Eastham is a paradise where the Outer Cape begins - a narrow strip of rural country with marshes, ponds, bogs, ocean, and forests that are unharmed by time. It is bordered on the east with miles of the Atlantic Ocean, and on its west by Cape Cod Bay. Eastham is now known for its pristine beaches and conservation areas. Eastham's First Encounter Beach is the site of the first meeting between the Pilgrims and the American Indians in 1620.

As the gateway to the National Seashore Park, which protects over 27,000 acres of the Outer Cape and one third of the town, Eastham offers visitors a land little changed since Thoreau wrote his masterpiece "Cape Cod" over 100 years ago. Today, visitors enjoy this conservancy with miles of walking paths and bike trails through woods, fields, marshes, and sites that are listed in the National Register of Historic places.

The Cape Cod Baseball League, the premier collegiate summer league in the country, plays at Eldredge Park in neighboring Orleans. The Orleans Cardinals were the 2003 league champs. Bring your blanket or beach chair to Eldredge Park and watch the best amateur ballplayers in a picture-perfect setting.

Eastham is ideally located amongst some of the most beautiful golf courses in Massachusetts. Many are municipal courses with national recognition. Among them are Captain's Golf Course in Brewster, Chequessett Yacht & Country Club in Wellfleet, Highland Golf Links in Truro and Cranberry Valley Golf Course in Harwich.

Experience glorious sunsets and windswept beaches. Fish, swim and kayak from bay beaches. Or experience the awe-inspiring sight of whales rising from the deep. Witness Eastham's cherished past at its museums, a working windmill, and preserved lighthouses. Explore Eastham's diverse restaurants, shops and art galleries for a taste of local culture and character.

Cape Cod Attractions

• Martha's Vineyard - Each of the Island's six towns provides access to spectacular beaches, harbors, shops, restaurants, performing arts and attractions. Named for a local whaling captain, Owen Park overlooks Vineyard Haven Harbor, home to hundreds of wooden boats in the summertime. A peaceful spot located near the ferry and Main Street, Owen Park and Owen Park Beach are great places to enjoy a picnic or wait for the ferry. Local town bands as well as visiting bands hold concerts here in the summer. Journey down the rural roads of Martha's Vineyard, past field and farm, to the simple fishing hamlet of Menemsha. The town beach at Menemsha, overlooking Vineyard Sound, offers views of the Elizabeth Islands and is considered the perfect spot to watch the sunset. The fish market, deli, and shops near Dutcher's Dock make Menemsha a perfect lunch or evening excursion. A 15-minute walk along East Chop Drive, off Oak Bluffs Harbor, the East Chop Lighthouse is perched atop Telegraph Hill, a scenic bluff overlooking Nantucket Sound.
  
• Cape Cod Whale Watch - Watching the majestic whales rise from the deep is an awe-inspiring experience. Whale watching crews leave regularly from Plymouth, Barnstable and Provincetown Harbors, and most guarantee a sighting. No matter where you embark, your cruise will take you to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, the Atlantic whales' favorite feeding grounds. Each year, beginning in late winter, whales return to the Sanctuary, which encompasses over 600 square nautical miles. Since the water is shallow here, plankton upon which whales feed rises closer to the surface. You'll see whales breaching (leaping straight out of the water into the air), spyhopping (holding their heads high out of the water as if having a look around) or sounding (executing a dive). Enjoy summer sunset whale watches, expert commentary from on-board naturalists and private charters. Provincetown is the closest port to the densely populated Stellwagen Bank making it an ideal whale watching departure point. Board one of the whale watching vessels in P'town harbor, for a 3-hour whale watch into the waters of Stellwagen Bank.
  
  
• Audubon Sanctuary - Wellfleet Bay's 1,100 acres of salt marsh, sandy beach, pine woodland, freshwater pond, and rare heathland attract a wide array of wildlife, especially songbirds and shorebirds. Discover the true nature of Cape Cod as you amble along the five miles of trails that traverse these habitats. The scenic trails are complemented by the Nature Center's green architecture, friendly volunteers, and a beautiful butterfly and hummingbird garden.
  
• Cape Cod National Seashore - The Cape Cod National Seashore offers ranger-led activities, hour-long programs for children ages 6 to 12, including environmental games, explorations and activities, and beach browsing on the Outer Cape to find clues to the marine life offshore and the forces that shape the land during an hour-long walk. Take an hour-long tour of the Province Lands dunes to see what plants and animals call this changing land home and how they need to be protected or a two-hour open house, including information about the shipwrecks of Cape Cod and the heroic work of the life savers inside the historic Old Harbor Life Saving Station.
  
