New England Getaway: New England travel, vacation, and destination guide

At its most basic level, a vacation signifies a period of relaxation, a time of “getting away.” Unfortunately, it sometimes seems like everyone in the country has chosen to get away to the exact same place at the exact same time. More often than not, that place and time seems to be Cape Cod in the summer. Sure, the beaches are great, the shops are quaint and you can’t get a better cup of chowder anywhere, but anyone who has tried to get from Hyannis to Harwich via Route 28 knows the dark secret that is hidden behind the mini-golf courses and ice cream stands: the Cape is really, really crowded. The place isn’t the problem; it’s the time. So it seems fairly obvious to me that in order to enjoy the Cape without the crowds, all one needs to do is go during any month but the summer. This does effectively eliminate swimming and bikinis, but, despite what you may think, there’s quite a bit to do during the winter on old Cape Cod.