Things to do on a rainy day in cape cod

The Cape averages 3 to 4 inches of rain per month. Rain does not, however, have to put a damper on your vacation fun. If you look around a bit, you can find plenty to keep you busy.

Here are 15 engaging activities for rainy days on the Cape:

1. Have a bowl of chowder. Nothing takes the nip off a rainy day better than a steaming hot bowl of clam chowder. Top picks include the Lobster Pot (Provincetown), the Chatham Squire (Chatham), and Mill Way Fish and Lobster (Barnstable).

2. Go storm-watching. If it's an exciting storm, grab lunch at a waterfront restaurant and watch the surf outside your window. Some excellent choices for this activity include Fanizzi's by the Sea in Provincetown, Brax Landing in Harwich, and Fishmonger's Café in Woods Hole.

3. Visit the Cape Cod Children's Museum. Filled with interactive exhibits and games, plus a 30-foot play pirate ship, this Mashpee wonderland is geared mostly to kids around 8 and younger.

4. Curl up with a book in front of the fire. You may think it odd to book a room with a fireplace on Cape Cod. But on those rainy days a fireplace can be a real treasure, and quite a few inns and vacation rentals have in-room fireplaces.

5. Sample some fine wines. In East Falmouth, Cape Cod Winery produces six well-respected wines, some of which have won medals in prestigious competitions.

6. See a performance at the Cape Playhouse. This famous 26-acre compound comprises the main theater, the Cape Museum of Fine Arts, and the Cape Cinema; there's children's theater on Friday mornings in July and August.

7. Visit the Sandwich Glass Museum. On artsy Cape Cod, you can always pass time on a rainy day visiting local art galleries, but for a truly memorable art encounter drop by this museum that traces the history of this prestigious glassmaking company.

8. Take a whale-watching trip. You're every bit as likely to see whales when it rains as when it's sunny, and two well-known Provincetown whale-watching tour operators -- Dolphin Fleet and Portuguese Princess -- offer these trips rain or shine, as does Hyannis's Whale Watcher Cruises.

9. Work up a sweat at the gym. Willy's Gym in North Eastham and Orleans, the Mid Cape Racquet Club in South Yarmouth, and Falmouth Sports Center in Woods Hole all have indoor racquetball, squash, tennis, and basketball courts.

10. Head to a Christmas Tree Shop -- you'll find them in Sagamore, Yarmouthport, Orleans, Falmouth, and Hyannis. These massive, rambling shops are loaded with bargain-priced goods, from kitschy treasures to discontinued bulk items.

11. Book a spa treatment. Several Cape hotels have opened full-service spas (open to guests and nonguests) in recent years: the Crowne Pointe Inn in Provincetown, the Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis, and Dan'l Webster Inn in Sandwich.

12. Go for a walk on the beach. Don't assume that the beach is only worth a visit when it's sunny outside -- a rainy stroll can also be highly enjoyable.

13. Take pictures. Cape Cod offers plenty of photo-ops in the rain, from windswept sand dunes at Cape Cod National Seashore to dramatic street scenes in Provincetown and Dennis.

14. Head to the library. Each town on the Cape has a public library, and many of these sponsor children's programs, lectures, storytelling, art installations, and author readings.

15. Attend a matinee at the movies. The Cape is dotted with movie theaters, and although they get crowded when it rains, most theaters do offer lower-priced tickets early in the day.

-by Andrew Collins

What to do on Cape Cod on a rainy day, or when you have had a little too much sand and sun? While the classic choice, of course, is to go driving around and shopping, there are lots of other things that you can do on the Cape, too. The ideas listed here are not in any particular order - we all have different interests; so browse through some of the possibilities here, pick one or two, and you will probably find that you will have a great time doing some unplanned things, and may even remember your "rainy day" time more than all that sunny day time!

There are dozens of many different museums on the Cape, focusing on many different areas. The visitor centers at the National Park in Eastham and in Provincetown both have fascinating displays about the Cape. Kids will really love them. The Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown has a great museum as well. The Natural History Museum in Brewster has many different animals to see and can be a fun stop. There is a great visitor center at the Cape Cod Canal that many people miss. Some other museums include the Heritage Plantation, Nye Homestead, Sandwich Glass Museum and Pairpoint Glassworks in Sandwich, the French Cable Museum in Orleans, Highfield Hall in Falmouth, the Museum of Art in Dennis, the National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay, the Maritime Museum and Kennedy Museum in Hyannis, the Children's Museam, Wampanoag Museum, and Indian Meeting House in Mashpee, the Pirate Museum in Yarmouth, the Aquarium and other museums in Woods Hole, and the Railroad Museum and Marconi Museum in Chatham. Each town also has their own historical museums, many with very large collections on display. There are also many art galleries around the Cape, well worth checking out! Hunting for antiques is a great pastime, as well.

