 ENJOY CHATHAM!
Surrounded on three sides by the waters of Pleasant Bay, Nantucket Sound and the Atlantic Ocean, Chatham is located at the “elbow” of Cape Cod. Treat yourself to a walking tour of its quaint town center, where shops and restaurants beckon visitors. Chatham’s saltwater beaches and picturesque harbors delight the eye, while fishing, boating, NCAA baseball, golf, parks, band concerts, theater, arts and crafts, antiques and gift shops, and restaurants offer a wide variety of vacation activities.
CHATHAM HISTORY
Native Americans settled in Chatham over ten thousand years ago. Living on game from the forests, fish in the fresh and salt waters, and shellfish around the shores, they augmented their diet with berries and grew crops of corn and squash. William Nickerson, the first white settler, bought land from the Indians in the 1650s, and along with succeeding generations, supported his family by farming and later by fishing. Today, commercial fishing is still a large part of Chatham’s economy. Chatham became a vacation destination with the arrival of the railroad; the advent of the automobile allowed visitors to come for the day, the weekend or for extended periods of time. Today its population represents an eclectic blend of year-round residents, including fishermen and retirees, as well as summer residents and tourists.
PILGRIMS
The Pilgrims had planned to sail to Virginia, but ended up settling in Plymouth. Why?
In part because they were almost out of beer.
In England they were unaccustomed to drinking the water, so it stands to reason that they would be very wary of drinking the water on this side of the ocean. Boiled during the brewing process, the Pilgrims drank beer because it was free of deadly microbes, and therefore was safer.
An entry in Pilgrim William Bradford’s diary mentions that there was little food and less beer; this precluded further exploration and kept the Pilgrims in Plymouth.
CAPE COD NATIONAL SEASHORE
In 1961 President John F. Kennedy signed a bill to create the Cape Cod National Seashore. Comprised of approximately 27,000 acres, from Chatham to Provincetown, the Cape Cod National Seashore offers visitors approximately 40 miles of the finest seashore on the Atlantic coast. Since its establishment, the work of the natural National Seashore has involved the conservation and preservation of the magnificent natural surroundings of the Cape, as well as the maintenance of various natural and historical sites for the enjoyment of visitors. The Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham offers exhibits on Cape Cod human and natural history, as well as beaches, biking and hiking trails, historic landmarks, scenic overlooks and guided tours, programs and activities.
BEACHES AND SHORES
White sands provide the perfect setting for beach towels, chairs, umbrellas shovels and pails, while clean, clear waters beckon waders, swimmers and sailboarders. Chatham is blessed with a multitude of saltwater beaches.
Nantucket Sound Beaches:
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Cockle Cove Beach (parking with fee, lifeguard, bathhouse, mobile food concession)
- Hardings Beach (parking with fee, lifeguard, bathhouse, mobile food concession)
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Ridgevale Beach (parking with fee, lifeguard, restrooms) Forest Road Beach (limited parking)
- Pleasant Street Beach (limited parking)
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Oyster Pond Beach is on a saltwater pond. (parking without fee, lifeguard, bathhouse, picnic tables, best beach for children)
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Pleasant Bay-under the bluff (parking)
- South Beach-on Chatham Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean (stairway to beach on right-hand side of lighthouse-parking lot and lane to beach on other side of Chatham Beach & Tennis Club-no parking-parking at lighthouse limited to 30 minutes-STRONG CURRENTS)
Freshwater Beach: Schoolhouse Pond (no parking for non-residents, lifeguard, restroom)
BOATING
While boats go out year-round, pleasure boats, both power and sail, of all kinds and sizes, dot Chatham’s waters come springtime. Rowboats, canoes and kayaks are regularly seen on some of the quieter waters, with surfers and sailboarders enjoying the wind and waves on ocean and bay. Commercial fishermen work in hot or cold weather; there are fishing vessels in Chatham and Stage Harbors even in the dead of winter.
