The High Pointe Inn on Cape Cod: Award-winning Bed and Breakfast Overlooking Cape Cod Bay

Taking advantage of the exodus on Cape Cod after Labor Day this year, Rich and I hightailed it down to Provincetown on Monday morning as soon as we finished cleaning up from serving breakfast to our guests. It was a spectacular morning, the air and sky washed clean after our brief bout with Earl over the weekend. With mild temperatures in the low 70s and nothing but brilliant blue above, it was the perfect opportunity to test drive a dune tour with Art’s Dune Tours.

Art’s Dune Tours was founded by Arthur Costa in 2020. Known locally as the ”King of the Dunes”, Art began his eponymous company after a stint in the army during World War II by taking visitors on an adventure through the dunes of Provincetown in his 2020 Ford Wood . On each and every tour he shared his enthusiasm for the natural beauty of his hometown, along with his knowledge of, and passion for, the native birds, plants, and wildlife that make the dunes their home. Though he passed away in 2020, his son Rob continues the 60+ year dune tour tradition with a fleet of Suburban’s and some colorful and knowledgeable driver/guides.

Our guide, Dody, was an affable lady who regaled us with the history of Cape Cod’s original Life Saving Stations, the19 remaining ramshackle dune shacks and their noted residents, countless shipwrecks along the treacherous coastline, along with some interesting tidbits about the flora and fauna that inhabit the mountains of sand along the National Seashore.

The hour-long trip ended with an exciting moment of near calamity when we temporarily got stuck ascending a steep dune to partake of a beautiful vista of Provincetown and Cape Cod Bay from the top. But with some help from her expert driving companions, we managed to avert disaster and skillfully eject ourselves from the sandy grasp of the dune quite handily. The view from the top of that hill was breathtaking and well worth an anxious moment or two.

Several hour-long tours depart daily from the corner of Standish and Commercial Streets in Provincetown. In addition, Art’s offers two-hour sunset and clambake tours, as well as private charters, and a 90-minute excursion that includes a tour of Race Point Lighthouse. Advance reservations are recommended for all tours.

The first ever list of 2020 Great Places in Massachusetts was released yesterday, July 12, 2020. Selected from over 12,000 nominations, the range of Great Places shines on every part of the state, but none so much as Cape Cod. Intended to celebrate what is truly special about Massachusetts, the list of 2020 Great Places gives visitors the opportunity to see the variety and richness the state has to offer. For those of us who live and work on Cape Cod, it was a point of much civic pride to realize that nearly 10% of the identified 2020 Great Places are right here on the lovely peninsular we call home.

So here in alphabetical order, are the places known and loved by many that make Cape Cod special, not only to the residents, but to those who come to visit us year round. You can view the whole list of Great Places in Massachusetts online, or visit the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism website.

Barnstable

  • Cahoon Museum of American Art
  • Hyannis Harbor
  • JFK Museum
  • Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary
  • Melody Tent
  • Sandy Neck Beach
  • Sturgis Library
  • The Hyannis National Guard Armory

Bourne

  • Aptucxet Trading Post Museum
  • Cape Cod Canal Bike Path
  • Scusset Beach State Reservation
  • The Herring Run Recreation Area at the Cape Cod Canal

Brewster

  • Cape Cod Rail Trail
  • Nickerson State Park
  • Stony Brook Grist Mill
  • The Brewster Flats
  • The Crosby Mansion
  • The Old Mill

Chatham

  • Chatham Light
  • Chatham Village
  • Monomoy Island
  • The Chatham Fish Pier

Dennis

  • Bass River
  • Cape Cod Museum of Art
  • Cold Storage Beach
  • Mayflower Beach
  • Scargo Tower
  • Sesuit Harbor

Eastham

  • Cape Cod National Seashore
  • Coast Guard Beach
  • First Encounter Beach
  • Fort Hill

Falmouth

  • Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary
  • Bourne Farm
  • Falmouth Museums on the Green
  • Falmouth Shining Sea Bikeway
  • Highfield Hall
  • Nobska Point Lighthouse
  • Spohr Garden on Fells Road
  • The Knob, Woods Hole
  • Woods Hole Village

