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Upper Cape Tour

Including: Mashpee/Waquoit/E. Falmouth, Falmouth Heights/Surf Drive, Woods Hole, Falmouth Proper, W. Falmouth/N. Falmouth/Bourne and Sandwich.

Old Indian Meetinghouse

Mashpee,Waquoit & East Falmouth
Begin on Rte. 28, heading west toward Falmouth. Just before the New Seabury Rotary, turn right onto Old Meetinghouse Road. Shortly, you will see the Old Indian Meetinghouse. Built in 1684 and moved here in 1717, it is the oldest surviving Meetinghouse on the Cape. Tour the Old Indian Burying Ground, dating to the 1700s, by the side of the road.

Continue, bearing right onto Great Neck Road. Just after the Town Hall, turn left onto Main Street, Route 130. The Wampanoag Indian Museum is across from Lake Avenue.

Backtrack to Great Neck Road to the New Seabury Rotary. Continue on Rte. 28. When you reach the Waquoit area, you will see the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Reserve on your left. Here, trails wind through 2500 acres of salt marshes, bogs, wetlands and beautiful South Cape Beach.

In East Falmouth, turn left onto Central Ave (near a shopping complex) and continue to the end. A coastal route, along ponds, Green Pond Harbor and Menauhant, Maravista and Bristol Beaches awaits.

A look at Falmouth Heights

Falmouth Heights & Surf Drive
As the road veers left at Grand Avenue, you are entering Falmouth Heights. Centuries ago, Awashonks, Queen of the Narragansett Indians, summered on these bluffs. In the 1870s, posh Carpenter Gothic homes and Victorian Shingle Style inns made this a fashionable retreat. Central Park once hosted a political rally for President Herbert Hoover. In the early 1900s, St. Thomas Chapel was a dance pavilion and nearby MacDougall's Boatyard (est. 1914) serviced the boats of many celebrities, including President J.F. Kennedy, Robert Montgomery and James Cagney.

Just after the port for the Island Queen ferry service to the islands, turn left onto Robbins Road, then left again onto Scranton Ave. You'll soon see the bandshell for summer concerts in the park next to Falmouth Harbor, a beautiful place to stroll.

From Scranton, turn right onto Clinton, then left onto Shore Road to Surf Drive. Ship captains' homes, a 100-acre dairy and vegetable farm, saltworks and glassworks once thrived in this area. During the War of 1812, the British aboard the Nimrod bombarded Falmouth from Vineyard Sound. Although no lives were lost, cannonballs ripped through many houses.

Woods Hole Drawbridge

Woods Hole
Continue on Surf Drive paralleling the coast to Woods Hole. The Shining Sea Bike Path on your left follows the Old Penn Central Railroad. Martha's Vineyard is in the distance. You will eventually pass Nobska Lighthouse, which has guided vessels since the early 1800s. When you reach the intersection at Woods Hole Road, turn left into town, a great spot to explore on foot.

Although many places are closed off-season, look for these landmarks: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Exhibit Center (School St.), the largest independent oceanography lab in the country; Aquarium of the National Marine Fisheries (Albatross Street), possibly the oldest (est. 1871) aquarium in the country; Church of the Messiah (Church Street), where nine Nobel prizewinners are buried.

From town, take School Street to Quisset Road to Quisset Harbor Road (left). At the far end of Quisset Harbor, take the path to the Knob, a rocky beach and bird sanctuary. From Quisset Harbor Road, turn left onto Woods Hole Road to Falmouth.

Falmouth Proper
In Falmouth, turn right onto West Main Street. As you approach the Village Green, note the Katharine Lee Bates house (privately owned) on your left. The noted writer, author of America The Beautiful, lived here until age twelve. The Village Green, laid out in 1749, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A bell cast by Paul Revere in 1796 still rings at the First Congregational Church. The historic Julia Wood House and Conant House, run by the Falmouth Historical Society, are on Palmer Avenue just past the Green. Explore the shops along Main Street, then, from the Village Green, take Palmer Ave, to Rte. 28 to Rte. 28A.

West Falmouth, North Falmouth & Bourne
In West Falmouth, detour from 28A at Chapaquoit Road to West Famouth Harbor and a lovely beach. In North Falmouth, discover Bourne Farm, a 1775 restored farm house with walking trails. In Cautamet, opt for County Road, then Shore Road to access beaches in Pocasset, Monument Beach and Gray Gables, former summer residence of President Grover Cleveland.

When you are paralleling the Cape Cod Canal on Shore Road, turn onto Aptucxet Road. The Aptucxet Trading Post, is a recreation of the post the Pilgrims established in 1627 to facilitate commerce.

Shore Road becomes Sandwich Road, leading to the Bourne Bridge Rotary. Take the Route 6 exit and continue to Route 6A. Eight miles of paved trails parallel both sides of the Cape Cod Canal--stop and explore.

Shawme Pond

Historic Sandwich
From Route 6A, turn left onto Jarves Street, then left onto Factory Street to the Boardwalk. This 1350-foot walkway crosses marshland and leads to Town Neck Beach. Backtrack to Jarves Street, cross Rte. 6A and continue to Main Street.

Park and explore these nearby sites: The Sandwich Glass Museum (129 Main St.) features more than 5,000 pieces of this internationally known 19th Century Glass. The First Church of Christ (136 Main St.), features a brass bell, cast in 1675 and considered to be the oldest in the country. The Thornton Burgess Museum (4 Water St.) honors the Sandwich native who wrote more than 15,000 stories, including the popular tales about Peter Rabbit. Nearby, note the Hoxie House (1675), thought to be the oldest on the Cape, and the historic Dexter Grist Mill on Shawme Pond.

From here, take Rte. 130 to Rte. 6, which will take you back to any point on the Cape.