The Tiny Historic Beach Town In Massachusetts That's The Perfect Day Trip Destination
By Melissa Mahoney|Published September 23, 2021
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I grew up in New England before moving to SoCal for several years. I then lived in NYC or a year before moving to AZ in 2009. I worked in the entertainment industry for many years of my adult life and I love photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world! Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream.
Massachusetts has something for everything – cities and small towns, beaches and mountains, plenty of beauty, and of course, history. Encompassing some of the best of what the Bay State has to offer, Provincetown is the destination for a day or weekend trip. Located at the very end of the Cape Cod peninsula, there’s plenty to see, do, and explore in this tiny historic beach town.
Provincetown, Massachusetts, also known as "P-town," has been a summer beach resort destination since the turn of the century. With just under 3,000 year-round residents, the population explodes to around 60,000 come the summer months.
Over the years, Provincetown has not only become a premier resort destination in New England but a place that attracts artists, writers, families, the fishing community, and the LGBTQ+ community. It's a unique destination that all can enjoy.
The town has quite a long history that dates all the way back to the 1600s. Although Plymouth tends to get all the credit when it comes to the Pilgrims and the Mayflower, it was actually here in Provincetown that the ship first landed in the New World in November 1620.
For five weeks, the Pilgrims explored the area before getting back on the ship to sail to Plymouth. The 252-foot Pilgrim Monument was constructed in 1892 to commemorate the Pilgrims landing in Provincetown.
A trip to Provincetown is not complete without a stroll along the historic MacMillan Pier. Built in 1956, this is where you can take a ferry, a whale watch, or charter a boat. Along the pier are dozens of tiny colorful shacks use as tourist shops during the high season.
Commercial Street is the main drag that runs through P-town. It's where you can find dozens of shops, restaurants, and historic buildings like Whalers Wharf, Provincetown Public Library, and Provincetown Town Hall.
There are restaurants aplenty in P-town. Among the most iconic is the Lobster Pot which has been serving fresh seafood in a casual atmosphere since 1979.
If you want to get away from the downtown area and experience the town's coastal beauty, head to the Cape Cod National Seashore where you can visit one of the beaches or book a tour with Art's Dune Tours to explore that vast desert-like landscape of the dunes. You can even take a hike out to Race Point Lighthouse, a landmark near the tip of Cape Cod.
Have you ever taken a day trip to the historic beach town of Provincetown? What do you like best about this wonderful Cape Cod town? Let us know in the comments!
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