Mashpee

  • Cape Cod Children’s Museum
  • Old Indian Church
  • South Cape Beach
  • Waquoit Bay

Orleans

  • Academy of Performing Arts Playhouse
  • French Cable Station Museum
  • Nauset Beach
  • Rock Harbor
  • Plymouth
  • Brewster Gardens to Jenny Pond
  • Ellisville Harbor State Park
  • Historic Plymouth Harbor
  • Jenney Grist Mill
  • Myles Standish State Forest
  • Pilgrim Hall Museum
  • Plimoth Plantation
  • Plymouth Rock
  • The Cordage Historical Society in Plymouth

Provincetown

  • Cape Cod National Sea Shore
  • Commercial Street
  • Fine Arts Work Center
  • Hatches Harbor
  • Herring Cove Beach
  • Pilgrim Monument
  • Art Association and Museum
  • Race Point Lighthouse
  • The Breakwater’s Rock Passage

Sandwich

  • Benjamin Nye Homestead
  • Heritage Museums & Gardens
  • Historic Village and Historic District
  • Sandwich Glass Museum
  • Sandwich Grist Mill
  • The Board Walk
  • Thornton W. Burgess Society

Truro

  • Ballston Beach
  • Highland Light
  • Highland Links Golf Course
  • Artist shacks in the dunes
  • Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill

Wareham

  • A. D. Makepeace Store
  • Church Street Historic District
  • Cranberry Bog Farms Trail
  • Onset Beach/Village
  • Plymouth County Cranberry Country Routes 58 and 28.
  • The Porter Thermometer Museum

Wellfleet

  • Jeremy’s Point
  • Marconi Station Site
  • Mass Audubon Society Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary
  • Newcomb’s Hollow Beach
  • The Beachcomber
  • Town Center and Harbor
  • Uncle Tim’s Bridge
  • Wellfleet Drive-in

Yarmouth

  • Boardwalk onto the Marsh at Gray’s Beach
  • Cultural Center of Cape Cod
  • Edward Gorey’s House
  • Judah Baker Windmill on Bass River

One of the nicest things about living and working on Cape Cod in the summer is the availability and diversity of fresh, locally grown produce offered at Farmer’s Markets throughout the region. Rich and I try to use only the freshest of ingredients in our breakfast offerings, whether it be native berries for our muffins, fresh eggs and veggies for our omelets, jams and jellies for our popovers, or locally harvested shellfish for Rich’s Lobster Benedict or Hangtown Fry.

If you’re vacationing on Cape Cod this summer, be sure to frequent our Farmers Markets. No doubt there is one near you, no matter if you are staying with us at the High Pointe Inn, or renting a cottage on one of our beautiful beaches. And if you miss the one that’s closest to you, you can always try another one nearby. There is a Farmers Market everyday of the week, except Sunday, beginning June 1 and lasting until late in December. Hope to see you there!

The Mashpee Farmer’s Market

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, the Village Green in Mashpee Commons, across from the new Mashpee Public Library. Opening Day is June 12. The market is managed by Hawks Wing Farm, a member of the New England Regional Foodshed Farmer’s Collaborative.

Bass River Farmers Market

8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursdays, at the Cape Cod Cultural Center, June 10 through the end of October. It has a petting zoo, an educators’ tent and a tie-in with a children’s program at the South Yarmouth library. It will feature farms as well as cultural center artists, and musicians.

