48 Hours in Provincetown — BOOKED ON A PLANE

Living only a few miles away from the official start of Cape Cod you would think I would be very familiar with the Massachusetts peninsula that millions of people flock to during the summertime. However, I’ve never been a fan of huge crowds and loads of traffic so I’ve mostly chosen to travel north, south, west, and pretty much any other direction besides directly east of me.

This past week, my boyfriend and I decided to take two days off from work mid-week to take a trip to Provincetown, the furthest town on Cape Cod located at the very tip.

Provincetown is well-known for its celebration of LGBT, the arts, scenic beaches, and amazing food. A lesser known fact about Provincetown is that it was the first landing area of the Pilgrims, not Plymouth which is commemorated by the Pilgrim Monument that towers over the area.

We made our way down the cape arriving around 11:00 AM on Thursday morning. We decided to start by just walking around and exploring and quickly found ourselves in the Whydah Pirate Museum located at the end of MacMillan Pier.

Whydah Pirate Museum delves into the story behind the Whydah slave ship that was overtaken by pirates in the early 18th century. In 1717, the Whydah sank into Cape Cod waters but was eventually discovered by diver Barry Clifford. The museum showcases all of the artifacts that have been recovered by Clifford and his team including pirate treasure!

After our walk around the museum we spontaneously decided to hop on the Schooner Bay Lady II for a two-hour sail around the Cape Cod Bay. It was $30 per person but worth the cash on a gorgeous sunshiny day like we had. The sail took off out of Macmillan Wharf and headed toward Long Point Lighthouse (the very, very tip of Cape Cod) and around the coastline of Truro, the neighboring town. It was a great way to start out the day in P-Town.

Once we landed back at the wharf, it was time to check-in to the Somerset House Inn. This beautiful, purple inn is located on Commercial Street within walking distance to all of the shops and restaurants. They also offer parking, private bathrooms, air conditioning and a hot (and very delicious) breakfast every morning. I would 1000% recommend booking with Somerset House Inn when staying in Provincetown. It was extremely comfortable and the innkeeper, Dan was absolutely wonderful.

After exploring some of the shops downtown and getting a bite to eat, we decided to head down to one of the two scenic beaches. We chose Race Point Beach because we’ve heard the sunsets are breathtaking and we wanted to see for ourselves. I’m so glad we did. The beach crowds had already left for the day, and only a few groups remained on the beach for the show. As the sky lit up in shades of orange and pink, groups of seals swam by in the ocean. It lived up to its expectation.

The next morning, we enjoyed a homecooked breakfast of quiche, scones, and fruit at the inn before heading out to Long Point for a few hours. We grabbed an early ferry out of Macmillan Wharf only buying a one-way ticket, so that we could walk the breakwater back.

We walked all along the coastline enjoying the view and the sunshine for a while until we stumbled upon a large group of seals hanging out just off the shore. I had no idea that seals hung out in such large groups just bobbing along in the water, but it was adorable to watch. After taking about a million pictures of them, we moved on once the tide started coming in further and further. After that, we just continued walking down the beach and eventually crossed over to walk on the breakwater that drops you off at the very end of Commercial Street. Warning, this is a very long and difficult walk along the sand and then across some jagged rocks, I would not suggest doing this walk if you aren’t prepared to be exercising for a few hours in the heat. I would suggest that if you do, wear the appropriate shoes, pack lots of water, and make sure you eat before!

We were exhausted from the walk and the heat, so after grabbing lunch and perusing a few of the shops we decided it was time to head home.

There was still a long list of things that we could have done if we stayed longer like visiting the top of the Pilgrim Monument, the Provincetown Museum, biking along the trails of Beech Forest or even taking a Whale Watching tour. But alas, that will have to be our next visit!