Don't forget the libraries. Kids love their screens, but they love to pick a book and read, too. The libraries on Cape Cod are very friendly to visitors, easy parking for the most part, and a great place to meet some locals, ask some questions about the area, find some books about the seashore and the Cape. Many set up special rainy day activities, especially for children. There are libraries in every town on the Cape; some towns like Dennis even have multiple libraries all around the town. Really great libraries are the Brewster Ladies Library, the Dennis Public Library, the Hyannis Library, the Falmouth Library, Brooks Library in Harwich, Snow Library in Orleans, the Eastham Library and the Truro Library.

Along the same line, check out the local bookstores, too. There are local bookstores in every town as well, from the Booksmith in Orleans to the Brewster Bookstore to Yellow Umbrella Books in Chatham, Parnassus Books in Yarmouthport, Titcomb's Bookshop in Sandwich, Herridge Books in Wellfleet, Market Street Books in Mashpee, Eight Cousins Books in Falmouth and more! You will find a friendly browsing environment, lots of books and gifts about the Cape and many stores have special sections, toys, and gifts, just for children.

There are tours of many different sorts that you could go to as well. Lighthouse tours are available at some lighthouses such as Nobska, Nauset, and Highland light during the summer months. There are many other lighthouses that you can drive to see, and it can be fun doing your own lighthouse tour of the Cape. A favorite tour is the Cape Cod Potato Chips Factory in Hyannis; a free bag of chips is available at the end of the interesting factory tour. Many like to tour the wineries on Cape Cod, including Truro Vineyards, Cape cod Beer in Hyannis, Hog Island Brewery in Orleans, Devils Purse Brewery in Dennis, First Crush Winery in Harwich, Naukabout Brewery in Mashpee, Barnstable Brewing in Hyannis, and Cape Cod Winery in Falmouth.

Of course, there are always movies. Despite having movies with us on our phones all the time, visiting a theater can always be fun. Large theaters are found at the Cape Cod Mall and at Dennis Cinema, but there are over a dozen movie theaters on the Cape, and many local small theaters that are a great place to see a movie, as well. If you are looking for live performances, there are options to see live theaters throughout the Cape as well, many having afternoon performances. The Harwich Junior Theater and the Academy of Performing Arts in Orleans, the Cape Playhouse in Dennis as well as Payomet Theater in Truro, and the Theatre Project in Falmouth are not to be missed.

It is not hard to find places to shop on Cape Cod. Large shopping areas are found at the Cape Cod Mall, Mashpee Commons, the Falmouth mall, as well as at Main Streets in Falmouth, Chatham, Orleans, Wellfleet, Harwichport and Provincetown. There are also some really fun-to-visit general stores on Cape Cod, as well, including those in Brewster, Centerville and Wellfleet. Finally, there are also some great drives on the Cape, too. While traffic to shopping areas and elsewhere can be heavy on rainy days, some key very popular driving routes include all parts of Route 6a, Route 139 from Harwich to Orleans, Route 28 from Harwichport to Orleans, Route 149 from Barnstable to Marstons Mill, and Route 6 from Orleans to Provincetown. And of course, don't forget to stop for ice cream along the way .... there are some really nice ice cream spots in every town of the Cape.

There is plenty of bowling on the Cape, too, and this can be a fun time for the entire family. Large bowling centers are found in Yarmouth, Orleans, Falmouth, and also at the Cape Cod Mall and at Mashpee Commons. There is also laser tag in Hyannis, bumper cars, bumper boats and go-karts along Route 28 in Dennisport and Harwich. In Hyannis, you can ride the Cape Cod Railroad all the way to Buzzards Bay and back. You might consider skating, too! There are public ice-skating times each week at several locations on the Cape, and it can be a great way to cool off in the heat. Key arenas are Gallo Arena in Bourne, Moore Arena in Orleans, the Hyannis Youth and Community Center, and the Tony Kent Arena in Dennis.

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