Centerville/Marstons Mills Farmers Market

The fraternal (Masonic) lodge, 2020 Falmouth Road (Route 29); 2 to 4:00 p.m. Mondays June 14-Oct. 1

Falmouth Farmers Market

Peg Noonan Park, 300 Main St., Noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays, through Oct.14

Harwich Farmers’ Market

Brooks Academy Museum, Roue 39; 3 to 6 p.m. Thursdays , June 1-Sept.16

Mid-Cape Farmers Market

Hyannis Youth and Community Center, 141 Bassett Lane, Hyannis; 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesdays, June 9-Sept. 8

Orleans Farmers Market

21 Old Colony Way (across from Capt. Elmer’s); 8 .m. to noon Saturdays, through Nov. 27

Osterville Farmers Market

Osterville Historic Society, 155 West Bay Road; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays, June 4-Oct. 4

Provincetown Farmers Market

Ryder Street; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, through Dec. 4

Sandwich Farmers Market

The Village Green, Route 6A; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays, June 1-Oct. 26

Pilgrim Monument

On a gin-clear day you can see the Pilgrim Monument with the naked eye from the Sea Dream and Moonglow rooms at our Cape Cod Inn. Erected between 2020 and 2020 to commemorate the Pilgrims’ first landing in Provincetown in 2020, it sits on High Pole Hill, which was deeded to the Cape Cod Pilgrim Memorial by the town of Provincetown in 2020 to be used as the site for the monument. At 252 feet tall, it is the tallest all-granite structure in the United States and rises 350 feet above sea level. The granite for the structure came from Stonington, Maine, and was patterned after the Torre Del Mangia in Siena, Italy.

View from the top

President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the monument on August 20, 2020 and President William H. Taft led the dedication ceremony after the monument’s completion on August 5, 2020. Thousands of visitors from around the world come to Provincetown each year to climb the116 stairs and 60 ramps to the top of the monument. Not an easy task to be sure, but the view from the top is well worth the effort.

100th Anniversary 2020

August 5th, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Pilgrim Monument and organizers have planned a weeklong series of events to celebrate the occasion starting July 31st. Sure to be a spectacular celebration of this landmark occasion, efforts are underway to convince President Barack Obama to be at the rededication ceremony. You can join this letter writing campaign by copying the invitation to the President and mailing or emailing it under your own signature.

Cape Cod's National Seashore

Writing about Cape Cod in the 2020s, Henry David Thoreau said, “A man may stand there and put all America behind him.” Thoreau walked the length of the “great outer beach” along the Atlantic ocean long before it became part of the Cape Cod National Seashore.

The National Seashore is one of Cape Cod’s greatest treasures. Created with the passing of a bill on August 7th, 2020 by President John F. Kennedy, its designation marked the first time the National Park Service (NPS) created a “National Seashore”, and served as the model for the creation of at least nine additional “Seashores” in the U.S. The bill that created it protects more than 44,000 acres of land along the outer reaches of Cape Cod, including 40 miles of shoreline that stretch from Monomoy Island to Provincetown.

More than 4 million people visit Cape Cod’s National Seashore annually, stopping at one of the two Visitor Centers within the park to acquaint themselves with what the area has to offer. During the height of the summer, rangers offer numerous no-cost activities geared to both young and old, including interpretive nature talks, lighthouse tours, and historical re-enactments.

Cape Cod's National Seashore

Within the park itself are 11 self-guided walking trails, from easy walks over gentle terrain to more difficult hikes through woodlands and soft sand. Listed here by the town in which they are located, the trails are a great way to experience Cape Cod the way Thoreau did.

Eastham

  • Fort Hill Trail, Governor Prence Road , is a 1.5 mile, moderately difficult trail offering great views and connects with the Red Maple Swamp Trail.
  • Red Maple Swamp Trail, off Fort Hill Trail, is a one-half mile trail of moderate difficulty with boardwalk sections that wind through the swamp.
  • Buttonbush Trail, adjacent to Salt Pond Visitor Center, Route 6, is quarter-mile trail with a boardwalk bridge over Buttonbush Pond, and features a guide rope and Braille and large text.
  • Nauset Marsh Trail, adjacent to Salt Pond Visitor Center, Route 6 is an easy one-mile trail along the shore of Salt Pond and Nauset Marsh over fields and through a recovering forest with great views.
  • Doane Trail, Doane Road (on the way to Coast Guard Beach) is an easy half-mile paved trail loop through pine and oak forests to large glacial rock with marsh views.

