The latest American Idol series has produced a home-grown Cape Cod talent in the lovely, gifted singer Siobhan Magnus. But what is the relevance to a Cape Cod bed and breakfast inn? Well, she is a real cat (and Edward Gorey) lover, so much so that on her right arm you can see a tattoo of Edward Gorey’s Gashlycrumb Tinies, and if you know anything about the man himself, you will know he also was a true “cat person”. His fantastic, historic home, which now houses the Edward Gorey House museum, is just a five-minute walk from our inn, and is now open for the 2010 season. Read the rest of this page »
Posts Tagged ‘Historical Society of Old Yarmouth’
Cape Cod, cats, and stardom: Siobhan Magnus
April 19th, 2010 by cassels
Historic Cape Cod names with an “Old England” connection
March 29th, 2010 by cassels
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Some first-time visitors to Cape Cod are amazed to discover that the peninsula/island is a lot more than just a sand-dune, and that in fact Cape Cod is 65 miles long, has 15 separate towns and an area of almost 400 square miles. Any English visitor here (as we were, at one time) will recognise town names, but will notice, sometimes, a slight change in spelling from the original namesake in the old country. So we’d like to explain how and where some of the town names came from, back in 17th century New England.
The story of Cape Cod’s Captains’ Mile
March 16th, 2010 by cassels
The section of the Old King’s Highway, which winds its way through the historic village of Yarmouth Port, has another name dating back decades.
For years locals have referred to this stretch of Route 6A as “Captains’ Mile” due to the large number of historic sea captains houses that line both sides of the road inbetween Willow Street and Union Street. In fact, in 1966 this beautiful district was declared a national historical district. In addition to the 47 sea captains’ homes that are on the highway, there are a further eight to be found in this charming village, not to mention a number of other historic buildings, including our inn which was the Sears Hotel in the early 19th century.
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A breath of springtime from the nature trails of Cape Cod’s great outdoors
February 22nd, 2010 by cassels
We had a glimpse of spring last week, enough at least to remind us that we have so much on our doorstep here on Cape Cod, and there is no better time to take advantage of it. Whether that means dusting off your bike or finding your hiking boots and binoculars, there are wonderful adventures awaiting you.
Having left our bikes in France when we moved here, we have yet to take advantage of Cape Cod’s many bike trails. That’s no excuse though, as there are a number of bike rental locations strategically placed at or near many of the trails. The largest of these is the Cape Cod Rail Trail, 22 miles in length,which has rentals in Dennis, Brewster and Wellfleet. The Shining Sea Bikeway in Falmouth is a short trail with spectacular scenery and Corner Cycle will rent you a bike if you do not have your own.
There are many trails to explore on foot, indeed several are within walking distance of our inn, the closest are within the one hundred acre nature reserve, which abuts the inn’s 2 acres of beautiful landscaped gardens. They meander through a diverse woodland landscape down to Miller and Dennis Ponds – trail maps with commentary are available from your innkeepers or from a kiosk just past the historic Gorham Cobblers Shop. You can visit 200 year old Kelley’s Chapel, which nestles in a clearing at the start of the trails, and can be seen from our inn. Along the way, don’t forget to explore Summer street’s historic Woodside Cemetery, where you can trace the ancestry of Joshua Sears, one of New England’s wealthiest entrepreneurs ,who had what is now The Inn at Cape Cod, built as his private residence.
Travelling west along Route 6A about one mile, on Bone Hill Road, is the wonderful Mass. Audubon nature reserve Long Pasture. Here there are several grassy trails to follow, some with views of Cape Cod Bay across to Sandy Neck, a nature lover’s paradise.
It’s another bright sunny day again. I wonder if the Ospreys have returned to their nest at Grays Boardwalk - a little too soon I think – we will walk up and take a look anyway and maybe time our visit to take in the spectacular sunset.
Within Walking Distance: Cape Cod Bed Breakfast
January 5th, 2009 by cassels
Our peninsula is small, so you don’t have to go far to have a good time!
A fun activity in the Yarmouth Port area is Captain Bangs Hallet House Museum. The home is over 150 years old, and belonged to the sea Captain Bangs.
The house is full of historic relics: samples of the wares of freight carried by the captain, a few great and historic marine paintings, ship models, and other miscellaneous historical artifacts.
Captain Bangs Hallet House museum is only a half mile from our Bed and Breakfast Cape Cod.
There is a nice little nature trail around the house. Basically the nature trail is a large loop around one of our common kettle ponds. The trail runs close to the Cape Cod scenic railroad, so you might catch a glimpse of the tourist train! The train tracks run down the left side of the pond trails.
There is a nature handout at the trail head. You can also leave a small donation here, if you are so inclined. The handout consists of some of the interesting flora on the trails. Dogs are welcome if leashed, and we ran into a few very friendly dogs while strolling the grounds.
While you are staying at our Bed and Breakfast in Cape Cod, you should also check out the Nature trails along Route 6A just before the Post Office. Along these meandering routes, open year round from sunrise to dusk, you can see an old chapel built by the Quaker Society in the late 19th Century, called Kelly Chapel. Also on this path is the Tufts Gatehouse. Inside the Gatehouse is an 18th century loom that still works and is used for demonstrations in the summer.
Along with interesting buildings, these nature trails, maintained by the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth, traverse through the first golf course on Cape Cod!
Built in 1890 as a private gold course for the Thacher family, it was used for several
decades before the natural vegetation was allowed to reclaim the land. As you walk, look carefully, and you can still see the remains of the landscaping.
Just some small suggestions from the innkeeper of the Massachusetts Bed Breakfasts, Inn at Cape Cod. See you soon!
For A Most Memorable Anniversary, Why Not Try Our Inn At Cape Cod Bay.
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