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