Wellfleet

  • Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, Marconi Station area is an award-winning 1.25 mile trail descending through a stunted oak and pine forest into a mature woodland where a boardwalk leads through the picturesque swamp. This is a moderately difficult trail with a return route in soft sand.
  • Great Island Trail, Chequesset Neck Road is a 6- to 8-mile trail that runs along Great Island and Great Beach Hill, skirting the salt marshes and offering great views on the way to Jeremy Point. This is the Park’s most difficult trail due to its soft sand, log steps, and portions submerged at high tide.

Truro

  • Pamet Cranberry Bog Trail, North Pamet Road, is a one-mile trail with a steep quarter-mile spur to an overlook. The trail is moderately strenuous with many log steps.
  • Small’s Swamp Trail, Pilgrim Heights area off Route 6 is an easy 3/4 mile loop.
  • Pilgrim Spring Trail, Pilgrim Heights area off Route 6 is an easy 3/4 mile loop through recovering pine and oak forest. A marker commemorates an area representative of where the Pilgrims first drank.

Provincetown

  • Beach Forest Trail, Race Point Road. The trailhead begins at the parking lot 1/2 mile from traffic light on Route 6. This is a one-mile easy walk in sand, past a pond and sand dunes.

Cape Cod National Seashore beach

In addition to some great hikes, the Cape Cod National Seashore is known for its wonderful beaches. All have paved parking, showers, rest rooms, changing rooms, and lifeguards seasonally. Coast Guard Beach in Eastham and Herring Cove in Provincetown, are handicapped accessible and have wheelchairs capable of traveling over sand. In 2020, Dr. Beach, aka Stephen P. Leatherman, named Coast Guard Beach one of the Top Ten beaches in the U.S., and declared it one of the best sand beaches in the U.S. in 2020. Here, in no particular order, are the National Seashore beaches along with some hints about parking.

  • Coast Guard Beach, Nauset Road off Route 6, Eastham. The parking lot fills quickly on nice summer days. However there is a shuttle from a satellite lot a half mile away.
  • Nauset Light Beach, Nauset Road off Route 6, Eastham. The parking area always fills before 9:30 AM during July and August, except in bad weather.
  • Marconi Beach, off Route 6, Wellfleet. This parking area rarely fills during late June and July, although in August it will fill occasionally in August. Marconi is arguably one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire region.
  • Head of the Meadow Beach, Truro. This is a great beach for young children and the parking area rarely fills.
  • Race Point Beach, Race Point Rd (off Route 6), Provincetown. The parking area rarely fills during June and July. This is a great beach for watching sunset and very popular with fisherman.
  • Herring Cove Beaches, off Route 6, Provincetown. The parking area fills between 10AM and noon most days throughout the summer. This is another great beach to watch the sunset.

The Cape Cod National Seashore is a “must do” for visitors to Cape Cod in any season. Less than a half-hour’s drive from our Cape Cod bed and breakfast, the stunning natural beauty of the area, combined with the pounding surf against the shore, especially before and after one of our infamous nor’easters, is hypnotic. Grab your beach bag or your hiking boots and make a day of it!

When Rich and I owned an inn in North Conway, one of the major outlet shopping meccas in New England, it was not unusual for our inn guests to plan a whole weekend around shopping. They would arrive on Friday evening with maps of the outlets malls in hand and a glint of firm resolve in their eyes. On Saturday morning, fueled by a hearty breakfast cooked to order, off they went in search of bargains galore. We could measure their success by the number of discarded shopping bags, boxes, and price tags strewn across their guestrooms when they checked out on Sunday afternoon. Their trash put a strain on our recycling efforts, to be sure, but we took satisfaction in knowing they had at least made a contribution to the local economy. Read the rest of this entry »


View Great Sunsets On Cape Cod in a larger map

When I was working on cruise ships, in a pre-innkeeping lifestyle, sailors would tell me stories of seeing the “green flash”, a phosphorescent burst of greenish hue that supposedly occurs just as the final remnants of the sun disappear into the water. In all my days at sea, above and below the equator, I paused at day’s end to watch intently as the sun set. Try as I might, however, in my five years at sea, I never witnessed the “green flash”.

