If you're looking to escape the world and find boundless beauty...this is your place. I typically…read morerent a kayak on the bayside of town and take the journey across the famous Provincetown Harbor. It's the same harbor where the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact BEFORE landing in Plymouth. Yes, they landed in Provincetown first! Once on long point head toward the tip and you can't miss the lighthouse. Stunning. Be sure to look along the inlets and you can still find some remnants of the 19th century colony (bricks, shards of porcelain etc). Don't forget to find a spot on the beach...you could be the only one on it! Plan around the tide or you'll be dragging your kayak. You can also walk there via the jetty or have the local service (Flyers) drop you off for a fee. I'd avoid the Flyers service. If taking a kayak...DO NOT go directly across the deep part of the harbor! Especially in August or if there are seals in the water. Yes, we have a great white shark population that seems to get bigger every year. Stay along the sand bar (hint, you should almost always see the bay floor). This place is pure heaven.

A very lonely…read morespot The end of the world. It sure feels like it. The absolutely tip of the tip. The end of Provincetown and Cape Cod. You can't go any further or you'll be in the sea. What a great place. The problem is how the hell to get to the end of the world. No roads here, you either go by small boat or walk. It's a pretty good hike through heavy sand but there is a short cut. Go over the breakwater that starts at the Pilgrim Plaque. Just don't try it in rough weather or you will probably die. Assuming you actually get out there you will find one of the absolutely coolest places anywhere. Nothing but wild wind and sea. The light is never open but you can walk right up to it. No one cares because no one is around. Probably for miles. The light was built in 1875 but an earlier one was built in 1826. It's only 38 feet tall and had a fifth order Fresnel lens. I'm not sure whatt happen to the lens. The real cool part is that this area once had lots of houses, buildings and windmills for power. Several hundred people actually lived way out here.. Even two old forts, sarcastically called Fort Useless and Fort Harmless. Apparently they were not too successful. The remains of the forts can still be seen but just lumps in the sand. Everything else is long gone. The wind is always howling out here and you can almost hear the old voices. On one of the mounds there is a large cross with flowers frequently place around it. I'm not sure what it signifies but gives a surrealistic feel to a wild and spooky place.

We tried to make our way down to the lighthouse from the beach and a major thunderstorm came out of…read morenowhere, so we never got to make it all the way. Beautiful view.

The end of…read more the world Race Point Lighthouse is a wild, wild place. It's located on the very end of Cape Cod and is exposed to howling winds, blowing sand and unpredictable, sinister and malefic currents. The name race means a very strong and dangerous flow of water in old nautical terminology and whoever named it Race Point certainly knew what he was talking about. Before the Cape Cod Canal was built all ships had to pass around the tip of Cape Cod and ship wrecks here were very common. The first lighthouse was established way back in 1816 but since it was only 20 feet tall and took a pounding from the hostile environment, it soon became apparently that something a bit stronger was needed. So in 1876 the present 40 foot tall cast iron tower was built. It had a fourth order Fresnel lens and is credited with saving hundreds of ships and lives. The whole area around the lighthouse is now just sand dunes but at one time it was a busy fishing village called Helltown. Of course the name came from the harsh and unforgiving environment. The village started to disappear about a hundred years ago as people got tired of the hammering winds and waves and moved to more protected places in the area. Winds over 50 knots are common at the point and very little of Helltown is now visible. It's not particularly easy to get to Race Point Lighthouse. it's about a two mile hike over some soft sand and wind is frequently blowing in your face. It's an invigorating place to visit in the winter but you better be prepared for some serious wind chills. I've been out here in a Nor Eastern and the visibility is literally zero. The wind was blowing horizontally and one side of my body was covered in ice but the other side clean. Extremely cool weather. I have heard that humpback whales are occasionally visible and just looking a the wild and uncivilized ocean is aways thrilling. Certainly not the easiest lighthouse to visit but always one of the wildest.

Stunning place to visit no matter what season. Just a tip: do not wear flip flops especially in the…read moresummer. You'll burn your feet on the sand.

Could Dune Shacks Trail be the 8th wonder of the world? I don't know man...but I feel like it is…read more When hubs located these dunes as part of our nature escape in Ptown, I was like...."ok" and shrugged my shoulders. But once we started ascending on a narrow sand path leading to the tallest peak, all we saw was a stretch of pure gold and imagined some desperate soul running frantically looking for water. Even with the frigid late December visit here, make sure you bundle. Hiking on sand was difficult especially since we wore denims- but definitely wear leggings or joggers to get the most mobility as you hike up. We didn't prep ourselves mentally- so once we got to that tallest peak, we came back down and never saw past the end of the dune and into the ocean. Dune Shacks could well be that place that combines the dune+beach beautifully together. What a dramatic and lovely place to visit. If you're into the breeze rustling your hair and really sinking your boots in the sand, this spot's for you.

By far one of the best whale watching cruises we've ever been on. Saw so many and they were…read moreshowing off for us!

