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- Stony Brook Grist Mill & Museum | Cape Cod Museum Trail
Museum Directory Stony Brook Grist Mill & Museum Website: https://www.brewster-ma.gov/stony-brook-grist-mill-museum Address: 830 Stony Brook Road, Brewster, Massachusetts 02631 Phone: 508-896-3701 Email: brewster@brewster-ma.gov The Stony Brook Grist Mill and Museum is a favorite stopping place for locals and visitors. The beautiful spot, featuring a sparkling brook and picturesque mill, is both scenic and historical. The Grist Mill is the only remaining structure from Brewster’s Factory Village, a bustling 19th Century industrial area. The restored mill is open every Saturday in the summer. Visitors can see the water wheel in motion and purchase fresh ground corn meal. The upstairs museum features artifacts of 19th Century Cape Cod life, weaving demonstrations and much more. Visitors strolling the footpaths might happen upon basking turtles, spot a heron flying overhead, see dragonflies hovering over the mill pond, or see a variety of fish in the brook. The mill site is a Brewster treasure. In the spring, the annual alewife migration up the fish ladders of Stony Brook is awe-inspiring, and was the subject of The Run, a nature classic written by John Hay. Footpaths along the edges of the brook are a wonderful vantage point to view the fish, which journey from Cape Cod Bay to the freshwater ponds of West Brewster in order to spawn. The herring run starts in mid-March (depending on air and water temperatures) and continues through early May. Mill and Museum Hours: The Grist Mill and Museum are open every Saturday in July and August from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Admission is free. Fresh cornmeal is available for purchase. Hours: Mon. Closed Tue. Closed Wed. Closed Thu. Closed Fri. Closed Sat. Closed Sun. Closed 830 Stony Brook Road, Brewster, MA, USA
- Toad Hall Sports Car Collection | Cape Cod Museum Trail
Museum Directory Toad Hall Sports Car Collection Website: http://www.toadhallcars.com/ Address: 288 Scudder Avenue, Hyannis, Massachusetts 02601 Phone : 508-778-4934 Email: ToadHallCars@aol.com Tickets: Adults $8, kids 16 and under free. Toad Hall started with a few sports cars housed in a shed behind the Simmons Homestead Inn in Hyannisport. Over the past dozen years, the number of cars grew and grew to a total of 30 today. Most are classics from the 50s to the 80s. Most are English. All are red. The cars are all nicely restored. Most of the cars are English with some Japanese and European ones thrown in. There are a dozen Lotuses, half a dozen MGs, Triumphs and Jaguars, and a bunch of Austin Healeys, TVRs, Datsuns, and Ferrari, Mazda, Morgan, AC, Sunbeam, Mini, and a few more. You can visit the museum behind the Simmons Homestead Inn every day. If Bill is not in the museum, check inside the inn or the adjacent gift shop. Hours: Mon. 11:00 AM - 05:00 PM Tue. 11:00 AM - 05:00 PM Wed. 11:00 AM - 05:00 PM Thu. 11:00 AM - 05:00 PM Fri. 11:00 AM - 05:00 PM Sat. 11:00 AM - 05:00 PM Sun. 11:00 AM - 05:00 PM 288 Scudder Avenue, Hyannis, MA, USA
- Atlantic White Shark Conservancy- Chatham | Cape Cod Museum Trail
Museum Directory Atlantic White Shark Conservancy-Chatham Website: https://www.atlanticwhiteshark.org Address: 235 Orleans Road, Chatham, Massachusetts 02650 Phone: (508) 348-5901 Email: info@atlanticwhiteshark.org The AWSC Shark Center offers an in-depth look at one of the ocean's most magnificent and misunderstood species: the Great White Shark! Through interactive exhibits, videos, and displays, our family-oriented center offers an insiders view into to the groundbreaking research and one of Cape Cod's most captivating summer residents. Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) supports scientific research, educates the community, and improves public safety. Make sure to check their website for the most up-t0-date information regarding hours they are open, scheduling a visit (must do to visit), their COVID guidelines and their gift store. Hours: Mon. Closed Tue. Closed Wed. Closed 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 235 Orleans Road, North Chatham, MA, USA
- 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
- Monomy National Wildlife Refuge | Cape Cod Museum Trail
Museum Directory Monomy National Wildlife Refuge Website: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Monomoy/ Address: 30 Wikis Way Chatham, MA, 02633 Phone: 508-945-0594 Email: r5rw_mnwr@fws.gov Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1944 to provide habitat for migratory birds. Sand stretches for eight miles off the elbow of Cape Cod, forming the barrier islands of North and South Monomoy. In addition to the two islands, a 40-acre unit on Morris Island is also part of the refuge. This is where the headquarters and visitor center are located. The total size of the refuge is 7,604 acres with varied habitats of oceans, salt and freshwater marshes, dunes, and freshwater ponds of which 3,244 acres are designated Wilderness. The refuge provides important resting, nesting and feeding habitat for migratory birds, including the Federally protected piping plover and roseate tern. More than ten species of seabirds, shorebirds, and waterbirds nest on the islands. The refuge also supports the second largest nesting colony of common terns on the Atlantic seaboard with over 8,000 nesting pairs. The visitor's center is hosted by Friends of Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge . Click here to visit them. The visitor's center includes a museum and exhibition area, while outside there are trails, boardwalks and stairs to the beach for an intimate view of Monomoy. Call for hours during the off season. Hours: Mon. 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM Tue. 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM Wed. 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM Thu. 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM Fri. 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM Sat. 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM Sun. 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM 30 Wikis Way, Chatham, MA, USA
