Happy New Year 2013! Cape and Islands

New Years is a time to reflect on the past year, and to look forward to the new year. It is believed that New Years was first celebrated over 4000 years ago by the ancient Babylonians, in March to coincide with the spring planting of crops. Perhaps New Years is celebrated in January as a ploy to extend the Christmas Holiday break for school children... Cape Cod's biggest celebration is First Night Chatham, an annual tradition of celebrating the arts in Chatham on New Years Eve.

Just an Old Fashioned Cape and Islands Christmas!

Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard are the places to get away from the hustle and bustle of the malls and settle into a slower pace of church fairs, and Holiday Strolls featuring horse-drawn rides, hot cider (or better yet, chocolate) and carolers on lovely Main Streets of yesterday. Take a break from all the commercialism of the Holiday season and enjoy some old-fashioned Holiday magic in the spirit of family, friends and community.

Cape Cod Tech Company Encourages Learning!

Aecern, a small Cape-Cod based educational software company, just started their campaign to raise funds for their Mullen Hall (Falmouth) elementary school learning project. They got a little press about this project last week in the Falmouth Enterprise.

Cape & Islands - Happy Thanksgiving

The first "Thanksgiving" in 1621 was a traditional three day English harvest celebration to which the Pilgrims invited Massasoit, Chief of the the Wamapanoag. It wasn't until the nineteenth century that this event became identified with the American Thanksgiving holiday. Visit Plimoth Plantation to learn about the "First Thanksgiving".

Cape & Islands - Hurricane Sandy - the Aftermath

Hurricane Sandy swept through Cape Cod & the Islands on Monday, Oct 29. As predicated, much of the area experienced heavy rain, damaging winds, widespread power outages, and coastal flooding. The National Weather Service is still predicting periods of rain through Wednesday. High tides will continue to be higher than usual. Several NSTAR customers are still without power. But for most, unlike the residents of New York and New Jersey, the storm was just an inconvenience.

Cape & Islands - Preparing for Hurricane Sandy

UPDATES: State of Emergency Alert October 27, 2012 12:45 PM - Governor declares State of Emergency in response to Hurricane Sandy. State Office Buildings Closed Monday 10/29. October 28, 2012 04:30 PM     No school Monday! No school Tuesday!
As Hurricane Sandy moves up the east coast, Cape Cod & Islands will most likely experience heavy rain, damaging winds, widespread power outages, and coastal flooding. Weather forecasts are calling for rain with high winds from Sunday through Wednesday. Visit NOAA to track the storm and the National Weather Service for local forecasts. Cape Cod & Islands residents, along with our New England neighbors, should take a few simple but necessary precautions.

Cape & Islands - Heading into Fall!

As the sun sets earlier and the days get shorter, the air turns cooler and drier (good bye humidity!), and the traffic eases up on the major roads, thoughts turn to back to school and colder weather. But, don't close up the summer cottage or bunker down inside just yet, as the Cape & Islands has a lot to offer outdoors during the fall months!

Several towns celebrate the spirit of community, the change of seasons, or the fall harvest with festivals that include something for everyone. The 35^th annual Eastham Windmill Weekend, is "a community festival, a fair, and a family party

Cape & Islands - Sounds of Summer!

Baseball, hot dogs, ice cream, sunscreen, kids frolicking in the water: these are the sights, tastes, smells and sounds of an American summer. The Cape & Islands add another sound to this mix: outdoor live music!

One of our nation’s finest and best-loved musical ensembles, the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, takes the stage on the Hyannis Village Green. Mark your calendar for the 27th Annual TD Bank Pops by the Sea concert on Sunday, August 12, 2012! Legendary Cape Cod jazz musician Lou Colombo has been named Honorary Chair, posthumously.

Cape Cod Fireworks, Pagents, Pomp and Parades

Chrysanthemums, Peonies, Palm Trees, Willows - no not a blog on gardening but rather some of the types of fireworks you might get to see bursting over Cape Cod Bay, Buzzards Bay, Nantucket Sound or even the Atlantic Ocean.  Nothing says the Fourth of July more than fireworks, parades, picnics, and band concerts on the green.  Cape Cod has them all - a great place to make wonderful memories for yourself and your kids.  For a fast listing of fireworks and parade see our dedicated listing on AllCapeCod.

Arts on the Cape

From PAAM in Provincetown to the Falmouth Art Center, Cape Cod has so much to see and do in the arts.  Arts and crafts shows pop up all over during the summer - enough on some weekends to keep you hopping from morning to night.  There is no way one blog post can cover all of it - so we will just look at some of the more major spots to fill your heart with art.

Springtime on Cape Cod and the Islands

Spring on the Cape brings wonderful moments like daffodils lining 6A, whales off the beaches of Provincetown, beautiful sunsets over the salt marshes, and the promise of the summer to come.  Many towns on Cape Cod and the Islands celebrate spring with fun events that make spending time here before the height of the season worth planning.

Bourne - The Gateway to Cape Cod

Part of our continuing series on Cape towns

As winter winds down and spring is staring to show some signs around us, many of you are starting to plan for spring and summer travel, or even "staycations".  As you travel on to and off of the Cape by car, you must pass through the town of Bourne regardless of which bridge you come over.  Its worth your time to take a look around this pretty town on the canal and enjoy its beauty and history.

In the bleak mid-winter, Cape Cod has so much to do!

From outdoor hikes, to museums, galleries, art classes, and evening jazz Cape Cod does not stop . . . If you are looking for a nice get away for the weekend to recharge or just do something different, the Cape is a great option.  Not everything closes up when the temperatures drop.