FISHING
Arrange for a charter boat trip to catch Striped Bass, Bluefish and more in Pleasant Bay, Nantucket Sound or the Atlantic Ocean. Whether fly or rod fishing, you’ll enjoy the experience. After the barrier beach was cut in half off Chatham Light, the southern half (South Beach) has connected to the mainland, allowing foot access for surf fishermen. Cast from the shore, either on the ocean or inside. You can also surf fish on the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. In season, catch flounder from boats, the shore and bridges—great for kids. No license is necessary for saltwater fishing. Freshwater fishing in Chatham’s ponds does require a license.
THE MUNICIPAL FISH PIER
Along with some Coast Guard boats, large commercial boats that fish in the Atlantic moor here. From the observation platform visitors can watch the fleet come into Aunt Lydia’s Cove to refuel, moor, and unload lobster, haddock, cod, flounder, pollock, halibut and other species. With your camera record how the catch is weighed, packed in ice and shipped to Boston or New York fish markets.
BIKE TRAILS
Miles of paved trails, through woods and fields, by cranberry bogs, freshwater ponds, and saltwater marshes, make up the thirty mile-long path known as the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Following the bed of the former Penn Central Railroad, it winds through the towns of Dennis, Chatham, Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet. Information is available at town visitor centers. Note: Massachusetts law requires all children aged sixteen and under to wear a helmet.
WALKING / HIKING
Year-round, walkers and hikers take advantage of Chatham’s beaches, as well as Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge’s trail on Morris Island. Investigate the Frost Fish Creek Trail, Barclay Ponds Trail, and Honeysuckle Lane, as well as the Cape Cod Rail Trail (for walkers/hikers, as well as bikers). Other self-guided tour venues include Nickerson State Park in Brewster, the Cape Cod National Seashore (extending from Eastham to Provincetown) and various conservation areas.
PARKS
Visit Chatham’s parks which are clustered around the center of town, among them: Kate Gould Park, located between Main Street and Chatham Bars Avenue, has benches, restrooms and a bandstand where the Chatham Band performs each Friday evening during the summer. Veterans Field has a lighted ball field and is used by the NCAA’s Chatham Athletics. It is located between Route 28 and Depot Road. For game information, visit capecodbaseball.org online. Adjoining it, behind the Old Main Street School, is a Robert Leathers playground, another ball field, basketball hoops and swings. Portable restrooms are available during the summer.
SCENIC ROUTE 6A
One of this country’s most scenic byways, Route 6A meanders some 34 miles from Bourne to Orleans. Originally a Native American trail, it became an extension of the King’s Highway of the Plymouth Colony as Colonial settlements grew and commerce increased.
In early times, Route 6A was the site of stately homes built by wealthy merchants and sea captains. Many have been preserved and beautifully restored, and still grace the route today. Along with them you’ll pass historic sites, interesting shops and restaurants, grand old inns, and breathtaking salt marshes.
Loaded with yesteryear charm, you’ll enjoy discovering Route 6A.
WHALES AND SEALS
Destination: Stellwagen Bank. Situated just north of Cape Cod, this is a major feeding ground for whales that migrate there in spring and continue to feed on abundant plankton for months. Do make plans for a tour out of Chatham or Provincetown, the whale watching capital of the Eastern seaboard. Along with several whale species, you may also see dolphins, porpoises and seals. Generally spotted in the waters off Chatham, seals have repopulated the waters of the Cape in recent years. You may see Harbor Seals sunbathing on exposed rocks, Harbor and Gray Seals hauled out on the sandbars off Chatham, or fishing in the ocean surf and in protected coves. Guided seal tours may be arranged through the Massachusetts Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary, the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History and private operators.
