On our first trip to the Cape, we found a few favorite spots. Places that we knew would work, where the kids would enjoy themselves, where we could make an easy exit if necessary, where they wouldn’t become overwhelmed by crowds.
The house that my parents rented was in Eastham, so we stayed pretty close by when possible. When we were in the mood for a bay beach, we went to Cook’s Brook Beach. When we wanted a pond, it was Great Pond. When they just needed a little change, it was Stop & Shop.
Yes, Stop & Shop. A grocery store.
Our children absolutely love grocery shopping. I fully expect this to change as they get older, and have stronger opinions, and begin to ask for things, only to be told no- But for now, grocery stores are the equivalent of an amusement park to the duo. It’s one big ride, with lots of colorful decorations (products) everywhere they look. There is terrific people watching, also, not to mention the enormous amount of attention a set of chunky 7 month old boy/girl twins will garner.
We settled into a pretty steady routine, which probably helped their transition to this new environment. Mornings would start out with a stroller job with Dad, when he was with us. Breakfast with the cousin was followed by some morning playtime in the house. Cousin would head out with his parents, while we would attempt a morning nap.
During the nap, we’d scurry around, preparing everything we needed for our mid-day excursion. We’d head to the beach, or the pond most days.
I had purchased a two-week parking permit for Eastham beaches, which included Cook’s Brook, and Great Pond. Cook’s Brook beach was never crowded, so we easily parked right next to the beach. We could quickly set up our blankets, chairs, fishie pool, and umbrellas, then bring the kids down to our area. We were never more than a few steps away from the car.
Taking a break from the water
They did well with the beach, but were still too little to really enjoy the small waves, or even the standing water in low tide. The mud didn’t even really entertain them much, either. But once again, the fishie pool was a big hit.
At Great Pond, the parking is a little bit further away, so we would grab a blanket, and children, then someone would hang out by the pond with them while someone else grabbed any remaining gear. We found that there wasn’t much needed for the pond- mainly some snacks, and towels. They really enjoyed ‘swimming’ in the pond. We brought our little raft, too, but mostly they loved being held, and pulled around motorboat style.
Great Pond has a dock that extends most of the way through the roped off swimming area. We would let them jump (lean forward from a sitting position) off of the dock into our arms. This was another big hit. Garrett could have done this all day. Cousin joined us at the pond a couple of times. They were all at a great age to enjoy the calmness of the pond. It was perfect for cooling off in the hot sun, while also allowing them to splash around, and burn off some energy.
After our mid-day outing, we’d head back to the house for lunch and an afternoon nap. This was where it got a bit dicey. Someone would have to sit in between them, feeding them puffs, or singing songs, or tickling them, in an attempt to keep them from prematurely napping. As you can imagine, that was not easy!
When successful, there would be an afternoon nap at the house before more playtime and dinner. If the sandman could not be avoided, I would simply drop my passenger off at the house, and drive around for a bit to give them some sort of nap before heading home.
Finding these ‘safe’ spots that were almost guaranteed to please our littles was a large part of the reason our trip was a success, but it wasn’t the only reason. Next week we’ll look at a few places almost guaranteed to please the adults in our crowd. We’ll finish up our trip to the cape with a rundown of tips and tricks, as well as lessons learned from this first real lengthy vacation!