Provincetown, MA Road Trips

As the first stopping point of the English settlers on the Mayflower, Provincetown grew into a colonial port, but remained small compared to other Yankee trading towns until the 19th century. The town became prosperous in the 1800s as a fishing and whaling center. The population was bolstered by a number of Portuguese sailors, many of whom were from the Azores, and came to live in Provincetown after being hired to work on US ships. Today, the town is a hub for whale watching vessels, which provide excellent opportunities to see whales. After the 1898 Portland Gale severely damaged the town's fishing industry, members of the town's burgeoning art and theater community took over many of the abandoned buildings. By the early decades of the 20th century, the town had acquired an international reputation for its artistic and literary output. Some of the most famous literary lights and artists who lived in Provincetown included playwrights Tennessee Williams, Eugene O'Neill, and Susan Glaspell; Artists Marsden Hartley, Robert Motherwell, Willem de Kooning, and Jackson Pollock; Norman Mailer, author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and co-founder of the Village Voice, beat poet Harry Kemp and Slaughterhouse-Five writer Kurt Vonnegut.

1 Pilgrim Monument, High Pole Hill Rd. (off Bradford in the center of town), ☏ +1 508 487-1310. 9AM - 5PM, open until 7PM between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The Pilgrim Monument is a 252-foot-tall granite tower based on the Torre Del Mangia in Siena, Italy. Visitors can climb to the top for fantastic views. At the base is the Museum of Provincetown. Adult $12, senior citizens (62 and older) $9, students (15 & older) w/ ID $7, children 4-14 $4. 2 Province Lands Visitor Center, Race Point Rd, ☏ +1 508 487-1256. May-Oct 9AM - 5PM. Observation deck with 360-degree view is open year round. Ranger guided tours, activities and exhibits about the natural and cultural history of the area. Films shown on regular schedule daily, see website. 5½-mile bike loop. Free. 3 Lighthouse at Race Point, Cape Cod National Seashore, ☏ +1 508 487-9930. The Race Point Light is a historic lighthouse. It was first lighted on November 5, 1816. Today visitors can stay in the keeper's house and the Lighthouse can be used for events and weddings. 4 Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM), 460 Commercial St, ☏ +1 508 487-1750. Memorial Day to July 4: daily noon to 5PM and also F Sa 8-10PM; July 4 to Labor Day: daily noon-5PM, 8-10PM; September: daily noon-5PM, F Sa 8-10PM; October - May: Th-Su noon-5PM. Really worth visiting. Excellent school for aspiring artists. $7.00 for entrance. 5 Provincetown Museum, 1 High Pole Hill Rd. (at the base of the Pilgrim Monument), ☏ +1 508 487-1310. 9AM - 5PM, open until 7PM between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Bear Week Provincetown, [email protected]. Mid-July. Annual week-long party for bears and their admirers. Attracts the largest number of attendees of any bear event in the world with over 5,000 registered attendees and thousands more in town. People come from around the world. Carnival Week, ☏ +1 508 487-2313, [email protected]. Mid-August. Premiere annual week-long party in August featuring the gamut of the LGBT community. Features a street parade with outlandish costumes and high spirits. Sponsored by the Provincetown Business Guild. Fantasia Fair, ☏ +1 203 701-9676, [email protected]. Late October. Fantasia Fair is the longest-running theme week in Provincetown: it began in 1975. Fantasia Fair has progressed from a holiday experience for transgender individuals into a mix of practical, social, and educational opportunities designed to enhance the personal growth and awareness of one's own gender expression. Family Pride Week, [email protected]. Late July. Family Week is the largest national gathering of the LGBT-headed family community in the United States. Girl Splash, ☏ +1 508 246-2082, [email protected]. Late July. Girl Splash is a fun, women-only week with lots of activities from a clam bake to theater to tea dances. Holly Folly, ☏ +1 508 487-2313, [email protected]. Early December. Weekend celebration of the Yule season with toy drives, the Snow Ball and live music performances and sing-alongs. Most shops and restaurants are open. Mr. New England Leather, [email protected]. Late November.

