Come to Provincetown with your kids to experience best vacation ever!
PROVINCETOWN HAS SO MUCH TO OFFER!
Race Point Beach Summer Fun!
BEACHES
Fun in the sun in our pristine National Seashore Park.
RACE POINT is our ocean beach where wave action is most likely to be found! HERRING COVE is gentler and great for smaller children. There are bath houses @ both beaches and a food stand at Herring Cove. Parking is $20 per car per day but there are weekly passes available to purchase if your stay is longer!
Check our Beaches page here…
ADVENTURE BEACHING
You can take a shuttle to LONG POINT which is the farthest piece of connecting land on the East coast (next stop England)! Long Point is pristine with 2 lighthouses, miles of natural beaches, bird nesting, and sand dunes…you need to bring water, picnic lunch, beach toys & towels and enjoy a wonderful day exploring and playing! Take the SHUTTLE boat from both MacMillan Wharf in the center of Provincetown and FLYER’S BOAT YARD in the West end of town. This is very handy for those families arriving by ferry or after a long drive and wanting to “get away from it all!” The SHUTTLE will drop you off and pick you up for a per person reasonable rate. Make your trip to Provincetown a memorable one.
Also check out COYOTE KAYAKS beach store for stand up paddleboard and surfboard sales and rentals, guided kayak and paddle board tours… lots beach and watersport activities, even yoga!
SAILING
For kids who stay for a month or two in the summer there is a fantastic sailing program where kids from 8 to 14 learn to SAIL with qualified instructors…it’s called the WEST END CHILDREN’S COMMUNITY SAILING and runs from July 1st to August 20th. It’s very inexpensive and a great experience for kids who want to meet other kids and learn rules of the water in a safe environment.
You can also rent a boat yourself from FLYER’S BOAT YARD, or you can join a sailing excursion from MacMillan Pier.
Check our BOATS page with business listings to help you choose from many great offerings!
GOLF, TENNIS, SWIMMING, ART and more
If you are in Wellfleet visit CHEQUESSETT CLUB. They offer special Youth Program with a variety of things to do.
Whales are abundant in waters close to Provincetown
WHALES, SEALS AND MORE!
Another organization offering family programs throughout the summer and during school vacations is the CENTER FOR COASTAL STUDIES which studies whales, marine life and started the rescue program for entangled whales which has become world wide.
Is there a better place then Provincetown to enjoy so many activities on the water? Just see what you can do: WHALE WATCH (best in New England and closest to the feeding grounds!) Dolphin Fleet offers special discounted weekend trips for families in July & August!
KAYAKING
COYOTE KAYAKS beach store offers stand up paddleboards and surf boards sales and rentals, guided kayak and paddle board tours… lots of beach and watersport activities, even yoga!
BIKING
Biking is a most popular family activity… bring your own or rent!
Provincetown has few businesses renting and servicing bikes, and you can choose from ARNOLD’S BICYCLE SHOP 329 Commercial Street, GALEFORCE BIKES 144 Bradford Street Ext., PTOWN BIKES 42 Bradford Street or THE BIKE SHACK 63 Shank Painter Road. All bike rentals have many kinds of bikes to accommodate families as well as helmets.
There are over 8 MILES OF gorgeous paved bicycle trails meandering through the National Seashore Park with beaches at both ends. Bike to walking trails through Beech Forest, Sand Dunes and along the way stop at the Seashore Visitors Center for a rest, information and water! Plenty of free parking and restrooms (in season) at the Visitors Center and Beech Forest. If you choose to start from those locations both are located off Race Point Road.
See more information here…
DOGPARK
At the corner of Route 6 and Shank Painter Road is our first class DOG PARK if you bring your pet along with you! Next door is Cumberland Farms for supplies (water, snacks, light groceries, gas and further up the street is our local STOP & SHOP for bigger grocery needs!)
PLAYGROUNDS
For the little ones Provincetown has two playgrounds, each one on the end of town. East End Mildred Greensfelder Playground (intersection of Bradford and Howland Street) and West End Chelsea Memorial Playground (intersection of West Vine and Bradford Street).
MUSEUMS FOR KIDS!