Excellent food, and the best drag brunch. If ever back in the area, will definitely go again.read more

Race Point Beach is at the tip of Cape Cod, surrounded by grassy rolling sand dunes and grasslands…read more Since I visited in mid October, I didn't have to pay $25 to park and the place was pretty deserted. I walked down to the beach over a blue mat laid down on the sand which made for easy walking. I little shocked to see warnings posted about sharks! As I neared the beach and the waves rolling in, I could see some people watching something out in the surf and was excited to see a seal swimming along in the waves, its head popping up occasionally. Spending time at Race Point Beach was one of the highlights of my trip to Provincetown and Cape Cod.

I have many fond memories at Race Point, from fishing, to swimming, to driving on the sand. It's an…read moreincredible, large ocean beach. Beautiful sand, waves, tidal pools and sand bars that are constantly changing. You can ride to the race point parking lot on bikes from the Provincelands bike trail and relax at the beach to enjoy the views. It's part of the national park system so there is a fee in season. You can use this pass to enter other national seashore beaches as well. There are a number of paths to the beach from the parking lot. One path has a mobimat available, in season at least. It is a pretty long walk down this path, and it is fairly steep, so if you struggle with that, you might prefer Herring Cove which is just on the bay side nearby. It's a bit more gradual of a hill.

The beech forest trail is a trail around a pond. For walking. The bike trail passes by here. But…read moreyou can't ride bikes on this trail. Large parking area (great place to start your bike ride) plus facilities. When you first start the trail, you start on a board walk next to the pond. If you bring sunflower seeds (the bird food kind) - put some in your hand, palm open, then stand really still, palm extended. Within minutes you will have chickadees and nuthatches landing on your hand to eat!

This a wonderful walking park in Provincetown. Full walk is about an hour and half. But there are…read moredifferent routes you can take to make the walk shorter. You really get all of the great pieces of cape cod nature.. sand, trees, ponds, and beach is nearby

I like making this hike the Causeway is over a mile long. There are easy spots to walk and…read morechallenging areas. Some parts can be under water at high tide so after summer is over the water is to cold and you could get stuck out there. If you walk to the light house I would say it's about a 4 mile round trip walk. There is parking paid on an app $2 for 2 hours but you can add to it if you are getting low on time I walked about 8 miles before lunchtime here in Ptown

This is such a lovely walk! The walk starts off being fairly east, but narrows a bit as you go. I…read morewould suggest shoes with good tread (not Crocs or flip flops) and leave the dog at home. On the other side, the beach awaits along with the lighthouse. The marshes are lovely even in low tide. Lots of birds hanging out and gathering seafood stranded due to the tide. Great way to start the day!

Our pup really enjoyed her first sailing experience aboard Moondance II, a 30 feet sailboat, with…read moreCaptain Ro, first mate Kaled, and mascot pup Spinnaker! We booked a Sunset Sail, which is a 1.5 hour trip around the bay, and we were glad to be joined by 2 other couples and 1 other pup! (If you're counting, that makes 8 humans and 3 dogs aboard!) You can also book a private trip, which is slightly more expensive of course. Captain Ro and Kaled were a great team and made us feel safe, comfortable, and welcomed. It was a beautiful day to sail (week before Labor Day weekend) and Captain Ro allowed us to climb onto the deck once we killed the engine and were out in the bay. These trips do not guarantee animal sightings but we did see a whole group of seals bobbing their heads out of the water watching us as we sailed on by, which was extremely endearing to see. FYI the crew provides life vests for the pups and you can bring whatever you want to eat/drink aboard to enjoy.

Can't say enough good things. Captain Ro was awesome and had a ton of facts and history to share…read more It couldn't have been a more beautiful day, really peaceful and we even got to see a glimpse of some dolphin fins and seals. We were really trying to find an intimate experience and support a local business... Dog Gone Sailing Charters was the way to go. I recommend this to anyone looking for a beautiful day on the water on an awesome vessel.

Yet another beautiful trip on their sunset cruise! The captain and his crew were attentive,…read morefriendly and helpful. They gave us insights to the entire area and fielded questions with no hesitation. If you go to Ptown you must take the cruise!

Sunset cruise aboard the Bay Lady II is such a great experience. The 2 hour cruise takes you…read morestraight out the harbor, and back. But the fun of sailing on the water and seeing the sunset makes it memorable. You can bring drinks (beer, wine, water, other) and snacks. We had the pleasure of going out on a Tuesday night in July, and loved it. The Captain makes sure you get what you pay for, a beautiful sunset cruise. Plus, you will leave with hundreds of pictures. The crew was friendly, pleasant and always engaging. Buy your tickets early as they usually sell out. Thanks for another great sunset cruise!

This is a beautiful park overlooking the water at the end of Commercial street, away from all the…read morehustle and bustle of the business stores and restaurants. It's a great place to sit and watch the clouds, stroll around the grassy areas, or just have a picnic on the lawn. There are several benches under mature trees that are great for just resting and chilling. The park is not very big but there's a plaque commemorating the landing. There is limited street parking around the area.

A small park on the very west end of Commercial Street to highlight the Pilgrims first landing in…read moreProvincetown in 1620. Its actually located in the rotary here. There are a few benches to sit, with some shade trees overhead. There is a large cement area with names inscribed, and a 4ft high monument with historic info. Just not the prettiest park around, though it is clean and maintained. When visiting the Provincetown causeway you can stop by here and check it off your bucket list.