Vacation in Cape Cod or Martha's Vineyard (Falmouth, Yarmouth: where to stay, rent)

[jsurb]

My husband and I are looking for a good vacation spot this summer, maybe going in May. We have a 15 month old son.
I have never been to New England. I am looking for a different place to vacation besides Florida. After researching Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard sound interesting. Which would you choose to go to for a relaxing vacation. We probably want to hang out at the beach, look around downtown, eat, and bike. Which place would be better? or can we do both easily? How long is the ferry to MV?

[jsurb]

Also, which town in Cape Cod should I look into if we go there?

[TAM88]

Depending on how long you plan on coming up here, you can easily see a lot of Cape Cod and the Vineyard (as its referred to) without an issue. If I were you I would try and see both since you've never been up here. If you have time, I would do Nantucket as well.

The ferry ride over to the Vineyard is not too bad, around 45 minutes. Nantucket is a bit longer at 2 hours.
Check out this site for all the information you would need for schedules, pricing, etc. https://www1.steamshipauthority.com/

May is a good time to come as the weather is nice and unless you're coming at the end of May, the crowds have not really begun to come in. Generally the busiest time on the Cape and Islands is from the end of May through the beginning of October. One thing to note is that the water may be a little bit on the chilly side since it hasn't had enough time to warm up with the warmer temperatures. You can still swim, it may just be a little cooler than say Florida that time of year.

For where to stay, I would suggest staying somewhere in the middle of Cape Cod since it will allow you more flexibility and make traveling around more reasonable. It's also close to the ferry ports too. A town like Dennis, or Yarmouth would be a good option. The farther out on the Cape you go, the quieter it gets. Truro for example is quieter and less crowded than Falmouth.

The Cape is also split into regions (not on a map, just as locals will refer to it). You have Upper, Middle, Lower and Outer Cape Cape. Upper will include a town like Sandwich, or Falmouth. Middle will include a town like Hyannis, or Dennis. Lower will include a town like Chatham, or Brewster. Outer will include a town like Wellfleet, or Provincetown.

So staying in Middle Cap may be more convenient than staying in Upper, or Outer.

As far as beaches go, this website is great for mapping them all out. http://www.capeguide.com/beaches.htm There are a lot of them. I personally enjoy the beaches on lower and outer Cape best.

[TAM88]

For biking, the Cape Cod rail trail is great. It's something like 20 miles of paved paths that runs through several towns. Along the Cape Cod Canal is also a nice ride too.

[gf2020]

May isn't summer. Water is pretty cold at the beach then, only low to mid 50s. June would be better, I wouldn't consider July and August relaxing, because that is the most crowded. September is my favorite month on Cape Cod and the islands.

[Bob Lanata]

May and other off season months are the best in my opinion to beat the crouds. Good choice for vacation places.

[BostonMike7]

Cape Code will also be cheaper than a vacation on the Vineyard. Everything is just more expensive on the vineyard, hotels are limited, and during the summer VERY pricey. When i vacation there, we usually rent a house for a week with another couple and that ends up being much cheaper than renting a hotel for a week.

The ferry ride is 45 mins, so not too bad. If you go solo it's $20 or so, but if you reserve a spot to take a car over, it's just under $200 and you'd prob want to book the spot around this time. Fill your tank on the mainland, as gas is far more expensive on the island as well.

Edgartown and Oak Bluffs have that small beach town feel with small shops and places to visit. You can definitely spend a day walking around if you were to take the Ferry over for a day, and then head back to your car on the mainland in the evening.

If i were to plan a vacation for someone out of state. I would look to Spend a week or so on the Cape, and then try and do MV for a day. The ferry I take is out of Wood's Hole, so depending on where you would stay on the cape it could be a 30 or less min drive to the ferry.

My favorite beach on the Vineyard is South BEach, as if you have a 4WD vehicle you can drive onto the sand and pick out a camping spot. The water on the souther side tends to be a bit warmer, but usually with higher waves.

I've never gone in May though, so can't comment on the crowds. I usually go for a week in July and the water is beautiful then. Clean and warm.