Category Archives: Cape Cod

Gardens of Fun. Beauty and Adventure all in One!

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Heritage Gardens Sign

Flower garden at the parking areaThe Heritage Museums and Gardens

Where can you have a fun day surrounded by flowers and gardens and even have an adventure? Located on Upper cape Cod in the little town of Sandwich , Ma you can find a gem of a Museum. The Heritage Museums and Gardens don’t stop with just flowers. There are  exhibits, a carousel, antique cars and even a Zip line. Truly something for everyone.

Checking out the Little Museum and Grounds

I had perfect weather for a little outdoor exploration. I was looking for something new to me that wouldn’t require a 3 hour drive. Sandwich, MA is just about 40 minutes from my home…as long as you avoid the Cape Cod Traffic. For the 2nd time in 2 weeks I headed south on Rt 495 and the Bourne Bridge. Once I crossed the bridge it was just a short drive to RT 130 where I spotted the signs for Heritage Museum and Gardens. As I pulled in I was pleased to see there was parking available. Quite a few people were strolling around following a path down a hill. I bought my ticket for the gardens which included the Museums and started up another paved path.

Windmill gardensFlowers, Nature and a Windmill

Flowers lined the path providing a riot of color and lots of photo ops. There are a series of buildings that I didn’t explore this trip. One building houses the antique car collection. Another holds an art collection. There’s a cafe that seemed to be doing a brisk business. As I wandered along I heard falling water. I looked around and spotted a man-made waterfall peeking through the trees. I wasn’t sure how to get to it but figured I’d find it eventually.Wind Mill First I wanted to check out the  windmill. Daylillies ring the lawn area around the Windmill while a gorgeous garden blooms near the entrance to the space. Benches are placed strategically around the grounds.

Waterfall

 

Daylillies

Lilly Pond and falling water

I left the Windmill Garden and started down the hill. I briefly considered that I’d have to walk back up it The Man made waterfalllater but I was too interested in seeing the next garden to worry about the return trip. The next Garden was at the bottom of the hill. A large expanse of green lawn gently sloped up to the waterfall I’d seen earlier. The water was falling into a circular pond loaded with Lilly pads. The lawn was surrounded by more daylillies.  I could imagine this as a wonderful wedding venue. Here too benches were set around the pond so you could sit quietly and enjoy the gentle sounds of falling water.

Flowering Lilly pads

Seafood Sam’s , Casual Dining on a Canal

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Seafood Sam’s is Food with a View

Sail Boat cruising the Cape Cod Canal

Seafood Sam’s is a summer staple for me. Alone or in a group I have to make the trip to Sandwich, MA at least once a summer. Seated at a metal picnic table on a covered outdoor deck one can watch the boats cruising the Cape Cod Canal with a plate of succulent seafood to enjoy.

Seafood Sam's sign in Sandwich MaThe Seafood Sam’s Story

The first Seafood Sam’s opened in 1974 in an old laundromat. Tiny with no seating, there were only 6 employees. Their equipment was ancient but serviceable and Sam had a dream. Today that dream has expanded to  three locations, all located on Cape Cod. You can find a Seafood Sam’s in Sandwich, Falmouth and South  Yarmouth.

In the Good ‘ol Summertime

I like Seafood Sam’s because it screams summer to me. Nice breezes off the canal or ocean, fresh seafood, the cry of gulls. Its Casual Dining too so shorts and flip flops are the dress code. Comfortable is theme of the day. I bet you could even wear that Hawaiian shirt from your Aloha vacation!dining area

What’s your Favorite Summer Meal?

What meal do you crave when the sun gets warm and the soft ocean breezes begin calling your name? I wonder what food means summertime to you? Is it Lobster, clams, scallops? Do you like them fried, steamed, in a salad, broiled or baked? How about an old fashioned clam bake on the beach with lobsters and corn on the cob?

Seafood Sam’s Menu

fried seafood plate with friesYou may not be able to get a clam bake on the beach at Seafood Sam’s but you can get just about everything else. They have fish and chips along with everything else I mentioned and save room for dessert. I saw some chocolate chunk cookies that look like they were to die for! I resisted. My lunch version ( slightly smaller portion) of fried scallops was plenty filling. Like Goldilocks I found the meal that was just right!

If You GoSeafood Sam's in Sanwich MA

If you go expect that it can get busy. You’ll find yourself standing in line to place your order.I figure it’s just more time to study the menu board. Ocean breezes can make even a summer day feel cool so you might want a sweater or windbreaker if you plan to sit outside. At the Sandwich location be sure to visit the Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center. It’s right next door and filled with interesting information about the amazing canal. 