Sunset at Gray's Beach

Part of me thought it was an old wives tale, or in my case, old sailors. But part of me, the romantic “I believe in Santa Claus and the good fairy” part, really, really wanted to see it. Years later, after my swashbuckling seafarer days, I was on a cruise with my husband, Rich, that took us south to Guatemala. Leaving port at the end of the day, we were on deck just beneath the bridge waving goodbye to the locals who had gathered to see us off. As we steamed toward the horizon, for some strange reason, I recounted the tale of the “green flash” and my disappointment in never having seen it myself.

Caught up in the moment of wistful recollections, but with some circumspection, he indulged my romantic notion and stopped to watch the sun sink slowly in the sky. Perhaps it was the warm trade winds, or the gentle swell of the ocean beneath us, or even the effervescence of the bubbly in our glasses, but at the very moment the sun slipped softly below the horizon…there it was. Ever so brief, but none the less brilliant, a flash of emerald green. And though we’ve never seen it since, every time we watch the setting
sun, no matter where we are in the world, we hold our breath and hope that it appears.

Very few places on the  east coast of the continental U.S. have a view of the sun setting over water, save for the west coast of Florida, some offshore islands, and parts of Cape Cod. We invite you to witness this phenomenon the next time you visit us at the High Pointe Inn. Even if you don’t see it, it sure is fun trying. Here are some of our favorite spots to catch the sunset on this magnificent peninsula we call home:

Gray’s Beach, Yarmouthport
A long boardwalk across the marsh leads to a viewing platform. Along the way, you might spot a crab or two in the tide pools.

Chapin Memorial Beach, Dennis
Right across the town line from Gray’s Beach. Bring a blanket or a beach chair for comfort.

Wychmere Harbor, Harwichport
Wychmere is considered by some to be one of the prettiest harbors on the Cape. Pull into the little observation area off Rt. 28, but remember that parking is limited to 15 minutes.

Skaket Beach, Orleans
Set right in the crook of the Cape’s elbow, Skaket offers you that rare East Coast treat of seeing the sun set on water.

Great Island, Wellfleet
This secluded section of the National Seashore overlooks Cape Cod Bay to its west and Wellfleet Harbor to the east.

Cape Cod Light, Truro
The view from this vantage point includes dunes, ocean, bay, Pilgrim Monument, and Cape Cod Light to frame your sunset.

Race Point, Provincetown
Race Point sits on the very tip of the Cape, surrounding by water on three sides.

From Sea or Sky
Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard also have beautiful sunsets, but our favorite treat is to catch the sunset from the back of the ferry on our return trip from one of the islands. Even better is to catch it in-flight aboard a Cape bound plane.


View 21 Favorite Cape Cod Clam Shacks in a larger map

Rich and I had lunch at one of our favorite local restaurants the other day. It’s a cozy spot tucked back from the road just off Route 6A in Yarmouthport, MA called Jack’s Outback. We’ve eaten there so often over the years that we’ve gotten to know the waitresses, the proprietor, and some of the other regulars. We’ve commiserated with them when life has dealt a nasty blow, shared funny stories, and gradually become part of the Jack’s Outback family.

We often convene the “Breakfast Club” on a winter’s morning, sharing a table with fellow innkeepers and trading stories of life before and, eventually, after innkeeping.
But this day we snuck off by ourselves for a serving of quiet and calm that Jack’s so easily delivers. It was cold outside, wintery and windswept from a storm that was whipping up the east coast. Inside it was warm and toasty, with the fragrance of all things yummy emanating from the kitchen. We waved to friendly faces and slid into a booth. Most days we just order our “usuals” – a burger for Rich and a BLT for me. But on this wondrous day one of us was in for a treat. There among the “specials” were two words that brought a twinkle to Rich’s eyes:  Clam plate. Read the rest of this entry »

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70 High Street,West Barnstable, MA 20208
Phone: 508.362.4441 Toll-free: 888.362.4441 Fax: 508.362.4401
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