Connie's Bakery, 205 Commercial St., ☏ +1 508 487-2167, [email protected]. The epitome of craft baking; delicious pastries and breads from scratch and by hand daily. Shane, who worked with Connie for five years, took over when she and her husband, Richie, retired. Besides great breakfast pastries and breads, they have sandwiches and coffee, too. Far Land Provisions, 150 Bradford St., ☏ +1 508 487-0045. M-Sa 7AM - 6PM, Su 8AM - 5PM. Deli, breakfast bread, bagels and bakery. In the spirit of a general store, Far Land Provisions offers one-stop shopping for prepared meals, baked goods made in-house from scratch, deli sandwiches, wine & spirits, and full service catering. Joe's Coffee and Cafe, 170 Commercial St., ☏ +1 508 487-6656. Daily 6:30AM - 5:30PM. West End Espresso Cafe with hot food, soups and sandwiches and sweet snacks. Provincetown Portuguese Bakery, 299 Commercial St., ☏ +1 508 487-1803. Mar-Oct; breakfast and lunch all day. Until 11PM in summer. Try the malassadas, or the rich trutas. $10-16. Bay Cafe, 177 Commercial St., ☏ +1 508 487-6566, fax: +1 508 487-5537. Days and times open. Bayside Betsy's is a casual American/Continental restaurant offering breakfast, lunch and dinner in a waterfront location. entrees: $18.95-31.95. Canteen, 225 Commercial St., ☏ +1 508 487-3800. 11AM - 11PM. An upscale fry-shack with fresh salads, interesting sandwiches and fresh seafood. Serves alcohol and oysters on the half-shell. Mains $14 - 34. Lobster Pot, 321 Commercial St., ☏ +1 508 487-0842, fax: +1 508 487-4863, [email protected].

Heterosexual Governor Bradford, 312 Commercial Street, ☏ +1 508 487-2781. Drinks and raw bar are the focus here. The Squealing Pig, 335 Commercial St., ☏ +1 508 487-5804. Great selection of beer, and raw oysters. 1 Atlantic House, 6 Masonic Pl., ☏ +1 508 487-3821. Little Bar from noon until 1AM, Macho Bar from 10PM until 1AM, and the Big Room from 10PM until 1AM. Perhaps the oldest gay bar in the United States. Was frequented by Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill. Crown & Anchor Entertainment Complex, 247 Commercial St., ☏ +1 508 487-3821. This complex includes multiple bars with different themes, including a piano bar and a leather bar (see the Vault below). Gifford House, 11 Carver St., toll-free: +1-800-434-0688. This inn contains three bars: Porch Lounge, the Lobby Piano Bar and Purgatory Dance Club. Harbor Lounge, 359 Commercial St., ☏ +1 508 413-9527, [email protected]. Varies but usually open until 11PM from April to New Years. Harbor Lounge is presided over by Liam McGonigle, a gingerbear from Ireland who makes kick-ass drinks and has a nice selection of beer and wines. Monkey Bar, 149 Commercial St., ☏ +1 508 487-2879. Informal and fun bar with great martinis. Paramount, 247 Commercial St., ☏ +1 508 487-1430. Provincetown's premier nightclub. Within the Crown & Anchor complex. Shipwreck Lounge, 67 Bradford St., ☏ +1 508-487-9005. 6PM - 1AM. An upscale bar at the Brass Key Guesthouse featuring an outdoor patio with lounge seating, beautiful fountain, stunning gas fire pit and delicious cocktails.

