The middle stretch of Cape Cod holds some of its prettiest, most unspoiled places. Time-worn old fishing communities like Wellfleet and Chatham, along with dozens of carefully maintained, mildly touristy hamlets along the many winding roads, are what most people hope to find when they come to the Cape. Cutting across the middle, the Cape Cod Rail Trail follows a paved-over railroad track from Dennis to Eastham, through cranberry bogs and forests. It makes a good cycling trip; bikes can be rented in all the main towns.

One desirable destination is the whitewashed old fishing community of CHATHAM , tucked away in a protected harbor between Nantucket Sound and the open Atlantic Ocean. Hang out at the Fish Pier on Shore Road and wait for the fleet to come in mid-afternoon, or head a mile south on Hwy-28 to Chatham Light , one of many lighthouses built to protect mariners from the treacherous shoals. Tour maps are available from the booth at 533 Main St (tel 508/945-5199 or 1-800/715-5567, ). The Impudent Oyster (tel 508/945-3545) serves excellent seafood just off Main Street at 15 Chatham Bars Ave; reservations are recommended. One of the nicest places to stay on the whole east coast is the romantic Whalewalk Inn , at 220 Bridge Rd in the town of Eastham (tel 508/255-0617 or 1-800/440-1281, ; $160-200), where rates for the secluded B&B rooms and a converted barn and carriage house include free use of bicycles to ride the many nearby trails. Out on Queen Anne Road, a five-minute walk from downtown, the Queen Anne Inn at no. 70 (tel 508/945-0394 or 1-800/545-INNS, ; $130-160) and the Bow Roof House at no. 59 (tel 508/945-1346; $75-100) are two B&Bs where all rooms have private baths. The nearest hostel , with beds from $15, is the HI-Mid Cape , between Chatham and Provincetown at 75 Goody Halet Drive, Eastham (tel 508/255-2785; up to $35), open May through September.

Mid-Cape

• Mid-Cape

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