  
• Cape Cod Scenic Railroad - The Cape Cod Scenic Railroad offers four scenic and exciting excursions. The award-winning Elegant Dinner Train was featured among the top three dinner trains nationwide by TV Food Network's Dining on the Train. Recapture the romance of a by-gone era while you enjoy a five course gourmet meal served on crisp white linen by a friendly and attentive staff as you journey through scenic Cape Cod. You may prefer the Luncheon Train or their Family Supper Train. For a less formal train ride, try the Scenic Excursion Train. Named one of the top ten scenic train rides in the country by USA Today, the two-hour scenic excursions are perfect for all ages. Climb aboard the Cape Cod Central and feel the thrill as the whistle blows and your fun-filled adventure begins. The rhythm of the train and the spirit of the crew will whisk you away on an exhilarating two-hour journey by rail. You'll pass beautiful cranberry bogs, natural woodlands, and lush marshes as you make your way between Hyannis and the Cape Cod Canal.
  
  
• Cape Cod Melody Tent - Located in Hyannis, the Cape Cod Melody Tent features concerts, music, plays, events and shows, For more than 50 years, it's one of the Cape's best places to see a concert.
  
  
• Cape Playhouse - Located in nearby Dennis, the Cape Playhouse is America's Oldest Professional Summer Theatre, offering a variety of Broadway plays, comedies, mysteries and musicals with matinee and evening performances. Children's Theatre is a must!
  
  

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Eastham, Cape Cod Landmarks

• Nauset Lighthouse - Located within the Cape Cod National Seashore, Nauset Light is one of the most famous lighthouses on the east coast. Originally built in 1887, it was moved to Eastham from Chatham in 1923 to replace the Three Sisters. The upper portion of the beacon was painted red in 1940 to distinguish it from Highland and Chatham lights. Nauset Light was in danger of being lost to erosion, and in 1993 the Coast Guard proposed decommissioning the light. The light was saved, however, by the Nauset Light Preservation Society, which financed a project to move the light further inland, which was finally completed in 1996. This working lighthouse is visible 15 ½ miles out to sea.
  
  
• Old Eastham Windmill - Located on the Town Green at Route 6 and Samoset Road (across from Town Hall), the Eastham Windmill was originally constructed by Thomas Paine in Plymouth in 1680. Moved to Eastham in 1793, this windmill is the oldest working historical windmill on Cape Cod, and is still occasionally used to grind corn.
  
  
• Three Sisters Lighthouses - These are located 1/2 mile from Nauset Light Beach on Cable Road. In 1837, a lighthouse station was established at Nauset Beach - halfway between the single light at Highland, and the twins at Chatham. To distinguish the Nauset Station, a keeper's house and three small towers of brick were constructed 150 feet apart. Two towers were taken out of service in 1911 and the third was replaced in 1923 with the "New Nauset Light." In 1975, the National Park Service purchased all of the Three Sisters Lights and conducted a $510,000 restoration that was completed in 1989. The Three Sisters now rest together and can be viewed with a short walk from Nauset Light Beach.

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Cape Cod Beaches

• Cape Cod National Seashore - Approximately 27,000 acres of uplands from the Southern tip of Monomoy Island off Chatham to Provincetown comprise the Cape Cod National Seashore. A bill, signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 ensured the conservation and preservation of some of the area's most beautiful natural surroundings as well as approximately 30 miles of the finest seashore on the Atlantic Coast. Eastham is considered the "Gateway to the National Seashore" with the Salt Pond Visitors Center, the Nauset Marsh Hiking Trails and two beaches, Coast Guard and Nauset Light.

• Coast Guard Beach - Coast Guard Beach is a prime swimming beach during the summer season. From mid-June to Labor Day, the parking lot at this location is closed, and access is provided by shuttle bus from the Little Creek parking area (across from the Doane Picnic Area). Although the parking lot at Coast Guard Beach is open the remainder of the year, parking is limited. It is also a good area to hike along the outer beach, and observe long-shore transport of sand (through wind and wave action), coastal erosion, and dune building barrier beach processes. Coast Guard Beach is located 1 ½ miles East on Nauset and Doane Roads (on road to beach from Salt Pond Visitor Center). Look for brown and white signs.

