Sea Glass Collecting on Cape Cod

Who doesn’t love sea-glass? Those rounded pieces of soft hued glass weathered and rounded by water and time. We even used it as inspiration for our guestroom room 2 in the main house of our inn. There are many colors and everyone has their favorite with the general consensus that black is the most rare. Each real sea-glass piece has its own story depending on shape and color and type of bottle or vessal that it may have originated from. Searching for real sea-glass these days is serious business with sea-glass hunters keeping their secret beach locations hush hush. The best time to look is low tide.

There is even a National association the North American Sea Glass Association and their annual convention will be Hyannis this October 9th and 10th. The attendees are professional sea glass collectors and they offer a $1,000 prize for the rariest piece of glass brought to the convention. Orange, Red, Black, Turquoise and Yellow are the most valuable and rare colors.

When I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade my parents rented a beach cottage on the Cape and during that summer one of the older woman in our neighborhood of cottages asked me to collect sea glass for her special project. She was making a coffee table and the entire top was to be nice smooth pieces of white, blue, turquoise, or purple glass, preferably flat smooth pieces. Well being a kid, I was up for any contest, with my plastic bucket I would walk the beach for hours each day collecting sea-glass for her. I can recall collecting quite a few pieces, and she was thrilled. I wish I had kept a few of these gems for myself, as more than 40 years has gone by since that time. I wonder if that table still exists in some one’s Cape cottage?

Anyway, the Cape Cod Times website features a video on collecting sea-glass. video http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100625/MEDIA0302/100629802 The woman in the video mentions some of her favorite beaches to collect sea glass and she says that Skaket Beach in Orleans is one of her favorites on the Cape. Well Skaket beach is very close by and there is a wonderful spot to grab a lobster roll nearby called Captain Cass. Also, the collector on the video notes that she loves the fact that litter, broken glass becomes a gem, and I would have to agree! Come and stay with us and see how much sea glass you can find!

Val and Jim Mellett
The Carriage House InnYour Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast

Monomoy Wildlife Preserve – One of Chatham’s Gems

Chatham is blessed with a spectacular location surrounded by amazing beaches on the “elbow” of the cape. One of Chatham’s most scenic spots has to be Monomoy Wildlife preserve. Located down Morris Island road only minutes from our Chatham Inn, Monomoy was established in 1944 and has 7604 acres all except 40 only accessible by boat.

Monomoy is a great spot to explore, fish, relax in the sun or bird watch. Insiders tip: there is free parking in the small lot so this is one spot where you can enjoy a beautiful beach without having to fork over any money to park. There is a small 3/4 mile trail that starts on the bluff above the beach. It then heads down a big set of stairs to a beach. From there there the trail proceeds along a huge boulder breakwater that protects the multi million dollar homes on the bluff above. After 1/2 mile or so it opens up to a lovely stretch of beach and marsh area. The “trail” is actually along the beach with several self guided tour markers that relate to the trail map you can pick up at the trail head or in the small visitor center. Off in the distance you can see Monomoy Island and the shallow flat water between. To the east you can see the small windswept dunes of South Beach.

There are also ferry and water taxi companies that take you to Monomoy Island such as Rip Ryder and Outermost Adventures.
Come to Chatham and explore the natural wildlife refuge!



Paula & Tim MillerThe Carriage House InnYour Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast