).
9. Try to spot all of the whimsical sand sculptures along the Yarmouth Sand Sculpture Trail, on display now through October at 30+ participating businesses and landmarks throughout Yarmouth. Download a trail map and make a day out of it!
10. The five-acreSpohr Gardens in Falmouth is beautiful at any time of year, but visit during springtime Daffodil Days to admire the world in bloom with thousands of flowers.
11. See what’s brewing during the short daily tour atCape Cod Beer in Hyannis; there are games to keep the kids busy if you decide to stay for a tasting.
12. When you fall in love with the patients at National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay, ask how you can adopt one of the rescued sea turtles, harbor seals or pups.
13. Step back in time on a walking tour of sea captain and patriot homes from the 1600's.Download a mapand take your own self-guided tour of the Barnstable Village Cultural District at your leisure!
14. The next time the kids are bored or your spirits are low, report immediately toTaylor-Bray Farmin Yarmouth Port and be cured, whether by baby lambs at the June sheep festival, fall hearth-cooking and hayrides, or the beauty of a snow-dusted farmhouse.
15. Breeze along the 26 miles of theCape Cod Rail Trail stretching from South Yarmouth to Wellfleet, and marvel that quiet stretches of solitude are somehow never too far from the eateries, shops and beaches of the towns along the way.
16. On hot days, the coolest kids in town are playing in the sprinklers, jets and sprays at Mashpee Splash Pad in Heritage Park along Route 130.
17. Perfect summer night: Root for the home team at aCape Cod Baseball Leaguegame and watch the future pros swing for the stars.
18. If you think you don’t like fishing, the one-mile, wooded walk along the trout stream in the sprawling Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in East Falmouth could convert you. First, you’ll need to tear yourself away from canoeing on the reserve's Caleb Pond.
19. Costumed guided tours or self-guided scavenger hunts at the Josiah Dennis Manse in Dennis are kid-friendly; let them decide whether the 18th-century classroom was too.
20. If you’re in Hyannis, you’re already following in the footsteps of American royalty. Go the full distance on the 1.6-mile Kennedy Legacy Trail, starting at theJFK Hyannis Museum.
21. There are 140 species at the Woods Hole Science Aquarium, from bearded sea ravens to rescued harbor seals. Talk with the staff as they feed the animals in the open work area, or reach into the touch tank for a live encounter.
22. Wander the trails at theGreen Briar Nature Center in East Sandwich, founded in honor of author and Sandwich native Thornton Burgess, to inspire your childhood love of nature. Also inspiring: The scent of fresh preserves cooking in the nearby jam kitchen.
23. Catch air at one of the free local skateparks in Chatham, Falmouth, Harwich, Barnstable, Orleans, Provincetown and Wellfleet. The Oak Crest Cove Skate Park in Sandwich is the newest place where you can grind, carve and tweak your tricks.
24. You will recognize the iconic red-and-whiteNauset Lighthousefrom your bag of Cape Cod Potato Chips. Late fall weekends are a beautiful time to take a free tour.
25. There’s free, and then there’s priceless: the 43,500 acres of theCape Cod National Seashore. Start at the year-round Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham to plan your course. Favorite spots include the otherworldly White Cedar Swamp in Wellfleet and the sweeping vistas of Fort Hill in Eastham (check for tours of the Captain Penniman House). Whichever trail you follow, you’re never far from something unexpected, whether a trio of lighthouses in the middle of the woods (a.k.a. “The Three Sisters”), a golden carpet of leaves in the Beech Forest, or 40 miles of coastline you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
This post is updated from an article originally written by Nicole Maranhas for the Cape Cod Travel Guide.
