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By Maria Kuklina
Everyone looks forward to summer, whether they admit it or not. What’s not to like? Warm weather, no school, and you don’t even need to care about waking up on time, because it feels like time just stops and you just do whatever you want every day. But have you ever wondered what summers are like in Cape Cod? You drive 1 hour and 30 minutes from Wayland, and then you’re in Falmouth! What’s it like there? Warmer? Colder? I’m no expert, but I’ve gone there probably every summer of my life, and I think I know some things.
“Summer paradise”
Cape Cod is indeed a summer paradise. My family and I go there every summer, and it’s never exactly the same. New restaurants, parks, people.. There’s always something new. But, something that stays the same is how we always go to the same area: Mashpee and Falmouth. And Falmouth is very cute and cozy. My parents call it a “New England Style” town. And I can see that, because there are wooden houses, lobster signs, yummy ice cream, and lobster lollipops. People there love lobsters for some reason.
So, we can say that Cape Cod has its own style!
Anyways, when you first park into the center of Falmouth, you are warmly greeted by a cozy-looking library and a huge playground. The feeling when you get there – it’s indescribable. When you go a few meters forward, you get to the actual center. You see a medium-sized statue and a little garden. There is a road with a bunch of cute mini shops, too. But I warn you: do NOT step into one unless you want all your money to disappear in 15 minutes. I made that mistake once, but never again.
So now you know a bit about what you see. And let’s just say it’s 2pm and you’re hungry for some lunch. If you go a bit forward towards the cute shops, there is one pizza place that me and my family go to all the time. It’s called “Simply Divine.” And the food is really divine. From there you can either eat inside or take your food to go and eat on the grass in the park. But make sure to bring a picnic mat or something like that. So, after you eat, you crave something sweet. Trust me, go to the ice cream shops. There is one shop that sells ice cream and chocolate, and they also have those lobster lollipops that are really good. But if you don’t feel like ice cream, have no fear! You can go to this French bakery called Maison Villatte. And the croissants and the little tarts there are heavenly. Plus, if you go there when they close, they give out the bread they have left over for free! And it’s still super yummy.
When you get your snack, you can just walk around the Falmouth center and take in the view. By now it’s probably like 3 or 4pm, and you have some energy from your food. The answer to what to do is pretty obvious – go to the beach. Beaches here are absolutely breathtaking, and I have been to about five of them here. But I only go to about three of them whenever I’m in this area. One I recommend is Old Silver Beach because of how much nature there is. They have this little river area that leads to the ocean, so if you’re in the right place, you can go down to that spot and enjoy the warm river water. There are also fish there, so be careful because they bite you if you stay in the water for too long. But it only tickles, and they don’t chew you. If you go down the river, you see a pond/lake situation. The water is pretty deep by now, and I don’t recommend swimming in the pond. Now, you can take in the scenery, and be on your way back. If you don’t feel like exploring the river, you can also lay on the beach or swim. But the water is pretty cold, so you have to get used to it before you go in. Or you can just jump in.
If you don’t want to go swimming, there is another option; you can go for a nice, relaxing walk on the road next to the beach. And that road leads to Woods Hole where there is another yummy bakery called “Pie in The Sky.” Here you can get yourself some drinks, cookies, or sandwiches.
By now the day is over. My family and I spend all of our time on the beach, soaking up the sun. You can pack up your stuff and exit beautiful Cape Cod.
But what if you really liked it?
Where to stay?
Whoa, you moved your eyes to this section of the article! Does this mean that you like what you’re reading so far? If so, continue reading.
Falmouth is a place that has the coziest hotels, in my opinion. They are wooden, have paintings of boats and beaches, have cute rugs, and they are really old (at least some of them). It’s not all modernized like in the city.
Inn On the Square
There is this one hotel that my family and I always go to, and that hotel is called “Inn On the Square.”
It is in the middle of everything, and yet it’s quiet there. You are right next to really good restaurants and cafes. “Coffee Obsession” and “Persy’s Place” both are great places to eat breakfast. This hotel has just the right amount of New England charm you’re looking for. The rugs are amazing, the rooms are great, and there is also a patio and a garden for the “backyard.”
It has the “Persy’s place” restaurant built into it, so you don’t need to worry about what to get for breakfast.
And the best part? This cozy hotel is located really close to the Falmouth Center you just read about! Just a 15-30 minute walk from the parking lot, and there you have it, your new favorite hotel!
If for some strange reason this hotel has TOO much New England charm, then there are tons of different hotels that are pretty standard. Falmouth also has lots of cozy motels in which you can stay in for less money.
If you’re looking for a hotel, I recommend Hilton. Why? Because they have free breakfast, and a cute little shop with ramen and other snacks. My family and I stay at Hilton almost every vacation because it’s so good. I really recommend this!
If you’re looking for a cheaper option, or a motel, I recommend looking at pictures and reviews. I’ve only stayed in a motel once, and that was four years ago. So I’m no expert! Sorry!
SeaCrest
Oh. My. God. This hotel is one of my favorite hotels I have been to. I went there once four years ago, and it left a lasting memory in my heart.
I was with my friends, and we all stayed in rooms. Every day we went to the pool, and then we got some ice cream at the shop just a few feet away. And in front of the pool is a beautiful view of the ocean. So you have two different places to swim!
And this place was the most enjoyable hotel I have ever been to in Falmouth. It had a gift shop built right into it, and we went there every day. Not to buy anything, just to look around and try stuff on. I loved every day there, and I hope I can go back again. The only reason my family didn’t go back was because of how expensive the hotel was. I don’t exactly know how much it cost a night.
Airbnbs
Airbnbs are my absolute favorite place to stay. I could go on and on about how much I love these, but then people would start losing interest.
I remember about two years ago my mom met a client who was willing to let her stay for the summer.
I wasn’t so sure about that at first because I’ve never stayed in anyone’s house for a week before.
When we got to the house, I chose my room, and my room had a personal Alexa! I listened to it every day which boosted my happiness by a lot. I finally felt what it felt like to live in Cape Cod!
So we stayed in that house the next summer, then the next. We once walked around the neighborhood and saw lots of other cute houses in Mashpee.
There was also a pond with little crabs that I collected and took care of, but I always let them go. I always said that my happy place was the ocean, and it still is, and I’m hoping that it will stay my happy place forever. Airbnbs really make your trip to Cape Cod much better! Last summer I went to an amusement park in Mashpee with my parents from that house.
So, whether you like Airbnbs, hotels, or motels, Cape Cod always has something for everyone.
Amusement parks, beaches, rail trails, hotels, water parks, ice cream and restaurants. Cape Cod has it all!
Author’s note
I really hope you enjoyed reading this article! I put lots of effort into my writing, and I try to add lots of author’s voice to make the story really interesting.
Hopefully this article will help you find a new place to vacation, or just give you some more appreciation for the city of Falmouth. Maybe you found some new hotels to go to and more places to see.
Again, thank you so much for reading, and please leave a comment if you enjoyed it!
By Maria Kuklina, author of “Jeff for President,” and “Fencing.”
Places that I talked about:
Cape Cod website https://www.capecodchamber.org
https://www.seacrestbeachresort.com
https://www.innonthesquare.com
Simply divine https://divinepizza.com
Pie In The Sky Bakery (Woods hole)
