Experience Fall at the Cape

WRITTEN BY Bek Mitchell-Kidd

No doubt Cape Cod is the quintessential summer vacay. But fall at the Cape is just as magical and moves at a slightly different pace than the other seasons.

The days are still warm and the nights are cooler. There are incredibly picturesque scenes and activities including cranberry harvesting and vibrant foliage—so enchanting you may even forget to post it on Instagram and simply surrender to the moment.

With fewer visitors, exploring the seashores becomes more of an exclusive event, and there’s even a good chance you’ll spot a few whales migrating to their winter homes.

Accommodation options also shift during the fall. A favorite of many of our Peachy readers is Wequassett Resort and Golf Club.

Open through November, Wequassett Resort is an award-winning Forbes Five Star hotel and Cape Cod’s only member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

The guest rooms are lavish, the restaurants acclaimed, two pools, two beaches…the list goes on. But the meticulously landscaped gardens need their own mention.

Florence Kiernan, director of communications at the resort, says, “We feel that our gardens are a signature feature of the resort. Guests and members constantly inquire about the gardens, and many have even selected the same landscape architect, Schumacher, for their residences.”

The resort’s outdoor areas are expansive, encompassing more than 10,000 square feet. Florence says, “One of our most popular settings is the Grand Lawn. This area is often used for wedding ceremonies and sits directly on Pleasant Bay. It is surrounded by Schumacher-planted seasonal gardens and traditional Cape Cod style architecture. It provides a stunning backdrop.”

Nestled on the “elbow” of Cape Cod, the resort has panoramic views of Pleasant Bay and is ideally located to take advantage of autumn activities including the famed Wellfleet Oysterfest, Fall for the Arts, and the Yarmouth Seaside Festival.

A great way to see the Cape is by bike, with many of the trails saving their best for fall. Some trails include seaside sections, bird sanctuaries, salt marshes, pine forests, and cranberry bogs.

Also, the tidal flats of Chatham’s South Beach and the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge are an autumn must-do for avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists. The meeting of the Nantucket Sound and the Atlantic Ocean creates a unique and dynamic environment.

Changing with every storm and tide, there is an abundance of life that calls the seemingly endless stretch of shallow warm tidal flats home. The mixing of warm and cold waters equals fog, but you’ll still see everything from clams and crustaceans to shorebirds and seabirds; some of whom stop nowhere else in the world as they wing their way around the planet.

So before winter sets in and you start planning your own migration to warmer weather, make a little time to experience fall at the Cape.