For this week’s passion post I will be talking about Orleans, MA, a town that is a little higher up along the “Arm” of the Cape. Even though interestingly enough this is called “lower Cape”. Orleans is a great town because it has a very Cape like feeling and has amazing beaches and scenery!
Places to Visit
As usual, I have to recommend a beach to visit because the rest of the towns I am going to talk about have awesome beaches. Here in Orleans, I recommend to visit Nauset Beach. While this may sound stupid, Nauset Beach is very sandy. Yes, obviously it’s a beach but some beaches, like the one in my town has many rocks and just isn’t as “beach like”. Nauset Beach is awesome because it extends very long and also has cliffs towards the front so there are great views as well. It is very popular for surfers because they have some of the largest waves on the Cape and it is always a blast to go swimming here to get crushed by the waves. However, as mentioned I some previous posts, in recent years we have had to be much more careful because of the presence of sharks. Although there haven’t been any recent deaths, there have been attacks so it always smart to be cautious.
Second, I recommend going to the Cape Cod Rail Trail, a 22 mile paved walkway / bike path that goes through many of the Cape Cod towns but a large portion is in Orleans. This path goes along the beach, stops by some of the main streets, local shops, ponds, and goes through the state park. There are great views and it is a family fun activity.
Places to Eat
The first place I recommend to eat is a place called “Land ‘Ho!” This is an American restaurant but with a variety of seafood, salads, sandwiches, and beers. It has a very pub like feel and always has a great crowd. It is a pretty old building but has a great rustic, old fashioned trend to it. The bar area is very unique looking and it always receives great reviews for the food and atmosphere!
Lastly, I recommend going to is a restaurant called “The Lobster Claw”. Coming to Cape Cod it would be a tragedy to not try one of our lobster rolls. While it is controversial to say where the best lobster roll is, the lobster rolls here are very popular. Here you can also get full lobsters, with all the sides, as well as other various seafood items. This is a very casual place and great place to go to after a day at the beach or before playing mini-golf (a bunch of these around here). It also has a bar and is close to a lot of local shops!
