top of page

Search

143 results found with an empty search

  • Nobska Point Lighthouse | Cape Cod Museum Trail

    Museum Directory Nobska Point Lighthouse Website: https://friendsofnobska.org/ Address : 233 Nobska Rd, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543 Phone: 774-763-6453 Email: info@friendsofnobska.org In the 19th Century, construction of lighthouses along the Atlantic coast was critical for the safety of merchant mariners transporting goods and materials by sea. In 1828, the U.S. government purchased four acres on Nobska (Nobsque) Point for $160 and the first lighthouse on the site, a wooden structure that incorporated keeper’s quarters, was constructed at a cost of $2, 249.In 1841, the first Fresnel lens (pronounced “frennel”) was installed. Named for French physicist Augustin Fresnel, these massive glass lenses are cleverly designed to gather light from a source, concentrate it and emit a beam with a range of many nautical miles. Peter Dagget, the light keeper in 1845, reported using ten oil lamps which consumed 339 gallons annually, carried by hand up to the light room. The wooden light structure operated for 38 years and was replaced in 1876 by the present, 40-foot tall cast iron lighthouse, which was manufactured in Chelsea, Massachusetts. A separate house for the lightkeeper was also built that year. The Fresnel lens was upgraded to a larger, 4th order lens in 1888; this lens is still in place today and may be viewed during a lighthouse tour. Improvements were periodically added to the facility, including construction of a brick oil house, a paint locker and, in 1875, a fog bell tower. In 1905 a second keeper’s dwelling was added; a 1 ½ story, wood frame structure built at a cost of $6,000. By 1919, electricity had come to Cape Cod and the light was electrified with a 150-watt bulb, making oil obsolete. The Nobska Point Lighthouse was operated by the U.S. Lighthouse Service for 111 years, from 1828 until 1939, when the Service was merged with the U.S. Coast Guard. By 1949, the Woods Hole Coast Guard also had responsibility for 23 other manned lighthouses as well as for eight lightships; Nantucket, Handkerchief, Pollack Rip, Stone Horse, Cross Rip, Vineyard, Hens and Chickens and Bretton Reef. In 2014, the Coast Guard advertised for bidders to assume responsibility for the lighthouse, tower, and land surrounding the structures. The Town of Falmouth was the successful bidder, becoming the licensee with the understanding that the property would continue to belong to the federal government and as public property, must be open to the public for free. The Town, in turn, in March 2016, gave responsibility for restoration, maintenance and operation as a museum to the Friends of Nobska Light. Hours: Mon. Closed Tue. Closed Wed. Closed Thu. Closed Fri. Closed Sat. Closed Sun. Closed 233 Nobska Road, Woods Hole, Falmouth, MA, USA

  • Woods Hole Historical Museum | Cape Cod Museum Trail

    Museum Directory Woods Hole Historical Museum Website: https://woodsholemuseum.org/ Address: 579 Woods Hole Rd, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543 Phone: 508-548-7270 Email: whhmdirector@gmail.com On the museum campus are the Bradley House, where the museum galleries, archives, shop and offices are located; the Small Boat Museum; the Yale Workshop, and the Small Boat Restoration workshop. Bradley House was built around 1804. Two galleries show exhibits that change each year. The third gallery contains a permanent scale model of Woods Hole, circa 1895. The Small Boat Museum in the Swift Barn, which was built in 1877 by E. E. Swift, has displays that include an 1890s Woods Hole Spritsail boat, a Herreshoff 12 1/2, a Cape Cod Knockabout, a Mirror dinghy, a 1922 Old Town canoe, a Woods Hole Chamberlain dory and many boat models and maritime artifacts. There is a children’s inter-active exhibit where children can climb aboard the Cape Cod Knockabout Penguin. The Yale Workshop, circa 1892, recreates the domain of a 19th century Renaissance man who summered in Quissett. The shop contains a display of artifacts, many original, as well as some acquired as representative of the era, including books, maps, 19th century tools, equipment, etchings and artifacts appropriate to Dr. Yale’s interests. Behind the Small Boat Museum are the workshops that house the boat restoration program. Every Saturday morning students of all ages get together to learn the art and skills of building wooden boats. The Walsh Memorial Garden is dedicated to the memory of Michael Walsh, a gardener from North Wales, who came to work in 1877 on the Joseph Story Fay estate in Woods Hole. It was here that Walsh hybridized many world famous Rambler roses. Hours: Mon. Closed Tue. Closed Wed. Closed Thu. Closed Fri. Closed Sat. Closed Sun. Closed 579 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA, USA

