Why should Plymouth get all the glory?

Oh sure, we all know how the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620. End of history lesson, right? WRONG!  Did you know that technically the Pilgrims landed on Cape Cod first (Provincetown to be exact), before moving on to the more hospitable and inhabitable Plymouth?  I decided to do a little "home schooling" and take my kids on a day-trip adventure to visit some key spots of the Pilgrims very first encounter with America, right here in our own "back yard". No bridge crossing necessary.
I did my homework first. There were 3 significant incidents that occurred in the fall of 1620 that shaped the history of the Pilgrims settlement.  First, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact in Provincetown Harbor on November 21, 1620. (http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/PrimarySources/MayflowerCompact.php)
Second, between December 6-12, 1620, the Pilgrims encountered the Natives for the first time on a beach in Eastham, and a brief skirmish ensued between them.
And third, the Pilgrims found a stash of Indian corn near a beach in Truro on November 16, 1620, which saved them from starvation after their first year.  (For more info., check out the following websites: (mayflowerhistory.com, panoramio.com, capecodweb.com,  sail1620.org)

Armed with these facts, and the trusty navigation tool on my smart phone, we set out to find these three spots.  A promise of lunch in P-town along the way, certainly helped sweeten the pot!

First Stop: First Encounter Beach, Eastham.

Located North of Rte 6 in Eastham (just before the Cape Cod National Seashore & Visitor's Center), lies this beautiful beach. I would imagine it's quite popular and crowded on a hot summer day, but on the day we went (mid-November) it was completely empty, cold & blustery, but still gorgeous. We stayed just long enough to run after a few seagulls on the sand and take a quick picture, before returning to our nice, warm car.

Kids chasing seagulls on First Encounter Beach, Eastham, MA

Second Stop: Corn Hill, Truro

Next, we continued approximately 13 miles up Rte. 6 from First Encounter Beach, looking for a sign for "Corn Hill".  We followed the street (Castle Road) all the way to the end.  After pulling into the parking lot for Corn Hill Beach, over to the far right of the parking lot, we saw a little fenced in area with a marker indicating the spot where the Pilgrims found the cache of Indian corn.  Yes, some nay-sayers will argue that the Pilgrim's stole the corn from the Natives, but I was trying to stick to history, and make it a fun day for the kids, so I didn't get into that.

We took a picture with the marker, and as it turns out, Ellen found an actual ear of corn behind the marker (a happy coincidence, but it sure made her day!)

Kids at Corn Hill marker

Corn Hill marker. Inscription says: "Sixteen Pilgrims led by Miles Standish, William Bradford, Stephen Hopkins and Edward Tilley found the precious Indian corn on this spot which they called Corn Hill, November 16, 1620. And sure it was God's good providence that we found this corn, for else we know not how we should have done."

View from top of Corn Hill Rd. - Gorgeous!

Third Stop: Pilgrim's Monument and Provincetown Museum, Provincetown.
The last stop on our "Cape Cod Pilgrim Tour" was to the Pilgrim's Monument and Provincetown Museum  (http://pilgrim-monument.org/) We love P-town, and go a couple times a year anyway, so it didn't take much to convince my kids to go again on this day. We walked around town, window shopped in the mostly closed-for-the-season shops, bought some fudge and had a delicious lunch at the Lobster Pot.  One of the benefits of going to P-town off season is that, not only was there no wait to get into the Lobster Pot, but we even got the best water-view table in the whole place! That would never happen in August. After lunch we headed up the hill to the PMPM. We've climbed the monument a handful of times already, but it never fails to delight.  The view was spectacular!  On this day, the Monument was already decorated with lights for the holiday season, and the museum was having a Provincetown Pilgrim Party with a guest lecturer and cake & cider for everyone. BONUS!

View from top of Pilgrim's Monument, Provincetown, MA

The museum is definitely worth checking out. They have some great artifacts from colonial life, as well as some beautiful artwork depicting the scenes of the Pilgrim's first weeks in Provincetown (scenes from Corn Hill & First Encounter among them.)

I highly recommend you take a day to bring your family on this little historical excursion.  Thanksgiving is coming, and for many of us, the kids will have 5 days off from school and you'll probably have a house-full of relatives to entertain. What better way to celebrate our country's unique and traditional holiday than to ACTUALLY walk in the footsteps of the Pilgrims? Even better, doing it Cape Cod-style!   Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving.

P.S. There is a forth stop you can also visit, to continue walking the same land as the Pilgrims did in 1620! The spot of the "Pilgrims Spring". Located in the Pilgrim Heights area of N. Truro, this is the spot where the Pilgrims first found fresh drinking water. The area has many of the identical kinds of shrubs and flowers, as seen by the Pilgrims as they explored the area. The National Seashore’s Pilgrim Spring Trail is an appx. 3/4 mile hike from Route 6, and well marked.   http://www.capelinks.com/cape-cod/main/entry/the-water-and-the-rock/  Happy Trails!

Cape Cod on Dwellable

Shop Sandwich First... No, really!

