In case you’re new around here, hi I’m Alyssa and I live outside of Boston and grew up going to Cape Cod as a kid. And now my husband and I love bringing our own kids to the Cape! At the bottom of this post I have a bunch of links to other Cape Cod posts/resources for you to check out. (And if you’re visiting Chatham you’ll want to read this post about Chatham specifically) But for now…
A frequently-asked question by moms everywhere… what am I supposed to do in a beach town with kids when it’s raining?? Where do we go on Cape Cod in the rain?
Here are the things we do on rainy days at the Cape. Yes, you do have days where you put on a movie. But if you end up with a few days in a row of rain, everyone will go stir crazy if you don’t have plans! There are movie theaters on the Cape, but here are the other things we do on those rainy vacation days:
Go for a walk on the beach
Even without swimsuits, the beach is a magical place for kids! If it’s drizzling or less rain, go for a beach walk. Look for shells and driftwood, or rocks or other sealife. Sometimes on the Outer Cape you’ll see seals in the water. (Keep in mind that where there are seals, there are likely sharks, so don’t get in the water near seals.)
Visit a small museum
The Cape has a lot of very small niche museums that your kids might love. There’s the train museum in Chatham, the shark museum in Chatham, the glass museum in Sandwich, and more. Our little ones LOVED the Canal Visitors Center in Bourne, which was free and kept everyone entertained for over an hour. They had a fishing game, a touch table with shells, and even a real-life boat indoors which our then-3 year old thought was the best thing ever. The Whydah Pirate Museum in Yarmouth is really interesting, though probably better geared toward older kids and adults. The little ones did love seeing a real canon, though!
Two words: Candy store
Maybe don’t give the kids a ton of sugar on a day you have to be indoors, but who doesn’t love a trip to the candy store? Pick out a gift for whoever is watching the dog back home, and get a treat too. Candy Manor in Chatham is my favorite on the Cape! They started shipping in 2020, which means I can get my favorite caramels year round now!
Head to the marina to see boats
What kid doesn’t love to watch boats? Go to the closest marina to see boats going out or coming in, or…
Watch planes at the airport
Fun in the rain or sun, you can watch small planes land or take off at one of the local airports. One of our favorite airports to visit is in Chatham, where you can sit and have a snack at a picnic table while watching small planes take off! Just know that if there’s a lot of rain, the small planes likely won’t be flying.
Pro tip: Use an app to see how many planes are flying at each airport for the most action!
Any other tips on what to do with kids in the rain in a beach town? I’d love to hear!
Other Cape Cod content you might want to visit:
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