  • Ongoing Sundays, 10:30 AM-11:30 AM | Cape Cod Museum Trail

    Events Weekly Craft Lab at the Art Barn Note: the Art Barn will be closed from Dec 22-Jan 5. LENGTH: 1 hour LEVEL: ages 4-10 WHAT TO EXPECT: A special craft EVERY SUNDAY celebrating the week's theme! UPCOMING: Nov 2 Re-Cycled, Re-Crafted Nov 9 Story Craft Hour: Leaf Man Nov 16 Lazer Light Thanksgiving Ornaments Nov 23 Great Art Barn Mystery Scavenger Hunt Nov 30 Lazer Light Holiday Ornaments EXTRAS: This fun craft is free with admission to the Art Barn. Free stickers for everyone! Make cool stuff! See our Glowforge in action! DON'T FORGET: The Art Barn is on our downtown Hyannis campus at 250 South Street. Ample FREE parking in the town lot next door. SAVE: Purchase a yearly membership at the $100 level and come to the Art Barn for free all year! AND get discounts on classes and events year-round at the Center. INSTRUCTOR: Maeve McEnroe Date and Time: Ongoing Sundays, 10:30 AM-11:30 AM Cost: Free w/admission Place: Cultural Center of Cape Cod 307 Old Main Street, South Yarmouth, MA, USA Website

  • Cape Cod Museum of Art | Cape Cod Museum Trail

    Museum Directory Cape Cod Museum of Art Website: https://www.ccmoa.org/ Address: 60 Hope Ln, Dennis, Massachusetts 02638 Phone: (508) 385-4477 Email: info@ccmoa.org The museum hosts a constant schedule of art classes taught by some of the Cape’s most outstanding artists from jewelry making to acrylics, from drawing to oil painting. The Cape Cod Museum of Art is central to the artistic and cultural life of the region, collecting, conserving studying, interpreting and exhibiting outstanding artists associated with Cape Cod, Southeastern Massachusetts and the Islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. The museum's collections and exhibitions also include works drawn from the broader context of human art and art history to provide the context for our regional artistic heritage. Through its educational and outreach programs, the museum seeks to preserve the artistic heritage of the region and foster artistic and cultural growth. The museum belongs to the North American Reciprocal Museum and accepts their members. Hours: Mon. Closed Tue. 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM Wed. 10:00 AM- 04:00 PM Thu. 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM Fri. 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM Sat. 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM Sun. 12:00 PM - 04:00 PM 60 Hope Lane, Dennis, MA, USA

  • Ongoing Tuesdays, 4 PM-7 PM | Cape Cod Museum Trail

    Events Tuesday's Tool Time Plan a visit to the restored Chester Ranlett Tool Museum - located behind the Swift-Daley House. On display are hundreds of tools, many of them unusual and unique to this area. A forge on the premises operates at the whim of the blacksmith. In addition to visiting hours the same as the Swift-Daley House, look for special Tuesday Tool Times - Tuesdays 4:00 - 7:00 PM. Learn More Date and Time: Ongoing Tuesdays, 4 PM-7 PM Cost: Free Place: Eastham Historical Society 25 School House Road, Eastham, MA, USA Website

  • Whydah Pirate Museum | Cape Cod Museum Trail

    Museum Directory Whydah Pirate Museum Website: https://www.discoverpirates.com/ Address: 674 Route 28, West Yarmouth, Massachusetts 02673 Phone: 508-534-9571 Email: boxoffice@discoverpirates.com Experience Cape Cod’s interactive science museum featuring real pirates and real treasures! A must-see attraction for all ages where you will touch, see and interact with the worlds only authenticated pirate treasure, discovered in 1984 off the coast of Wellfleet. The Whydah was a fully rigged galley ship built by the British to travel between Africa, the Caribbean and Great Britain. During one of its voyages in 1717, it was captured by the famed pirate Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy. Over the following year, the Whydah and its crew pirated 53 vessels, collecting their riches and treasures. During an infamous storm off the coast of Wellfleet the Whydah ship sunk in 1717; there were only 2 survivors. The Whydah’s legend was passed down among generations throughout the cape as its treasure laid just 500 feet off the shore for over 250 years. After dedicating years to its discover, the Whydah’s real pirate treasure was unearthed by Provincetown resident, Barry Clifford and for the first time ever is on display for Cape residents and tourists to see! Now the only museum in the world that features authenticated pirate ship treasure, the Whydah Pirate Museum provides an interactive and fun learning experience for children and adults. Click here to learn more. Last entry to the museum is at 4:00PM Adult (Ages 16-64) $17.00 Senior (Ages 65+) $15.00 Youth (Ages 5-15) $13.00 Children (4 & Under) FREE There is ample parking at Whydah Pirate Museum. Parking lots are available in front of the museum for no fee. Hours: M on. 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM Tue. 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM Wed. 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM Thu. 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM Fri. 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM Sat. 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM Sun. 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM 674 Massachusetts 28, West Yarmouth, MA, USA

  • Chatham Marconi-RCA Wireless Museum | Cape Cod Museum Trail

    Museum Directory Chatham Marconi-RCA Wireless Museum Website: https://www.chathammarconi.org/ Address: 847 Orleans Rd, North Chatham, Massachusetts 02650 Phone: (508) 945-8889 Email: info@chathammarconi.org During the off-season, docent-led tours are available by appointment for you, your family or group. Please arrange your visit several days in advance by contacting Executive Director Jen Falvy at 508-945-8889 or email info@chathammarconi.org . Preserving Maritime Radio History: In 1914, radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi’s company built a wireless receiving station here paired with a transmitting station in Marion, Massachusetts intended to provide commercial point-to-point radio service between the United States and Norway. Following World War One and with the intervention of the US government, Marconi’s American assets were acquired by the newly formed Radio Corporation of America. By 1921, RCA’s Chatham station was in full operation, but now for maritime ship-to-shore service with call sign WCC. It would soon become the busiest US coast station. The campus, comprising 10 original buildings on 11.3 acres, has been preserved by the Town of Chatham as the Marconi-RCA National Register Historic District. What You Will See: Through informative panels and interactive displays, museum visitors explore radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi’s life and legacy, the role of maritime radio in world events, ship-to-shore communication, and artifacts from Chatham Radio / WCC’s history including the actual shipboard radio from the renowned hospital ship SS Hope. Visitors experience firsthand how a radio operator touching a Morse code key in Chatham could communicate with counterparts aboard ships sailing the seven seas, and learn about the talented and skilled people who conceived, built and operated the station. Chatham Radio/WCC reliably linked high society, royalty, dignitaries, celebrities and humble immigrants to their loved ones and businesses. In the Golden Age of Trans-Atlantic Ocean Liners exhibit, visitors see what it was like to sail aboard any of six memorable 20th century passenger ships such as the SS United States, famous passengers they might have met, and historical events they might have witnessed. Chatham Radio played a crucial role in winning World War II’s Battle of the Atlantic, the longest single battle of the war. From 1942 through victory in 1945 it became the U.S. Navy’s top secret Station C, covertly intercepting encrypted wireless messages from enemy ships all across the Atlantic. Station C forwarded these intercepts to Washington, D.C. for decoding, and alerted the Navy’s extensive radio direction-finding network to locate and track enemy U-boats. In a new exhibit marking the 80th Anniversary, Can You Keep A Really Big Secret? explores this tense period in the nation’s history and the changes it brought to everyday life when Chatham became a wartime “Navy town.” More Things To Do: Antenna Field Trail: When you visit our historic site any time during daylight hours, walk the winding trail through the flora and fauna of Cape Cod, with interpretive signs identifying and describing the station’s various radio antennas and their history. It is free and open to the public during daylight hours. Some of the antennas are scaled replicas of the originals and are actively used today by the museum’s amateur radio operators to communicate around the world. Museum Store: Visit to browse books, logo clothing and other unique items, also available online at our website. Programs: The museum’s exhibits are augmented throughout the year by fascinating speakers, interpretive programs and special events that you may also find of interest. See our Programs & Events Calendar for upcoming events. For information on the museum's Speaker Series, Summer STEM classes for youth, Student Class Visits or Group Tours please call 508-945-8889 or e-mail info@ChathamMarconi.org . Hours: Mon. Closed Tue. Closed Wed. Closed Thu. Closed Fri. Closed Sat. Closed Sun. Closed 847 Orleans Road, Chatham, MA, USA