- Old Harbor Life Saving Station | Cape Cod Museum Trail
Museum Directory Old Harbor Life Saving Station Website: https://www.nps.gov/caco/learn/historyculture/old-harbor-life-saving-station.htm Address: Race Point Beach, Provincetown, Massachusetts 02657 Phone: 508-255-3421 The entire station originally was in Chatham, but was in danger of being swept into the sea. It was saved, ferried and relocated to Race Point in Provincetown. The Old Harbor Life-Saving Station was built in Chatham in 1897. The station was operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, and its precursor the U.S. Life-Saving Service, until it was decommissioned in July 1944. The building was later obtained by the National Park Service, and in November 1977, it was moved by barge to Provincetown. Click here for a guide to the station: Hours: Mon. Closed Tue. Closed Wed. Closed Thu. Closed Fri. Closed Sat. Closed Sun. Closed Race Point Beach, Provincetown, MA, USA
- Cape Cod Canal Visitors Center | Cape Cod Museum Trail
Museum Directory Cape Cod Canal Visitors Center Website: https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/missions/recreation/cape-cod-canal/ Address: 60 Ed Moffitt Drive, Sandwich, Massachusetts 02563 Phone: 508-833-9678 Email: samantha.a.gray@usace.army.mil Currently closed for the season until May 1, 2026 Before the Cape Cod Canal, two rivers flowed though this valley. To the southwest flowing into Buzzards Bay was the Manomet River, later called the Monument River. To the northeast, flowing into Cape Cod Bay, was the Scusset River. As the bird flies, little more than a mile of land no more than 33 feet above sea level separated these rivers. Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center offers excellent insight into the rich history, fascinating features, and vigilant operation of the Cape Cod Canal. Inside you will discover a museum that is fun, fascinating, family friendly and free. Interactive exhibits offer something for visitors of all ages. Come on by and… Board a retired 40-foot US Army Corps of Engineers patrol boat. Scan live radar and camera images to locate vessels in the waterway. Captain a virtual boat ride through the canal. Investigate what’s inside many of the ships that transit the canal Discover wildlife that live in or around the canal View films about canal history, wildflowers and wildlife Participate in various free interpretive programs Or… just relax and soak in the waterfront views from the rocking chairs on our front deck. Army Corps staff and volunteers staff the Center, and provide information about the canal and its recreational opportunities. A small bookstore is also offered. Hours: Open 10am-5pm May 1-June 20: Open Tuesdays-Saturdays; Closed Sundays and Mondays June 21-Oct 25: Open Tuesdays-Sundays; Closed Mondays 60 Ed Moffitt Drive, Sandwich, MA, USA
- Sturgis Library | Cape Cod Museum Trail
Museum Directory Sturgis Library Website : https://www.sturgislibrary.org/ Address: 3090 Main Street, Barnstable, Massachusetts 02630 Phone: 508-362-6636 Email: director@sturgislibrary.org Constructed in 1644 for the Reverend John Lothrop, founder of Barnstable, the house which forms the original part of the Library is the oldest Library building in the United States. The building is also one of the oldest houses remaining on Cape Cod. A living museum, the library hosts exhibitions and exhibits year round, as well as guided tours and special events open to the public. Since Reverend Lothrop used the front room of the house for public worship, another distinction of the Sturgis Library is that it is the oldest structure still standing in America where religious services were regularly held. This room, now called “The Lothrop Room,” with its beamed ceiling and pumpkin-colored wide-board floors, retains the quintessential early character of authentic Cape Cod houses. Reverend Lothrop’s bible , with handwritten repairs to the pages, is on display in this room. On February 25, 1782, William Sturgis, a direct descendant of Reverend Lothrop, was born in this house. To help support the family after the death of his father, William went to sea at the age of 15. In 1810, he founded Bryant and Sturgis, clipper ship owners engaged in the Northwest and China Trades. In 1863, after a successful career, Captain Sturgis willed his former home, plus $15,000 in bonds, for the establishment of a village Library in the village of Barnstable. The Library opened in 1867 with 1,300 volumes, many of which came from Sturgis’ private library. Today, Sturgis Library is a national treasure. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Library is situated on the “ Old King’s Highway ,” recently named as “one of the ten most scenic byways in America.” The Library Collections have grown to over 65,000 volumes, including the Special Collections . These include the Cape Cod History Collection of books, manuscripts, photographs and microfilm, the most important collection of its kind in the United States; the Kittredge Maritime Collection, one of the finest maritime collections on the East Coast, notable for its concentration on Cape Cod sea captains and vessels; and the Lothrop Genealogy Collection, which is used by genealogists from all over the United States in examining their connections to Cape Cod History. Read an article on the opening of the library , originally published in the Barnstable Patriot in 1867. Learn more about the early collections of the Sturgis Library in an article by Renee Roberts. Read all about the Sturgis Library and Barnstable Village in You’ve never been to Barnstable? by Kurt Vonnegut» Read a historic poem about the library , originally published in the Barnstable Patriot in 1906. Hours: Mon. 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM Tue. 10:00 AM - 08:00 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 - 04:00 PM Sun. Closed 3090 Main Street, Barnstable, MA, USA
