Cape Cod in Winter - Quaint, Quiet and Beautiful

For those who shun t-shirt shops, tourist filled beaches and restaurants, Cape Cod in Winter offers a wonderful refuge. While Cape Cod is traditionaly thought of as a Summer destination, the winter provides an opportunity to experience the stunning natural beauty, quiet quaint New England towns and interesting arts and attractions what some feel is the true Cape. Here is our guide on some of our favorite winter and off season things to do to enjoy a wonderful getaway to Chatham, Cape Cod.



First start the day with one of our gourmet breakfasts such as fresh fruit with ginger syrup and creme brulee french toast. Chatham is located on the elbow of the Cape so we are surrounded by incredibly beautiful beaches. Even in the off season these beaches are a delight to walk albeit bundled up. At certain times of the day the muted winter light envelopes the vistas in a surreal picture that reminds me of the light in Southern France that the impressionists used much to their advantage. The solitude and beauty is invigorating yet peaceful. First, start at our favorite and closest beach, Lighthouse Beach (aka South Beach) in Chatham. Just a short 1 1/2 miles from the inn this beach stretches for about 4 miles southward from Chatham Light. Walk along this beach and you may see seals just off the shore. Small dunes rise up on one side with the crystal blue Atlantic on the other.



Cape Cod National Seashore with its 40 miles of beaches stretches all along the eastern coast of Cape Cod is a short drive from the inn. About these beaches, Henry David Thoreau wrote"A man may stand there and put all of America behind him". Start at the Salt Pond Visitor center. the rangers will give you an excellent park map. They also have a small museum with artifacts on the natural and cultural history of the area. While there are six beaches, one of our favorites is Head of the Meadow beach in Truro located about 10 minutes north of the visitor center. Besides a long expanse of deserted beach it also has dramatic cliff like dunes.



After a day of exploring these incredible beaches head back to the inn for some fresh baked cookies and hot mulled cider to enjoy in front of the fire in the guest living room. Guests in the Carriage house rooms can enjoy these treats in the privacy of their rooms, as they each have their own fireplace.



For evening fun head out to one of the delicious restaurants in Chatham such as the Impudent Oyster or The Squire. For guests who want to relax in their room we offer over 150 dvd's that they can enjoy in their guest room. We also like to go to the Cape Cinema in Dennis for arthouse and independant films. A short 25 minute drive from the inn, this quaint, colonial style building opened as a theatre in 1930. A massive bland movie megaplex it is not. Inside the decor is art deco and the ceiling has one of the largest indoor murals in the U.S. In 1939 it was also the site of one of the east coast premieres of "The Wizard of Oz". Apparantly the woman who played the wicked witch (Margaret Hamilton) in the Oz movie was acting in a production next door at the Cape Playhouse and arranged for the premier.

These are but a few of the wonderful things to experience during the slower paced winter months in Chatham and the surrounding area on Cape Cod. For excellent deals and lodging check out our mid week winter specials and fabulous overnight packages.

First Baby Boomers by the Sea a Success

We recently said good bye to the attendees of our first annual Baby Boomers by the Sea Retirement and Open House Tour Weekend which was co-hosted with the local real estate office of John C. Ricotta. The goal of the weekend was a creative exploration of how to successfully transition to a new lifestyle.

The weekend was fun and informative, our guests enjoyed a cocktail reception Friday here at the Inn, after creme brulee french toast breakfast on Saturday each couple was assigned a realtor and spent a good part of the day looking at everything from cottages to sea side homes, then Saturday evening we had a lavish cocktail reception hosted by Ricotta Real Estate at a gorgeous ocean front home in Harwich. Lastly, on Sunday we had published author Bill Roiter of the book Beyond Work talk to the group about how to retire and still be active, happy, productive, and whole. Bill is an executive coach and does retirement coaching for Fidelity among other Boston corporations.

The following is a quote from one of the attendees: "We had a wonderful time at the Carriage House Baby Boomer weekend. You both made us feel so welcome and your genuine caring nature comes through in all you do. As usual, your attention to detail showed in your planning of the Baby Boomer Weekend. We loved looking at the real estate options in Chatham. Pinkie was so knowledgeable about all the different areas of Chatham. Having Bill Roiters' lecture was a great idea, he was very insightful and his book is a great guide to this "new adulthood". Everyone at the cocktail reception couldn't have been nicer and it just confirmed what we always knew about the people in Chatham." Jeff and Rose Marie Vasold.

Our next Boomer seminar will be in January of 2010, if you are interested in attending, please let us know and we would love to have you join us for next Boomer weekend. By the way, you don't have to be a Boomer to attend the weekend, one couple was in their 30's and will most liekly buy a rental cottage in Chatham and not actually retire for many years to come!

Paula & Tim would like to personally thank all of the guests who made our weekend such a success, Beth Wade of John C. Ricotta Real Estate and Bill Roiter with out their committment the Boomer weekend would not have happened.