If you have been a reader of this blog for some time then you know downtowns are a bit tricky for us. We love local culture and enjoy exploring the bookstores, galleries, coffee shops, and restaurants of an area. However, our boys have never been stroller junkies and with three kids five and under, we try to avoid adding more stress to our lives. In other words, our visits to civilized areas with stores and restaurants usually revolve around the following principle: in and out and nobody gets hurt.
Our first morning in Cape Cod was overcast and drizzly, though, and following the recommendations of some locals (Jeremy’s aunt and uncle retired to Eastham over a decade ago), we decided that Provincetown was the perfect place to spend a day when rain was threatening.
If shopping is your thing, you need no further direction from us. Head into town and park in the municipal parking lot down by the docks. You will be smack dab in the middle of things and the rates are reasonable.
We like to bless the local businesses by avoiding bringing the boys into shops, so after parking we took a beautiful walk out the pier to see the local fishing boats.
Then we ambled up the street to find the library–a must see according to our local intel. We spent over an hour and a half in the library and basically had to drag Max and Theo out when it was well past lunchtime. The Provincetown Library is one of those places you dream about having in your hometown.
Dress up clothes, puppets, tumbling mats, and puzzles ensure total library envy. The half-scale model of an actual schooner is just the icing on the cake.
The boys kept stalling once I told them it was time to leave, asking for another book and asking me with sad-sack eyes why they couldn’t borrow books from this library.
After we pulled them away from library nirvana, we enjoyed a delicious seafood shack lunch at Mojo’s looking out onto the water.
The view was far too enticing for the boys, and we ended up spending some time on the beach directly across the street from Mojo’s so the boys could do a little splashing and playing.
After our jaunt in P-town, we headed over to the Visitor Center at the Cape Cod National Seashore, where the views were inspiring even on a chilly, cloudy day.
Driving out of the National Seashore, I spotted a red fox running across the dunes. I couldn’t help but think that this was my perfect kind of downtown experience: lots of walking and playing, good eating, beautiful views and some glimpses of wildlife.
Provincetown is a great example of why we ended up loving Cape Cod so much. Everything there, from the beaches to the restaurants to the National Seashore is beautiful, fun and cultured. The perfect combination for the Lively Little Campers. P-town…see you soon.
