Things To Do
Town of Chatham Fish Pier
Picture this - you're on the Cape for a wedding. Your free time is limited. You just want to get a fresh lobster roll, or maybe a basket of fried clams, smell the ocean air and maybe see some blubbery seals. Well, luckily the Chatham Fish Pier is your one-stop-shop. Park in the tiny, tight parking lot. Squint in the sunlight reflected by hot cars. Order your seafood at the Cape-shingled hut off to the left. Climb the stairs at either side of the still-operating fish pier as real, live, honest-to-god working fisherman dock and unload their catch. Also watch as local seals bob opportunistically below. Hear your name butchered in full throat by someone with a strong Boston accent; it's time to retrieve your seafood order. This is Cape Cod. You made it.
Chatham Bars Inn
You're not like those plebs down at the Fish Pier. You require a refined experience. Perhaps you would like a beverage? Why, yes, you would. Where will you take your sweating glass of California chardonnay? Maybe down at the Beach House Grill? Or, better yet, in the semicircle of Adirondack chairs above Shore Drive, looking down on the beach and Aunt Lydia's Cove beyond. Yes, that's lovely, thank you. Would you like to see a menu? No, you're just fine, thank you. That'll be $1,000. Very well, here's your card.
Main Street
Central to all things Chatham is the aptly named Main St. That primary thoroughfare flanked by boutiques, general stores, ice cream shops, art galleries and the like, Chatham's Main St. typifies vacation window shopping. On summer days, Main St. is swarmed by a veritable throng. There's parking behind the stores on the right (going east). Stop in the Black Dog store and think of Rye (even though he's not a lab). Decide which color "CHATHAM" sweatshirt is "so you." Get some fudge.
Chatham Lighthouse
Lighthouses are cool, it's that simple. When we think of Cape Cod, we think of a bygone era, of mariners "shipping up to Boston," pitched to and fro by perfect storms and lashed by winds, rains and surges of sea. It's way more fun to hang out by this lighthouse and think about that stuff. It's a romantic image but our guess is it was not fun in practice. There's also a nice beach here, the aptly named, Lighthouse Beach.
Harwich Port Golf Course
Maybe you're the type to try to fit nine holes into a wedding weekend. There are so many opportunities to do so - you could take Friday off, play 18 in the morning and finish in time for Welcome drinks & light bites. You could wake up early on Saturday and easily fit nine in - maybe even while your partner sleeps in! Of course there's always nine for the road on Sunday. This no-frills nine-hole course is actually the ideal golf experience because there are no tee times and absolutely none of the stodgy "traditions" and "norms" that make most golf courses intimidating and unapproachable. You simply drive up, go into the clubhouse and ask to play. They'll tell you what number in line you are. The way golf should be, honestly.
Cape Cod Rail Trail
The Cape Cod Rail Trail is a paved, 25-mile trail through Cape Cod stretching from Dennis to Wellfleet. Many Cape rentals will come with bicycles, and this is likely the reason why. Cars are required to stop for cyclists, and the trail winds through bogs, forests and lowlands. A great way to get some exercise and see the inland natural beauty of the Cape!
Beachcomber in Wellfleet
The Wellfleet Beachcomber. Considering your weekend schedule, I'm not sure when you'll have time to make it up to experience this cultural talisman. Originally built as a life saving station (see Wikipedia), the 'Comah, as it is locally, colloquially known, is a beach bar and nightclub atop the dunes on the ocean side of the Cape in Wellfleet. They serve alcohol and food - classic beach fare, the steamers, fried clams, etc., but the real draw is the locale. Perched high on a dune above Cahoon Hollow Beach, the Beachcomber is the only restaurant on the Cape Cod National Seashore - it was grandfathered in when the CCNS was established by President Kennedy in 1961. From the front parking lot, by the sign warning beachgoers of local shark activity, you can see miles of ocean; it's a great lookout for spotting seals and other wet critters. This place is very cool and very special to the bride and groom.