The Chicago House, 6 Winslow St (Bradford St to Winslow St), ☏ +1 508 487-0537. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. Steps from Commercial Street. Free parking, wifi, continental breakfast, an outdoor 5-person jacuzzi, bikes to borrow. $60-195. Crew's Quarters, 198 Commercial St, ☏ +1 508 487-5900. Right in the heart of town. New guesthouse with great energy for those who want to experience the best P-Town has to offer. ~$125. 1 The Outermost Hostel, 28 Winslow St, ☏ +1 508-487-4378. May-Oct. European-style youth hostel. The Gaslamp Bed & Breakfast, 97 Bradford St, ☏ +1 508 487-6636. Check-out: 11AM. Central location walk to everything, hot tub, Unique rooms. $. 2 8 Dyer Hotel, 8 Dyer St, ☏ +1 508 487-0880. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. Contemporary boutique guesthouse in the east end. Features 7 rooms with air conditioning, robes, some with balconies. The hotel has a pool (which is rare for guesthouses here), jacuzzi and sauna; bikes are available to borrow. As a chef-owned B&B, the breakfast features local produce at a large buffet that includes fresh-baked items and eggs to order. Friendly innkeepers set a fun, upscale, relaxed tone. $99-429. (updated Jun 2016) Admiral's Landing, 158 Bradford Street (near Commercial St), ☏ +1 508-487-9665, [email protected]. Bed and breakfast. (updated Jan 2017) 3 The Boatslip Resort Hotel, 161 Commercial St, ☏ +1 508-487-1669. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. A gay-friendly hotel with a pool and the site of popular afternoon tea dances. $250-400.

The fastest route from the Cape Cod Canal bridges is Route 6, the Mid Cape Highway. Travel time from Boston's Logan Airport (BOS IATA) or Providence's T.F. Green Airport (PVD) is about 2½ hours without traffic slowdowns. From the Cape Cod Canal, Provincetown is about 60 mi (97 km) and 1½ hours. Eastham, with its 40-mph speed limit and two-lane highway, is a notorious speed-trap. Flex Bus, toll-free: +1-800-352-7155. Bus service on Cape Cod with direct service between Provincetown and Harwich and from there connections to other Cape Cod towns. Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway, ☏ +1 508 771-6191. Bus service from Boston's Logan Airport and Amtrak's Boston South Station to Provincetown via Hyannis 1 Provincetown Municipal Airport (PVC IATA), 176 Race Point Rd, ☏ +1 508 487-0241. Taxis (~$7) and shuttles (~$2) are available to take you to central Provincetown. (updated Nov 2015) Cape Air, 660 Barnstable Rd., Hyannis, toll-free: +1-800-352-0714. Cape Air flies several times a day from Boston's Logan Airport to Provincetown Airport, 20-min flight; in the summer they also offer flights to White Plains, New York, which is accessible to the greater New York City area, 60-min flight. Cape Air operates Cessnas and is the only scheduled airline serving Provincetown. Ferry service to Provincetown operates seasonally, late spring to mid-fall. All services dock at 2 MacMillan Pier, just to the south of Lopes Square (off Commercial St at the foot of Standish St). All ferry companies allow bicycles on board for a fee.

Ptown Bikes, 42 Bradford Street, 9AM to 6 PM (summer only). Bicycle rentals, sales, accessories, and repairs. Arnold's Bikes, Commercial Street, 10AM to 5PM (summer only). Bicycle rentals and repairs. Gale Force Bikes & Beach Market, 10AM to 5PM (summer only). Bicycle rentals, sales, accessories, and repairs. Beach Market sandwich shop. The Bike Shack, 63 Shank Painter Road, 10AM to 5PM (summer only). Bicycle rentals, sales, accessories, and repairs. Provincetown Bike Rentals, 136 Bradford Street, 10AM to 5PM (summer only). Bicycle rentals. Enterprise Car Rental, Provincetown Municipal Airport, ☏ +1 508 487-0009. (summer only) 8AM - 6PM. Outlet of national chain of rental cars Black & White Taxi P-Town, 336 Commercial St, ☏ +1 508 413 5413. 8:30AM-2AM. General Taxi, Airports, Piers. Late-model taxi cabs. Minivans available. Small and large groups accommodated. (updated Dec 2022) Cape Cab Taxi Service, ☏ +1 508 487-2222, [email protected]. Vans, buses and classic cars available. Atlantic Rides P-Town, 928 Commercial St, ☏ +1 508 413 3192. Daily 8:30AM to 2AM. General taxi services. Sedan and minivan taxicabs available. Clean, late model vehicles. (updated Dec 2022) Provincetown/North Truro Shuttle, ☏ +1 508-385-1430, toll-free: +1-800-352-7155. 9AM - 8PM. Routes run late May to late September. Two routes go from the ferry dock to various tourist attractions including the visitors center, Provincetown Art Association and Museum, beaches, First Pilgrim Park, Highland Lighthouse and Museum and the Flex bus stop.