5 Must Dos for Cape Cod Family Vacations

Looking to keep the kids entertained on your summer getaway?

Our shores are lined with beaches that bring families and couples to Cape Cod looking to relax and cool off.  But the beaches are not all we have to offer.  Here are just 5 of the many things to keep you busy for days on Cape Cod.

PirateAdventures

Sailing Daily from Ocean Street Dock, Hyannis

Sailing Daily Memorial Day through Labor Day

The Hyannis Boat is ideal for everyone aged 1 - 99.

There’s underwater treasure and a secret map to follow. Help the crew fire the cannons in order to save the ship! Singing, storytelling and taking the Sea Gypsy Oath. It’s a gang effort to find the treasure, fend off other pirates and bring Sea Gypsy home to harbor. Every mate who makes it back will take along their share of booty!

Mini Golf

Mini Golf is a summer must for all Cape Codders and their yearly visitors.  Here are 3 Mid Cape favorite locations known for their water features and challenging courses.

Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf

728 Main St, Mid Cape South Yarmouth, MA

Skull Island Adventure Golf

934 Route 28, Mid Cape South Yarmouth, MA

Wild Animal Lagoon Miniature Golf

Iyannough Road, Mid Cape West Yarmouth, MA

Cape Cod Baseball League

The Cape Cod Baseball League has turned out some  favorite professional baseball players.    Among the Alumni are Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek, Doug Mirabelli, Travis Shaw, Steven Wright and many more. 

Cape Cod Baseball Leagues goal is to provide affordable family entertainment.  All teams are non-profit and survive on the generous donations of spectators.  With a full schedule and many fields you can always spend sometime with the America's Pastime on Cape Cod. 

Whale Watching

Its been another amazing Whale Watching Season.  Take a trip out to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary for an up close look at these amazing whales. Humpback, Finback, Minke whales and several dolphin species call this bank their home for the season. The waters around Cape Cod are ranked as one of the world’s top 10 whale watching locations.

Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises
Barnstable Harbor in Barnstable

Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch  

MacMillan Pier in Provincetown.

Wellfleet Drive-In Theatre

Wellfleet Drive-In Theatre, 51 Route 6, South Wellfleet

Sun kissed and ready for down time after a day on the beach head to the Wellfleet Drive-In Theatre for a double feature with the family.  Movies can be enjoyed in the night air or from your car.   Complete with a snack bar, a dairy bar and grill, and mini golf right nearby, so there is more than enough to truly make a night out of the experience. 

Beat the Heat at one of Cape Cod’s Best Ice Cream Spots

After a day of Sun and Fun who wouldn't want to cool off with an award winning Ice Cream? 

Your Cape Cod experience is not complete without a scoop or a sundae from one of these five tried and true spots loved by locals and visitors.

Four Seas Ice Cream

360 S Main St, Centerville

Beating the heat since 1934, Four Seas has been winning national and local competitions for a decade and has been named in top ten ice creams by national publications.

Cape Cod Creamery

5 Theater Colony Rd, South Yarmouth 645 Iyanough Rd, Hyannis

Enjoy scoops of creamy ice cream named after Cape Cod villages and attractions while lounging in Adirondack chairs in the shade.

Sundae School

381 Lower County Rd, Dennis Port 606 MA-28, Harwich Port 210 Main St, Orleans

With three locations you can’t go wrong with this tried and true treat to ease the summer heat.

Steve & Sue’s Par-Tee Freeze

455 W Main St, Hyannis

Ice Cream and a round of Mini Golf!

Katie’s Ice Cream

568 Main St, Hyannis

A Cape Cod homemade favorite made on premise, the perfect treat on the deck watching the main street crowds pass by.

Cape Cod's Newest Must See - Whydah Pirate Museum

 In 1984 a fully rigged galley ship was discovered off the coast of Wellfleet. Today the British built ship that traveled between Africa, the Caribbean and Great Britain can be explored at Cape Cod's newest museum, The Whydah Pirate Museum.