  Like it or not, the holiday shopping season is officially upon us.  So what will it be?  On-line shopping during the wee hours of the night, while you worry about your credit card info. being hacked?  Fighting the traffic going over the bridge to the "real stores" in Plymouth or Wrentham?   Aimlessly browsing the stores and mall in Hyannis?  No, no, no my friends!  There's no need to fear, your Cape Cod Girl is here!!  I have all the answers you're looking for to get everyone on your shopping list exactly what they want, all within about a mile or two from your front door (well, give or take!)
   The Sandwich Chamber of Commerce has a wonderful promotion, "Shop Sandwich First".  The mission of the promotion is to educate the local public about all the businesses and services available right in Sandwich, celebrate and preserve the character and traditions of the oldest town on Cape Cod, and strengthen our local economy.  And what does all this mean for us busy holiday shoppers?  Great finds without the hassle!
   Some of my favorite shops & merchants are listed on my "Who I Like" column, but allow me to elaborate.  I've already blogged about the shops and restaurants along Jarves Street, but did you know there are a couple great shops just around the corner from Jarves, on Rte. 6A, that are not to be missed?   
The first is one of my all time favorite shops in Sandwich, Heart of Stone, www.HeartOfStoneOnline.com (or friend them on Facebook) located at 130 Rte. 6A (right next to Russell's Corner).

    They sell everything from jewelry, home decor, baby gifts, fashion accessories, as well as gifts for kids & teens.  It doesn't matter if you have to find a gift for your mother-in-law, your boss or your friend's kids, I'm telling you, you'll find it here.  The owner, Angela, is super helpful & friendly.  If she doesn't have the exact item you're looking for, she will work to get it for you.
   Heart of Stone is planning an Open House on November 11th - 13th, so you can get a sneak-peak at their holiday offerings.  They're even planning a "Ladies Night" on Thursday, Nov. 10th from 5 - 7:30pm.  So let your husband feed the kids supper, grab your girlfriends and check it out.  Hey, someone has to get all that Christmas shopping done, right?
   The second place you should check out is Splash Stationers, www.facebook.com/splashstationers.

They are in the process of moving from their cozy Jarves Street location, to a more spacious spot right on Rte. 6A in Sandwich, (two building down from Heart of Stone, next to the Jack Conway Real Estate building, in the former Sandwich Herb Shop). They specialize in all kinds of stationery and fine paper products, but like Heart of Stone, Splash has something for everyone. Every time I've gone into their shop, I've never left empty handed!  Obviously they have stationery, note cards and misc. paper products, but they also have things you might not expect, like jewelry, recipe boxes and photo albums.  The owner, Rose, is very knowledgeable and detail-oriented.  Even if you don't know exactly what you're looking for, she has just the right touch to guide you toward that perfect gift for the person on your list who has everything.
   When they re-open, they plan to offer a large variety of Christmas and holiday offerings too. Splash will open in their new building on the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday!). What better way to burn off all that turkey than to pop in and check them out?  Happy shopping everyone, and remember.... Shop Sandwich First!

Another Village Stroll

Another favorite past time for the kids and us adults is a stroll through the Sandwich Village to the Glass Museum (http://www.sandwichglassmuseum.org/)with a nice lunch at the Dunbar Tearoom (http://www.dunbartea.com/). Either meandor down Jarvis street with stops at the galleries and shops near Russells Corner or stoll down Main Street with a stop for a sip of spring water near the Dexter Gristmill.

The membership to the Sandwich Glass Museum has been well worth the money. The glass blowing demonstrations, interactive exhibits and short film about the history of the town and glass factory are wonderful. The kids actual ask us to go to the museum every month or so.

Sandwich Village Crawl

Highly recommend a appetizer stroll through the village with a stop for an appetizer and drink in the village. To make it an early evening start late afternoon at the Brown Jug or Dunbar Tea house for a glass of wine and some cheese. Move on the Daniel Webster Tavern for the Smoked Duck Bruchetta. Next head over to the Belfry Inn and Bistro then wrap up the stroll at the Painted Lady. For us it's great because not only can you walk from establishment to establishment but we live close enough so we can walk from home.

Hidden Hollow Update

Finally made it back to Heritage Museum and Gardens to check out the completed Tree House. Spectacular. Yet again a short trip to Heritage turned into a 4 hour play date with the kids. I typically had to drag them away from Hidden Hollow to go to the Carousel and other attractions.

Heritage Museum and Gardens Never Fails

Yet again another great day at Heritage Museum and Gardens. Our membership more than pays for itself. This was our third visit of the summer and there will be many more.

The latest activity area for kids "Hidden Hollow" is absolutely wonderful. From the point of entry through the natural arbor to the 3 story tree house there are activity stops and centers along the way.

Don't quote me on this but I believe the tree house was designed by renowned tree house builder Pete Nelson from Seattle, WA. The tree house which appears to be nearing completion is already spectacular and we haven't even set foot in it yet.

The kids can dress up and put on a skit on the stage/amphitheater or as our kids do just fill and re-fill the watering cans at the hand pump. The fabric available to the kids among the Rhododendrons can occupy a child's fertile imagination for hours. Tie the fabric off to make a hammock or simply run through the woods with a cape on an adventure.

The scavenger hunt draws them frantically through every nook and cranny of the Hollow helping them learn and see all of the activities and action. After a couple of hours of fun in the Hollow and a picnic lunch, we are off to the carousel and other exiting activities at Heritage.

Spring is finally upon us. Although most of our crocus have gone by spring hasn't really set in yet. Weather reports are good for this weekend. We are looking forward to a nice weekend in the yard, walking through the Sandwich Village, stopping by the Dexter Gristmill to check for herring, scanning Shawme Pond for signs of bass ready to bite and speaking of bites maybe a quick stop in at the Dunbar Tea House for a snack.