  • Cape Cod Museum of Natural History | Cape Cod Museum Trail

    Museum Directory Cape Cod Museum of Natural History Website: http://www.ccmnh.org/ Address: 869 Main St, Brewster, Massachusetts 02631 Phone: (508) 896-3867 Email: info@ccmnh.org The mission of the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History is to inspire appreciation, understanding and stewardship of our natural environment through discovery and learning. The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History integrates the three strands of its organizational identity - as museum of natural history, nature education center, and steward of conservation land. As a small museum of natural history, we will preserve, exhibit, and interpret our own collections of natural history artifacts and display relevant traveling and loan exhibits. We may also collaborate with local and regional organizations on co-sponsored exhibits. As a nature education center, we will engage children and adults in high-quality programs, classes, lectures, panel discussions, workshops, films, walks, field trips, traditions and interactive exhibits that reveal the many facets of the natural world and the reciprocal impacts that humans and nature exert on each other. As befits a nature education center, we will explore our potential as a center for citizen scientists and amateur naturalists, and as a forum for informed discussion of important issues related to the natural world, especially on Cape Cod. As a steward of 400-plus acres of museum-owned land in Stony Brook Valley and Brewster conservation land adjacent to the museum, including Wing's Island, the salt marsh, and the beach along Cape Cod Bay between Quivett and Paine's Creeks, we will monitor and protect the land and focus our programming on its varied habitats - our outdoor classroom and teaching tool. Programs may also take place elsewhere on Cape Cod and in New England when appropriate. Did you know? The Museum is housed in a 17,000 square foot building on its own 80-acre site and abutted by 320 acres of town- and Conservation-owned land. Three nature trails traverse a microcosm of Cape Cod’s landscape, from upland woodlands, to brackish marsh, to salt marsh to barrier beach tidal flats and creeks that are home to fish, crabs, shellfish and horseshoe crabs to the tiniest of species living within the mudflats of Cape Cod Bay. Guided field walks are offered daily in the summer. There are special programs for children, including school vacation programs, school field trips, and Kid Summer Day Program designed to introduce and engage children from the ages of 3 to 15 to the wonders of nature. The Museum houses two floors of exhibits: The Main Hall includes the geologic history and archaeology of Cape Cod including a permanent Wampanoag exhibit, an archaeology exhibit of the Stony Brook Valley, The John Hay Room, which has been renovated into an Interactive Science Lab and has numerous STEAM related projects for kids of all ages. Continuing on into the Eldridge Arnold Wing are the rotating exhibits, observational bee hive exhibit, the Marshview Room where visitors can relax and enjoy the spectacular views over the salt marsh to Cape Cod Bay and also view birds in their natural habitat, which includes our very popular Osprey Cam. The Marshview Room will lead you to bird carver Eldridge Arnold’s studio with extraordinary examples of his work. On the lower level is Bird Alley with over 200 preserved birds, a whale exhibit, and our Aquarium that exhibits different species of crustaceans, mollusks, fish, frogs, turtles and snakes. Several displays are interactive and geared toward children. Special, temporary exhibits enhance the permanent collection. Outside the Museum is a seasonal Butterfly House and Pollinator Path as well as other beautiful gardens. Popular monthly programs include Nature Screen, showing compelling, educational and visually stunning nature documentaries; Naturescape Gallery, featuring artists from Cape Cod and the New England area, Digging into the Past Archaeology/History Series, and a continuing speaker/lecture series designed to inform, educate, and entertain the public on a wide variety of subjects concerning Cape Cod residents. Hours: Mon. Closed Tue. Closed Wed. 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM Thu. 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM Fri. 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM Sat. 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM Sun. 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM 869 Main Street, Brewster, MA, USA

  • Nantucket Shipwreck Lifesaving Museum - Egan Institute | Cape Cod Museum Trail

    Museum Directory Nantucket Shipwreck Lifesaving Museum - Egan Institute Website: https://eganmaritime.org/shipwreck-lifesaving-museum Address: 158 Polpis Bike Path, Nantucket, MA, 02554 Phone: 508-228-1885 The Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum, an affiliate of Egan Maritime Institute, is dedicated to honoring Nantucket's history of shipwrecks, lifesaving, and rescuers. In the 19th Century, hundreds of ships passed by Nantucket Island each day, all navigating without the benefit of modern nautical technology. As a result, unpredictable storms, dense fog, and strong currents often caught even the most experienced sailors off guard. In addition, treacherous shoals and inclement weather led to over 750 shipwrecks in the island's waters. As a result, the area was often called "a graveyard of the Atlantic." Founded in 1968 as the first museum in America devoted to honoring volunteer and professional lifesavers, The Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum preserves the memory of Islanders. They risked their lives to save mariners from the perils of the sea. Their inspiring stories come from men and women of the Massachusetts Humane Society, US Life-Saving Service, and the United States Coast Guard. Hours: Mon. Closed Tue. Closed Wed. Closed Thu. Closed Fri. Closed Sat. Closed Sun. Closed 158 Polpis Bike Path, Nantucket, MA, USA