Need to be inside for awhile? We have the perfect museums for the entire family!!!!
The Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum offers a great excercise opportunity for both kids and parents! Climb the 252 ‘ all granite tower (mostly ramps & a few stairs) for the most MAGNIFICENT view on Cape Cod! Then visit the museum which houses great educational information on the Pilgrim history (YES the Mayflower landed in Provincetown before moving up to Plymouth!). Another fantastic place for kids is Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC). And don’t forget to visit Provincetown Art Association and Museum, with impressive exhibitions, concerts, classes and workshops!
THEATER FOR KIDS
Check out PAYOMET PERFORMING ARTS CENTER and PAYOMET CIRQUE BY THE SEA CAMP. There are performances for kids including juggling, marionettes, magic shows, and an Annual Cirque By the Sea original production. Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater who has various classes & workshops in the spring for kids (WHAT). Wellfleet Preservation Hall (movies in the back yard & classes) and Provincetown Theater both offer children’s productions throughout the summer season. The outer Cape still has an old fashioned DRIVE IN THEATER located on Route 6 in South Welllfleet… if you have never been to a drive -in theater, this is your chance! There are very few left in the United States!
Provincetown Public Library
LIBRARY and ART
Don’t yawn yet!!!!!! Provincetown Library houses a full size fishing boat which won the famous Lipton Cup race in the early 1900’s! Also, there is a great children’s library, special programs, Art & Story Time on the lawn, Summer Read Aloud, Magic the Gathering- Commander Club, free internet access for adults and kids! It’s a great building to relax, see beautiful local ART and regroup!
Speaking of ART, there are wonderful programs for kids at our Art Association & Provincetown Museum offers Youth Education summer programming ages 4 – 12 and at Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill so check it out!
LIGHTHOUSES
There are three in Provincetown and not easy to get to but we have HIGHLAND Lighthouse (Cape Cod’s oldest lighthouse!) & Museum in North Truro which has parking, access to the Lighthouse and one of the most beautiful views on Cape Cod… a family must! Discover Outer Cape Lighthouses here…
SHOPS FOR KIDS
All shops are located all over Commercial Street and a lot of the fun is simply looking for them but the most popular store for decades that shouldn’t be missed is MARINE SPECIALTIES…YOU can’t believe what you can find there from old fashioned marbles to underwater diving suits, old sailer, marine, army hats and everything in between…you can spend a lot of time in just this one store!
Commercial Street is an activity in itself with street performers, face painting and just people watching…pick a spot like the benches in front of town hall, let the kids can play on the lawn and enjoy the parade of people passing by!
HUNGRY? KIDS?! ALWAYS!
Some of the favorite spots for kids are: Coffee Pot, John’s Hot Dogs, Hamburger & Seafood Stand, The Canteen (patio on the beach), Box Lunch, Far Lands and Far Land at the Beach (most have take out), Harbor Hotel, Lobster Pot, Fanizzi’s by the Sea, and Mayflower Cafe.
Don’t forget DESSERT! What better stores to visit with taffy, cotton candy, penny candy AND MORE… Kids can fill up their own bags which is so much fun! ICE CREAM is always a family favorite with few places to buy located in the center of town.
Check our restaurant page for listing with links to individual businesses… look for a teddy bear!
Sunset picnic with Art’s Sand Dune Tours
TOURS for the FAMILY
Don’t miss riding over and thru the dunes with ART’S DUNE TOURS… a one hour ride that you will never forget! There are hills and thrills with ocean views, time to run in the sand, animal tracks and fun stories told by the drivers!
If you want a wonderful narrated tour through town take a Trolly Ride on The MAYFLOWER TROLLEY. Tickets in their boot at the MacMillan Pier, at Bay State Cruise Office (Chamber Building) or when you board in front of Town Hall. You will visit all of the highlights which may help you decide which activities to do while visiting us!
There is a walking GHOST TOUR for older kids and adults.
THERE IS A LOT TO DO FOR FAMILIES VISITING PROVINCETOWN! WE HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME! PROVINCETOWN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE located in the middle of town between MacMillan Wharf and Provincetown Marina… Stop by and visit us!