• Nauset Lighthouse Beach - Located one mile north of Coast Guard Beach on Ocean View Drive in Eastham, this area is the first visible portion of the glacial scarp (cliff) that drains from east to west between Eastham and Truro.

• Cape Cod Bay Beaches - The western border of Eastham is lined with six miles of beautiful beaches overlooking Cape Cod Bay. Just as magical as the National Seashore, Cape Cod Bay offers calmer and warmer waters, amazing flats at low tide and breathtaking sunsets. The most notable and largest Eastham bay beach is First Encounter, the location where the native Indians first encountered the pilgrims in 1620.

• Rock Harbor - Rock Harbor is a small beach and marina on Orleans' Cape Cod Bay shore, known for the best sunsets on the Cape. Extensive low tide sand flat exposure, up to a half-mile offshore in some areas, and acres of sand bars are a veritable playground for everyone. Rock Harbor conjures images of magical sunsets, romance, beauty, nature, good memories, kids making sand castles at low tide, and deep thoughts.

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Cape Cod Biking

• National Seashore Bike Trails - The Cape Cod National Seashore maintains three bicycle trails. Roller-skating, skateboarding, and the use of motorized vehicles, including mopeds, on these paved trails are prohibited. The Province Lands Bike Trail is a five mile loop, offering a hilly trail winding among beech and oak forests, sand dunes and freshwater ponds. Head of the Meadow Bike Trail is a level trail that skirts the edge of a freshwater marsh and provides glimpses of the marsh and dunes - two miles each way. The Nauset Bike Trail starts at the National Seashore Visitor Eatham Center and only two and one quarter miles later ends at Coast Guard Beach. Magnificent vistas of the salt marsh and the great Atlantic Ocean are not to be missed. This trail is wheelchair accessible, and can be shortened by starting at the Doane Rock picnic area.

Cape Cod Hiking

• Buttonbush Trail - The Buttonbush Trail at Salt Pond Visitor's Center is a short trail designed for the visually handicapped with a rope guide and interpretive text panels in braille and large lettering.

• Fort Hill Trail - Fort Hill Trail runs through the Rural Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places and offers spectacular views of Nauset Marsh, the Nauset Spit and the Atlantic Ocean.

• Nauset Marsh Trail - Nauset Marsh Trail is a half-mile loop that skirts Salt Pond and Nauset Marsh and returns through transitional forest and fields. The area is well suited for studies of salt marsh ecosystems and upland succession. It also offers excellent bird watching opportunities.

• Many lesser known hiking trails throughout the town offer a rich variety of habitats including the intriguing seasonal herring run from Bridge Pond, the wildflower meadows, fresh-water ponds and an abundance of bird watching opportunities. More information is available at the National Seashore's Salt Pond Visitor's Center or the Eastham Information Center.

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Cape Cod Wineries

• Truro Vineyard - Located in nearby Truro, Mass., Cape Cod, Truro Vineyards is Cape Cod's first vinifera vineyard on a historic 18th-century farmstead. Truro Vineyards features beautiful grounds with picnic areas, antique winemaking displays and a museum. Winery tours are available of their newly-restored barn which houses the winery. Visit their Tasting Room and Wine Shop. The vineyard is located near National Seashore beaches, the Cape Cod Lighthouse, whale watching, bicycle trails and museums.
  

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Cape Cod Events

• Windmill Weekend - Every year, the weekend after Labor Day - residents and visitors of Eastham come together for a weekend of fun activities centered around the village green with its famous windmill. The popular 3-day event includes a parade with floats and marching bands, as well as live musical performances, an arts and crafts fair, antique auto parade and much more. There is no cost to enter the fair, but lots to purchase.

• Provincetown Events - Regardless of the season, there's always something exciting happening in Provincetown . . .
  
  The Annual Women's Week in Octoberwill be a festive celebration of women and diversity in Provincetown. Don't miss the talented musicians and comedians that will grace festival stages, plus original theater productions and fabulous dance parties. Women's Week will also present sports events, readings by new lesbian authors, a crafts fair, events for singles, hikes through the dunes, and social gatherings at our inns for you to meet new friends or lovers.
  