  • Crosby Mansion | Cape Cod Museum Trail

    Museum Directory Crosby Mansion Website: https://www.crosbymansion.com/ Address: 163 Crosby Lane, Brewster, Massachusetts 02631 Phone: 508- 896-1744 Email: info@crosbymansion.com The Crosby mansion in Brewster is a monument to an earlier time, a time of opulence, grandeur and painstaking craftsmanship. Standing tall on a rise of land with sweeping views of Cape Cod bay, the three-story mansion is also a monument to romance. It is the legacy of a man who went west to make his fortune and returned to the cape with a bride 20 years his junior, for whom he built the mansion called Tawasentha. Albert Crosby was born in 1823 and raised in a modest cape house in Brewster that still stands where the mansion is, as he had the mansion, in effect, wrap around his old family homestead. Albert moved to Chicago and made his fortune producing distilled alcohol. He sold this to the army during the Civil War, and sales of this non-taxed medicinal alcohol made him a wealthy man. Albert spared no expense for the three story, 35 room home overlooking the Bay. Completed in 1888, the home was named “Tawasentha”, probably after Longfellow’s poem, “Song of Hiawatha”. It was built in the grand style of Chicago’s Gold Coast Mansions and featured a 60 foot viewing tower, 15 fireplaces with imported tile, hand carved mahogany and oak walls, a parlor fashioned after one at the Palace of Versailles, an entrance duplicating one at Buckingham Palace, a two-story billiard room, marble sinks and floors in the baths, and gas lighting and heating throughout. Because of its heightened construction, the Old Colony Railroad laid a side track to the site. The mansion was designed for the lavish entertaining his young wife, Matilda, loved. Legend has it that when her soirees became too much for him, Albert would slip away to the old homestead and sit peacefully in his favorite rocking chair. The mansion’s crowning glory was a two-story 75x50 foot art gallery filled with valuable paintings and statuary, including works by Childe Hassan, El Greco, Albert Bierstadt and other famous artists. After Albert’s death in 1906 at the age of 83, Matilda opened the art gallery to the public one day a week in summer, apparently in return for the town’s not raising her taxes. The gallery was legendary, and a number of famous people were said to have visited, including the Duke of Wales, Helen Keller and Samuel Clemens. We ask for a $5.00 donation, kids under 12 are free. Hours: Mon. Closed Tue. Closed Wed. Closed Thu. Closed Fri. Closed Sat. Closed Sun. Closed 163 Crosby Lane, Brewster, MA, USA

  • Cape Cod Children's Museum | Cape Cod Museum Trail

    Museum Directory Cape Cod Children's Museum Website: Cape Cod Children's Museum Address: 577 Great Neck Rd S Mashpee, Massachusetts 02649 Phone: (508) 539-8788 Email: info@capecodchildrensmuseum.org A non-profit organization, the Cape Cod Children’s Museum is a place where families can learn and play together. Come and explore our facilities located in Mashpee. With lots of hands-on Exhibits, Programs, and Gift Shop you’ll find plenty to do! Make new friends and learn about our many events and programs while your child is free to explore, touch and discover. Did you know? This 8,000 square-foot museum was the brainchild of three Falmouth women more than 20 years ago. The Cape Cod Children’s Museum provides a learning environment that stimulates curiosity, creativity and imagination, inspiring children and their families to engage with each other, their community and the world at large. It features more than 20 interactive exhibits, a portable planetarium that can be rented for special events, and a week-long schedule of special programming. Rates: Admission:$12, children under 1 free Museum hours change with school vacations, holidays and during the summer. Check their website for the most up-to-date hours that they are open. Hours: Mon. Closed Tue. 09:00 AM - 01:00 PM Wed. 09:00 AM - 01:00 PM Thu. 09:00 AM - 01:00 PM Fri. 09:00 AM - 01:00 PM Sat. 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM Sun. Closed 577 Great Neck Rd S, Mashpee, Massachusetts 02649, USA

  • Jan 4, 2026-April 12, 2026 | Cape Cod Museum Trail

    Events SEASON PASS - MUSIC & MORE Winter 2026 Includes admission for one person to all 12 Music & More Winterconcerts from January 4, 2026 - April 12, 2026. Concerts are held in the Museum on Sundays from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Date and Time: Jan 4, 2026-April 12, 2026 Cost: $160-$195 Place: Cape Cod Museum of Art 60 Hope Lane, Dennis, MA, USA Website

bottom of page