Perched on the inner tip of Cape Cod’s curling peninsula, Provincetown (also called P-town) has a long and complicated history as a safe harbor. For thousands of years, the indigenous Wampanoag (meaning People of the First Light) lived peacefully along these shores until European colonizers brought disease and destruction in the early 1600s.
Then, in 1620, the Mayflower Pilgrims sought refuge here, followed by Portuguese fisherfolk and eventually artists, who spent the past century shaping the tiny enclave into a creative colony with city sensibilities.
Today, P-town’s classic clapboard architecture might infer Kennedy-style Americana, but its Leave It to Beaver looks get subverted by colorful townsfolk like local legend John Waters. This is a beloved haven for the LGBTIQ+ community, and when summer comes, thousands of visitors turn the town’s main drag into an all-inclusive Pride parade.
Join vacationers crowding Commercial Street between May and September, kick back on a windswept seashore in spring and fall, or cozy up inside a B&B to brave winter. No matter who you are or when you visit, there’s something exciting to do in Provincetown.
Enjoy some sand and surf on P-town beaches
There’s no shortage of beaches in P-town. Step behind Commercial Street’s harbor-side businesses, and you’ll find yourself on sandy expanses. But if you’re looking for a full-day affair, head to two oceanside escapes far from the main drag.
Race Point Beach, perched on the Cape Cod National Seashore’s northernmost tip, boasts miles of sandy dunes, wild crashing waves and seemingly endless sunlight. As night descends, wrap yourself in a blanket to admire the sunsets – there’s a reason landscape artists attempt to preserve them in paint.
If you visit in springtime, keep your eyes on the ocean – it’s possible to see whales breaching in the distance.
Herring Cove Beach, located just over a mile from Commercial Street, offers a gentler surf on Cape Cod Bay. On summer weekends, families build sandcastles near the parking lot while gay men head south to a slip of sand known as Boy Beach.
To access the queer section, enter at the bike-lined wood fence along Province Lands Road and hike toward the distant grass-topped dunes. On sunny days,…
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