The Whydah sunk in the storm of 1717.  Since that time it treasure has been just 500 feet off the shores of Cape Cod.  This authentic treasure can now be seen at the Whydah Museum on Route 28 in Yarmouth.  Adults and Children of all ages will be enchanted by the authentic interactive pirate ship treasures.  The only display of its kind world wide it is a must see stop on Cape Cod!

Find out why Captain Samuel Bellamy entered the violent nor'easter on April 26, 1717, off the coast of Cape Cod that sent his pirates ship into a watery grave!  Climb aboard a Whydah ship replica and discover hands on the mysteries of the 300-year-old pirate treasures.

674 MA-28

West Yarmouth MA, 02673

Monday – Thursday 

10:00AM – 7:00PM

Friday – Sunday 

10:00AM – 8:00PM

Last entry to the museum is 45 minutes prior to closing.

Adult (Ages 18-64) $18.50

Senior (Ages 65+) $16.00

Youth (Ages 4-17) $14.50

Children (3 & Under) FREE

Do You Really Want To Be a For Sale By Owner?

Agents can save sellers time, money, liability and hassle

For Sale By Owner (FSBO) transactions are more costly than homeowners realize, they are complicated transactions that can put both buyers and sellers at risk. FSBOs take longer to sell costing sellers both time and money. Here are 11 reasons why for sale by owner is a terrible idea. Read full article.

1. Scams happen

FSBO scams happen to both buyers and sellers with little recourse besides hiring an attorney.  Common scams include fraudulent papers, foreign buyer, purchases through a third-party and asking for personal information.

2. Liability is all on the seller

Let’s face it: this is a litigious society, so what homeowner wants to be a target for lawsuits?  

Everyone makes mistakes. Licensed agents carry errors and omissions (E&O) insurance to protect against those mistakes.

3. Paperwork is daunting

The 2015 National Association of Realtors’ Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers showed that understanding paperwork was one of the most difficult tasks for FSBOs.

4. Sellers can get stuck in a bad deal

FSBOs that sign on the dotted line and then realize an error are stuck. They have to pay the buyer to get out of or just take the deal.

5. FSBOs sell for less

In 2015, FSBOs lost about 16 percent of the sales price with a median selling price of $210,000 (agent-assisted homes sold for $249,000).

6. FSBOs spend more time on the market

Unless the seller knows someone who wants to buy the home, FSBOs take longer to sell than homes listed with an agent. For the same reasons, they can’t get the right selling price.

7. FSBOs lack representation

There’s no one looking out for the homeowners who sell on their own. They have no one to call if they have a problem or a question.

8. Inspections are problematic

Sellers who don’t know the rules can get stuck with unnecessary and costly repairs.

9. Marketing is limited

FSBOs have limited resources to market their home.

10. Hidden costs add up

The mindset for most FSBOs is saving money. Chances are, these sellers are being nickeled and dimed into a pretty big chunk of change.

They’re paying for a lot of extras: signage, flyers, photography, MLS listing, attorney (required in multiple states for FSBOs), home warranty (optional but hard to sell without one), home inspection, a wood destroying pest inspection, credit report for buyers (if applicable), contracts and the list goes on.

11. Time costs the seller money

The biggest cost to a homeowner is their time. You might hear the argument that it doesn’t take an agent that much time to sell a house. And honestly, given the technology at our disposal, that’s true — to an extent.

But it will take a homeowner a whole lot longer. They don’t have the expertise or the access to the resources agents have. What is their own time worth to them? How much time will the seller spend researching the market and contracts? Is the seller going to leave work to unlock the house each time there’s a showing?

Call The Beatty McGovern Group 

to find out what we do to put 

more money in your pocket.

PAUL BEATTY

DACEY McGOVERN

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BROKER/PARTNER

KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY

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774.268.9012 | 617.312.2787

BEATTYMCGOVERN@KW.COM

WWW.BEATTYMCGOVERN.COM

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1600 FALMOUTH ROAD, SUITE #2

CENTERVILLE, MA 026323