BIRD WATCHING
One of the richest ornithological heritages in the country, Chatham offers wonderful bird watching opportunities. Its prime attraction is the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge (see following section). You will also find excellent bird watching at Chatham Light. Gulls, terns and sea ducks can be seen in numbers, generally with the aid of a telescope. Trek down South Beach, the long barrier spit visible to the south, where after an arduous hike, you will see shorebirds, ducks, hawks and songbirds. During the winter, the Chatham Fish Pier is a good spot to view gulls and sea ducks. Check out Pleasant Bay, which forms the northern border of Chatham, and is an especially abundant in waterfowl. On the southern coastline, fronting on Nantucket Sound, Forest Beach is host to wintering ducks and herons and shorebirds in the warmer months.
Other spots include Harding’s Beach, where at the old lighthouse (privately owned) at the end of the spit, you may see Northern Harriers, wintering Snow Buntings, Horned Larks and sparrows, nesting Piping Plovers, plus various migrant shorebirds and wintering ducks offshore. Before or after your outings, stop in at the Bird Watcher’s General Store on Rt. 6A in Orleans. Whether its birding equipment, reference books, bird art, bird feeders, or items for children, this is the place to shop.
MONOMOY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Shifting sands from glaciers that formed the Cape 10,000 years ago, along with the sea’s constant erosion of the backside of the Cape, created the dunes, saltwater marshes, fresh-water swamps and vast tidal flats of Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. Used by thousands of migratory birds as a place to rest, refuel or nest, Monomoy and forty acres of Morris Island (previously attached to Monomoy to form a peninsula) were designated as a bird sanctuary by the U.S. Government in 1944. In 1970 Congress added the designation of Wilderness Area. Within the refuge, bird watching, walking, surf fishing and shellfishing are permitted. During the nesting season some areas of Monomoy are closed to prevent the disturbance of beach-nesting birds. Pets are allowed on Morris Island if on a short leash, but are not permitted on Monomoy.
LIGHTHOUSES
Chatham is home to a working lighthouse, Chatham Light, on James Head, with the Chatham Coast guard contingent housed on the same property. The shifting shoal waters off Chatham are dangerous to all vessels, and hundreds have been wrecked since the Sparrowhawk came ashore in 1626. Chatham light can be seen twenty-eight miles at sea.
THEATER
The Monomoy Theatre and The Chatham Drama Guild have brought theatrical productions to Chatham since the 1930s. Take in other dramatic offerings at the Harwich Junior Theatre, The Academy of Performing Arts in Orleans, Cape Rep Theatre in Brewster, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre (WHAT) in Wellfleet, and the Cape Playhouse in Dennis. Check local newspapers for current productions.
MUSEUMS
Visit the Atwood House Museum, built in 1752 by Captain Joseph Atwood when he was a subject of George II of England. Occupied by the Atwood family until 1926, it has remained unchanged since the time it was built, and offers an excellent illustration of 18th and 19th century life in New England. In other towns, check out the French Cable Station and its exhibits of the French Cable Company which provided the first direct communications link from Europe to North America, the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster, and the Old Schoolhouse Museum in Eastham.
ARTS AND CRAFTS
Cape Cod, including Orleans, is a mecca for painters, carvers, sculptors, potters, photographers, jewelry makers and other arts and craftspeople. Their work may be found in shops and galleries, as well as at outdoor shows, fairs and festivals. Consult local newspapers and information booths for information.
SPORTS
Swim, fish, golf, hike, bike, play tennis, bird watch, take a sightseeing plane ride, use watercraft. Chatham offers these opportunities, as well as baseball, road races and sailboat races. The Cape Cod Baseball League’s Chatham Athletics host games at Veterans Field (for information, visit the web site at www.capecodbaseball.org). A skateboard and in-line skate park is located at Chatham Airport where you can also arrange for flying lessons and sightseeing rides. Public tennis courts are located on Depot Road and at the Middle School. For golf, try the nine hole course at Chatham Seaside Links.
RESTAURANTS
Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just a quick pick-me-up, Chatham offers something for everyone, most especially fresh, local seafood. Have fun exploring our eating establishments. Bon appetit!
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