Beach update
Featured
The Warmest Water of the Year Arrives After the Lifeguards Leave
September has the warmest sea, the emptiest sand and nobody watching the water. The two calendars do not line up, and the gap catches people out every autumn.
News
What's New in the Cape
Openings, closures, festival dates and beach notices for the Cape. Every item is dated, says where the facts came from, and points back at the pages that explain the practical side.
Front page
What we would read first
Travel alert
FeaturedThe Purple Flag: What It Means and What Happens Next
A purple flag with a white shark silhouette is an instruction, not information. Here is the protocol behind it, stated the way the National Seashore states it.
Beach update
FeaturedWhat the National Seashore Gates Charge, and When They Are Staffed
One fee schedule covers all six ocean beaches, the gates take no cash, and passes are sold at the beach entrances only. The collection season is shorter than the summer.
Seasonal
FeaturedThe Whale-Boat Season, and the One Rule That Governs Every Trip
Boats run from about April to late October out of Provincetown and Barnstable. One federal regulation shapes what the captain is allowed to do with them.
Archive
More stories
Closure
The Shutdown: What Closes on the Cape After Columbus Day
The Cape's season is sharper than almost anywhere on the American coast. Knowing which half of the peninsula stays open is the difference between a good winter trip and a wasted one.
Development
Where the Bridge Replacement Programme Actually Stands
Two 1935 spans carry every vehicle that reaches Cape Cod. The replacement programme is real, partly funded, and has moved more than once.
Travel alert
Car Space on the Island Ferries Goes Long Before Foot Passage
The Steamship Authority is the only operator carrying vehicles to either island. For a day trip the answer is almost always to leave the car behind.
Reopening
April on the Cape: The Herring Run, the First Boats and the Gates
The Cape comes back in stages rather than all at once, and April is the first of them. The fish arrive before the restaurants do.