Get Outta Town: Why the Cape Is More Peaceful in the Off-Season

Escape to the family- and dog-friendly Red Jacket Beach Resort this fall and observe the cranberry harvest, quiet beaches, artist shanties and more.

5 hours ago

Jamie Coelho,

Harvesting cranberries at Fresh from the Vine Cranberry Bog in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts. Photo by Jamie Coelho.

I don’t usually go to the Cape in summer. I save it for the off-season when the roads aren’t as clogged, the restaurants aren’t as packed, and the beaches are empty. When I want to get out of Rhode Island, I like the peacefulness of the calm surf when I can have the sandy stretches to myself. I also love to wander downtown Hyannis’s shops and indulge in the restaurants without the wait.

Last weekend, I took an off-season, one-night getaway to Cape Cod with my two children, and my son’s friend. We stayed at the Red Jacket Beach Resort in South Yarmouth and found plenty to do with the two thirteen-year-old boys and my ten-year-old daughter. Another fun perk is that Yarmouth beaches on Cape Cod are welcoming dogs for Barktober. Red Jacket Resorts invite guests to bring their furry friends to their pet-friendly hotels to enjoy the last days of beach weather. Beaches are dog friendly now through April and there are many pet-friendly lodging packages available at Red Jacket Resorts.

Hyannis HyArts Artist Shanties in Hyannis.

We started the day exploring downtown Hyannis, including viewing local art and shopping (I had to buy some Cape Cod sweatshirts for my kids). Then we stopped for lunch at the Black Cat Tavern. Normally, this restaurant would have a long wait out the door, but on this day, we walked right in with no reservations and feasted on fish tacos, fish and chips and burgers. They also have a heated outdoor patio with views of the harbor. Down by the Hyannis HyArts Artist Shanties, I enjoyed browsing the work of local artists while the kids played life-sized Connect 4 and chased squirrels in the park.

Fresh From the Vine Cranberry Bog.

As we were driving back toward our hotel, we spotted the Fresh from the Vine Cranberry Bog and farmstand off the side of the road. We pulled in the parking lot, and stepped out to walk the trails. There’s a sandy path that leads along the bog, and we were lucky enough to witness the cranberry harvest as agitator machines worked the berries from the vines. The farm sells small bags of cranberries for $4 and accepts donations for the free experience. There are also many opportunities to take family photos both by an old truck bed filled with cranberries and decorated with festive pumpkins, gourds and mums, and also out by the bog where there’s a bench and Christmas tree set up worthy of family Christmas cards.

The indoor pool at Red Jacket Beach Resort.

After our cranberry bog exploration, we checked into the hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the heated outdoor and indoor pools. The kids loved jumping into the epic indoor pool and could have spent the whole weekend there, doing nothing else. We had dinner right at the hotel, then went back in the pool at night until it closed for the evening. After that, we cozied up in the room to watch “Hocus Pocus” on the TV. The boys loved the built-in bunk beds for their own space.

A conch shell found on the beach at Red Jacket Beach Resort.

We got a good night’s sleep, then woke up early the next morning. I opened the drapes to take in our beachfront view and there was a beautiful red fox right sitting on a ledge right outside our room. We observed the wildlife behind the safety of our glass sliding doors. After the fox trotted away, we pulled on sweatshirts then explored the beach and cove right outside our door. On the beach along the shoreline, we discovered dozens of horseshoe crab shells and observed beautiful oyster catcher birds. I think the horseshoe crab shells were left over from moltings after they outgrew their shells. My daughter also found a giant conch and delicate scallop shells.

Horseshoe crabs at Red Jacket Beach Resort.

After breakfast, we borrowed the hotel’s bikes (and helmets) and rode along the coast on the roads near the hotel (this route is actually more picturesque than the Cape Cod Rail Trail). We finished the day with some mini golf at Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf in South Yarmouth, then got some ice cream at Cape Cod Creamery. We certainly did a lot in a day and a half. There’s so much to do down on the Cape in the fall and it’s not crowded like summer. It was such a great few days of bonding with the kids.