  Provincetown Family Week, sponsored by FAMILY PRIDE COALITION with COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere), is a community building experience packed with family activities, including beach picnics, family dances, kite flying, sandcastle building, campfire sing-alongs, fun workshops, and much more! Held in early August, Family Week provides a safe and vibrant atmosphere for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) families to gather from all over the country. It is an ideal opportunity for children to meet other children with LGBT parents and for parents to share experiences.
  
  Carnival week - will illuminate the streets of Provincetown in August, with excitement and pride. From the Opening Party at the Boatslip featuring shows, drag king and queen competitions, and great music, to the Pride Parade down Commercial Street to the wild Closing Party at Crown & Anchor, Carnival promises to be the biggest weekend bash in Provincetown.
  
  Held every June, the Provincetown International Film Festival is a fast-growing and increasingly renowned festival showcasing independent American and international films, and dedicated to nurturing aspiring independent filmmakers and honoring industry luminaries, and to preserving cinema as an art form through educational forums.

• Outdoor Artshow - Outdoor Artshow sponsored by the Eastham Painters Guild is held on the grounds of the Schoolhouse Museum on Thursdays and Fridays throughout the summer.

• Wellfleet OysterFest - The Annual Wellfleet OysterFest is held in neighboring Wellfleet the weekend after Columbus Day. This two day celebration, dedicated to promioting the delicious Wellfleet Oyster, includes oyster shucking competition, oyster tasting, arts & crafts, a road race and much more.

• Pan-Massachusette Challenge - The Pan-Massachusette Challenge cycling event, passes through Eastham every August to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. For more information, call 800-WE-CYCLE or visit www.pmc.org

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Cape Cod Museums/History

• Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum - Walk to the top of the Pilgrim Monument and delight in the panoramic view of Cape Cod Bay and Provincetown Harbor, including the sand dunes of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Visit the Provincetown Museum and experience Provincetown and Lower Cape history through featured exhibits on the Pilgrims, maritime history, and the early days of modern American theater in Provincetown with Eugene O'Neill and the Provincetown Players.

• John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum - The JFK Hyannis Museum is a multimedia exhibit designed to open a window on the days JFK spent on Cape Cod; days relaxing with family, days playing football buddies, days spent sailing on the ocean to which he was so constantly drawn. The exhibit features over 80 photographs spanning the years 1934 to 1963 and is arranged in thematic groupings to reflect John F. Kennedy, his family, his friends and the Cape Cod he so dearly loved. In addition to photography, a video narrated by Walter Cronkite depicts the president's experiences on the Cape. Several themed areas include charged oral histories of JFK's friends.

• Cape Cod Museum of Natural History - The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster, Massachusetts, was founded in 1954 to encourage and advance understanding of the natural environment through discovery and learning. The museum is housed in a 17,000 square foot building on its own 80-acre site, abutted by 300 acres of town-owned conservation land. There are two floors of exhibits about the flora and fauna of Cape Cod, including exhibits on whales, indigenous birds, coastal change, and several aquaria holding different species of crustaceans, mollusks, fish, frogs, turtles and snakes. Several displays are interactive and geared to children. Special, temporary exhibits enhance the permanent collection. The Museum has a library and Museum Store. Three nature trails meander through woodland, salt marsh or on the shore of Cape Cod Bay and guided field walks are offered year round, daily in summer. Lectures and workshops on natural history topics are offered year round, and there are special programs for children, as well as school vacation programs and summer camp to engage them in nature.

• Cape Museum of Fine Art - The Cape Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1981 to focus on the prominent artists of Cape Cod and preserve their work on the Cape. Experience the beauty in exhibits in 7 galleries, stroll and relax in the delightful sculpture garden, treat the kids to special summer classes, or catch a movie in the Screening Room. The Cape continues to beckon and inspire fine artists with its brilliant light, its enhanced colors, its scenes of simple natural beauty, and its people. www.cmfa.org.

• Swift-Daly House - The Swift-Daly House is located on Route 6 next to the Post Office. Built in 1741, its bowed roof is typical of early houses built by ships' carpenters, with wide board floors, deep kitchen fireplace and narrow stairways. Completely furnished, its collection includes examples of period clothing, china, Indian artifacts, quilts and household items. Adjacent is the Tool Museum displaying hundreds of tools, many unusual and unique to New England.

• The Penniman House - The Penniman House, located on Governor Prence Road at Fort Hill was built in 1868 by Captain Edward Penniman in the Second Empire style, making it a favorite of both architectural and history buffs. It is one of the most resplendent sea captains' homes on Cape Cod.

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