- Woods Hole Ocean Science Exhibit Center | Cape Cod Museum Trail
Museum Directory Woods Hole Ocean Science Exhibit Center Website: https://www.whoi.edu/who-we-are/visit-whoi/ocean-science-exhibit-center/ Address: 15 School Street, MS#45, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543 Phone: 508-289-2663 Email: mharrigan@whoi.edu Part of the prestigious Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the Ocean Science Exhibit welcomes visitors who will learn about the Institution's ocean science research and the vessels and tools developed by WHOI engineers and scientists for use in that research. Short videos provide an introduction to WHOI, show a day in the life of the deep submersible Alvin, and highlight the 1985-1986 discovery and exploration of the wreck of the Titanic. Visitors can step inside a full-size model of the inner sphere of Alvin and imagine life at the ocean floor while watching vivid footage taken at deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites. Other exhibits and videos feature the life forms and natural processes of the deep sea. Group Visits The WHOI Ocean Science Exhibit Center provides a window into the research conducted at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. We will help groups of 10 or more arrange a visit to the Center and provide information packets and maps in advance of your visit. Science Made Public Lecture Series During July and August, the Exhibit Center and Information Office sponsors a series of public talks by WHOI scientists and engineers. Designed for a lay audience, this series is a great opportunity to learn more about WHOI science. Everyone is welcome to attend. All talks are held in the Exhibit Center Auditorium. For more information or if you are interested in giving a talk, contact Kathy Patterson, (508) 289-2700. Visitors will also find WHOI merchandise in the Gift Shop located in the Ocean Science Exhibit Center. The Center does not have a formal fee but rather a suggested donation of $3 per person for those 10 years of age and older. We also ask that groups of 10 or more people call for a reservation at (508) 289-2663. Hours: Mon. 11:00 AM - 04:00 PM Tue. 11:00 AM - 04:00 PM Wed. 11:00 AM - 04:00 PM Thu. 11:00 AM - 04:00 PM Fri. 11:00 AM - 04:00 PM Sat. 11:00 AM - 04:00 PM Sun. Closed 15 School Street, Woods Hole, Falmouth, MA, USA
- Atwood House and Museum | Cape Cod Museum Trail
Museum Directory Atwood House and Museum Website: Atwood House & Museum Address: 347 Stage Harbor Road, Chatham, Massachusetts 02633 Phone: (508) 945-2493 Email: director.atwood@gmail.com The Atwood Museum showcases 12 galleries, 15 exhibits, a gift shop and garden. There is something to interest everyone at this museum, history, art, fashion, and culture. Some of the exhibits include the Old Atwood House, a restored house from the 1700s, the Wetu, a Native American dwelling, the Alice Stallknecht Mural Barn, the Life Saving Services Exhibit, Main Street Cape Cod, the Fishing Gallery, the Double Take Exhibit, and so much more! New exhibits are debuted every year. This is a great place to learn about New England coastal life. Due to current public health concerns, we are requiring that all visitors make advance online reservations to visit the Atwood Museum. We have also implemented procedures so that you can enjoy the exhibits knowing that precautions have been made for everyone's health and safety. Please visit our website to make your reservation and to learn more about our new safety procedures. Entrance Fees: Adults – $10 Students (8 – 17) – $5 Children (7 and younger) – Free Members – Free 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. Closed 347 Stage Harbor Road, Chatham, MA, USA
- Brooks Academy Museum-Harwich Historical Society | Cape Cod Museum Trail
Museum Directory Brooks Academy Museum-Harwich Historical Society Website: http://www.harwichhistoricalsociety.org/ Address: 80 Parallel Street, Harwich, Massachusetts 02645 Phone: (508) 432-8089 Email: info@HarwichHistoricalSociety.org The museum is housed in the former Pine Grove Seminary. It was a two-room school was presided over by Sidney Brooks, Offered to both boys and girls, it taught a typical high school curriculum including surveying and navigation. Students boarded with local families for about $1.50 a week. The Society's collection at the Brooks Museum chronicles several hundred years of Harwich History, highlighted by the Cape's largest cranberry culture exhibit. New to the museum is the Elmer Crowell Barn on its grounds. You can explore the story of the Harwich bird carver Anthony Elmer Crowell at his newly reconstructed barn which features the workshop of the now world famous carver, furnished as it was during Crowell’s day, along with audiovisual and photographic displays, tools, and bird-carving demonstrations. Hours: Mon. Closed Tue. Closed Wed. Closed Thu. Closed Fri. Closed Sat. Closed Sun. Closed 80 Parallel Street, Harwich, MA, USA
- 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