Woods Hole is More than A Pretty Cape Cod Town

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Woods Hole is More than A Pretty Cape Cod Town

Woods Hole, Massachusetts has always loomed large in my mind. As a kid growing up I wanted to be a Marine Biologist. At that time the place to be in that field was Woods Hole.  Cutting edge science discoveries came out of Woods Hole. Besides, they had all of the cool toys like the RV Atlantis.

The RV AtlantisRV Atlantis home to Alvin

We actually got to see it, the RV Atlantis. The RV stands for research vessel. It is one of three ships built to roughly the same specifications. Her main claim to fame is that she is often home to the DSV Alvin. DSV is Deep Submersible Vessel.  Alvin came to the public’s attention as the DSV that explored the Titanic.  Pretty cool, huh. Ok so I’m getting my “geek” on. So sorry . We didn’t see Alvin or even get on the Atlantis but for a science freak like me it was pretty special.

Follow the Fish

Squid gateWe passed a large gate adorned with squid as we wandered in the direction of the Woods Hole Science Aquarium. You really can’t miss it. Just follow the fish signs. Outside the aquarium is a decorative whale sculpture and the seal enclosure. It’s was quite sad to see the empty enclosure. Two long term residents had just died and the aquarium closed the exhibit to investigate the deaths. As far as I know they have not released any conclusions. Painted Whale scupture

Lovely Fish and more

colorful yellow fishThe aquarium is free, donations only. It’s very tiny. It won’t take even an hour to explore but the aquariums are well lit, clean and colorful. There is even a behind the scenes exhibit where you can watch the water get pumped in and filtered. Various fish swim in separate tanks apparently off display or possibly quarantined. They have a touch tank there and they  had a  cute little turtle. Cute little turtle swiming

 

colorful reef fishI’d be boring and out of my league if I started naming all of the fish they had on display so I won’t even try but they do have sea horses! 

If You Go

Woods Hole Science Aquarium is open Tuesday – Saturday, 11-4. Admission is free but donations are appreciated. Parking is very limited especially during the summer. Visitors should use public transportation if possible. There is  no off-street parking available (other than two handicapped spaces). The village has on-street metered parking, but the spots fill up quickly in busy summer months. During the summer, you may want to park in Falmouth and use the capecodtransit.org.

A Cape Cod Birthday Celebration

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A Cape Cod Birthday Celebration

What more could you ask for than spending summer time on Cape Cod. Throw in a birthday to celebrate and you have the ingredients for a perfect day. The question is, can you get there?

First there is the driveBourne Bridge to Cape Cod

 The only way on or off the “Cape” is over one of 2 bridges, the Sagamore and the Bourne. Which one you take depends on where you want to go on  the Cape. The Birthday Girl wanted a”lobsta roll” by the sea.  The Phantom Gourmet suggested Captain Kidd Restaurant in Woods Hole. The Cape Cod Birthday Adventure began at 10:30 am in Brockton, MA. About 3 miles from the Bourne Bridge traffic came to a complete stop. It didn’t matter that we were on a highway with a speed limit of 65 mph. Summer Cape traffic had brought our little excursion to a halt.

Cross Over The Bridge

We had reservations at the restaurant for 1 pm. By 12:00 we had the bridge in sight but we were still just inching along. Finally we squeezed into the 2 lanes of traffic to climb the bridge over the Cape Cod Canal. The views from the bridge are amazing, marred only by the suicide barrier installed to keep the depressed and hopeless alive until they can get help. What a depressing thought!

Captain Kidd RestaurantPicture window

Once over the bridge the traffic began to move and in less that 30 minutes we were entering the little town of Woods Hole. We spotted the restaurant as we waited for a draw bridge to close after letting several small pleasure boats pass from the inner harbor out to the open ocean.

With luck we found parking about a block from the restaurant. In spite of the reservation there was no room on the outdoor deck. The compromise was a table right in front of a large picture window looking out over the inner harbor.

 

Lobster rollsLobster Rolls were the lunch of the day as the birthday girl, her son and daughter all indulged in the seasonal delicacy.

 

I had to be different with a plate of fried sea scallops fresh from the boat. Trust me, you can’t mistake frozen for fresh. The difference is huge. Fried Scallops

 

 

 

 

We were all stuffed after that lunch so a break at the Aquarium before we looked for desert seemed like a great plan.

 

 

Orca!

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My neighbors and I were discussing my whale watch adventure and one of them kept asking if I saw any pretty black and white whales. I said not, Orca’s don’t come down to our coast.

That night on the news the headline was ORCA SIGHTING OFF CHATHAM, CAPE COD!

Orca

Guess that will each me to say we don’t get killer whales around here!

Read more here:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/07/05/fisherman-spots-orcas-off-chatham-rare-sight-for-new-england/X8F0w9iBOXgASgycnWcMBM/story.html