Other Activities
| Route 66 | Cities | Beaches |
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Other Activities |
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You need to introduce yourself to Stanley Tavares down at Town Wharf. Stanley runs Captain John Boats, named for his father, who started a family charter fishing business here in 1946. It has grown to four boats over 60 years. with Stanley taking over in 1976. He runs five different kinds of trips, and all are great experiences. We make heavy use of this company. We take their ferry out to Provincetown, their whalewatching cruise, their deep sea fishing cruise, and their Floating Classroom trip. 1-800-242-2469. In Plymouth, 746-2643. If you're going to several days in Plymouth, a visit to Morton Park is essential. This magnificent local preserve is at the head of Towne Brook, above Jenney's Mill. There is beautiful forest, several beaches, picnic tables and hiking trails. After several days of eating in restaurants, it would be a fine place for a picnic supper and swim. This is where Massanoit and his warriors camped whenever he came to town to meet with the Pilgrim leaders. |
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| While you're here, we recommend a whale watching cruise. A triangle drawn between Plymouth, Gloucester and Cape Cod encloses the Stellewagon Banks, the world's greatest whaling grounds. You will see some from the ferry and a few from the local beaches, but to really get up close and personal, treat yourself and your group to a four hour cruise, departing at 9 am and 2 pm in early June and three times a day the rest of the Summer. There are special family and group rates. You will see Minke, Humpback, Finback, Right and Pilot Whales and Seals, Dolphins, Porpoises and Sea Turtles, plus a wide variety of sea birds. Some of the whales you see will weigh 65 tons and be longer than your boat. An on board marine biologist will point out special features and answer any questions. The ship's galley serves drinks and snacks. There are two open decks and an enclosed cabin |  |
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We also suggest a deep sea fishing trip. This is one of the great fishing grounds of the world. You can catch Cod, Haddock, Mackerel, Pollack, and Flounder with an occasional Blue, Sea Bass and what they locally call Wolf Fish. All are good eating, and can be packed in dry ice or vacuum sealed for your trip home, or if you're not going home in a few days, you can ship it to a friend to put in their freezer for you in exchange for a share. Or you can take it out to Morton Park for a fish fry. The rates are among the best on the Atlantic Coast : $42 for an adult and $30 for kids for an eight hour trip, and special family or group rates bring it even below that. A climate controlled cabin with food and beverages lets you take a break on especially hot or chilly days. Bait is free. You can rent the equipment for $6. This is a very productive area and you will definitely catch fish. Stanley Tavares and crew have all the latest technology on board to locate the fish and they will go to the part of Cape Cod Bay or Massachusetts Bay where your chances are maximized. We think there's another reason you ought to do this. With global warming, increased commercial fishing all over the world, the continuing pollution of ocean waters, and the rising cost of fuel, it is uncertain how much longer this kind of experience will be possible. Kids today may spend their lives as adults in a world where deep sea fishing is just a memory. This trip to Plymouth may be their last chance. Take plenty of photos for their family albums. www.captjohn.com. |
| Another outstanding option in Plymouth, especially if you're bringing a youth group or a family with kids, is a day in the Floating Classroom Program. You go out on Cape Cod Bay in a research vessel, with microscopes, various tanks and gauges, and staff members with degrees in Marine Biology and Oceanography. The ship holds an Onboard Tidal Pool, a tank containing seawater and spider crabs, sea stars, sea lettuce, and other ocean organisms. The students study structure and function of these animals. They will also use plankton collectors to gather protozoa, then study them under the microscopes. They use the secchi discs and depth bottles to measure chemical and physical aspects of the water, testing them with traditional scientific procedures. A lobster man will demonstrate lobster equipment, pull aboard a sample lobster trap, and use live lobsters to teach about the species. www.captjohn.com. |  |
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Don't forget a Cranberry Tour. Plymouth is the home of Ocean Spray, founded to package and market cranberry products. Ocean Spray subcontracts to independent family "bogs" for its cranberries. One, Flax Pond Farm, is open to the public. Harvest begins in September, but in Summer you can tour the bogs, see the equipment, ask questions, learn about this unique crop and the strange way they grow and harvest it, and buy cranberry products, from candles to wine. Your hosts, Jack and Dot Angley, are on some Ocean Spray labels, and the tv ads are filmed here. You must make an appointment by calling 1-508-866-3654. Tours are from 1-4 pm weekdays. Flax Pond Farm is five miles out of Plymouth. Take 44, turn left on 58, left on South Meadow Road, left on Pond Street, and right at Flax Pond Farm sign. |
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Finally, there are Beaches. Plymouth is so widely known for history that swimming gets forgotten. But its beaches are great. Water doesn't warm up until late June, and the Cape prevents big surf, but sand is fine grained, water is clean, and crowds occur only on July Fourth and Labor Day. We recommend Plymouth Beach, on the long bar framing the south side of Plymouth Harbor, at the foot of Plymouth Plantation. There are restrooms, lifeguards and a snack bar. Morton Park is a beautiful freshwater beach above Jenney's Mill. Follow Summer Street beyond Route 3. Surrounded by pine forest, Morton has restrooms, lifeguards and picnic tables |  |
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