In total contrast to the high-speed US-6 freeway or the traffic-clogged, overdeveloped, and frequently ugly Route 28 along the south shore, Route 6A along Cape Cod Bay shows off the Cape as it should be seen. Route 6A’s winding backroads pass through small historic town after small historic town, and are lined by seafood shacks, ice cream stands, high-style restaurants, colonial-era homes, village greens, and stately churches—backed all the way by miles of bayfront beaches.
From Sandwich in the west to Brewster in the east, Route 6A offers a taste of what the Cape is all about. Barnstable, for example, is the second-oldest community on Cape Cod (founded in 1639), and has managed to retain its historic core through the years. A series of quaint villages line the bay between here and Brewster (pop. 8,440), which has the 80-acre Cape Cod Natural History Museum (daily; $7) at 869 Main Street and the old-fashioned Brewster Store, 1935 Main Street, in business since the 1850s.
Midway along, Dennis, the terminus of the Cape Cod Rail Trail to Wellfleet, is also the setting for the nation’s oldest professional summer-stock theater, the Cape Playhouse (box office 508/385-3911), on Route 6A just east of the gas station. If you prefer film over stage, the Cape Cinema (508/385-2503), on the grounds behind the Playhouse, specializes in movies you won’t find at the mall. If you arrive late, stick around until the lights go up after the credits or you’ll miss one of the Cape’s best public artworks, the Rockwell Kent mural of Prometheus on the cinema’s ceiling.
Dennis also offers the chance to take in excellent Cape Cod views from atop Scargo Tower; turn toward South Dennis at the gas station, then follow signs along Scargo Hill Road.
