Provincetown

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Welcome to Provincetown

THINGS TO SEE
PLACES TO EAT
PLACES TO STAY
WHERE TO DOCK

IT’S FUN TO IMAGINE WHAT THE HARDY BAND OF PURITANS WHO FIRST VISITED THE IDYLLIC NATURAL HARBOR OF PROVINCETOWN BACK IN 1620 WOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THE PLACE THESE DAYS. WHAT WAS ONCE A DESOLATE STRETCH OF DUNES, SCRUB OAK, POISON IVY AND PITCH PINE SURROUNDED BY SALTWATER IS NOW A BUSTLING TOURIST DESTINATION AND THRIVING ARTIST COMMUNITY. SURE, THE WINTER MONTHS CAN BE QUIET, BUT SUMMER FEELS LIKE A CACOPHONOUS, NEVER-ENDING MARDI GRAS, WITH DRAG QUEENS PATROLLING COMMERCIAL STREET AMID NOISY THRONGS OF FOREIGN TOURISTS AND FAMILY VACATIONERS. NUMEROUS RESTAURANTS, GALLERIES AND BOUTIQUES NOW LINE THE STREETS, ALLEYS AND WHARVES THAT WERE ONCE THE SOLE DOMAIN OF COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN AND WHALERS.


It’s safe to say that mariners have appreciated P-town long before it became known for its thriving art scene, tourism industry and gay community. The deep natural harbor offers excellent protection from the wind and seas in virtually all directions.

 

 

The harbor approaches are deep and free of obstructions, and the inner harbor can easily accommodate large yachts and commercial vessels. Moorings and slips are available via the two marinas — Flyers and Provincetown Marina—along with launch service and dinghy docks. However, be sure to call ahead for reservations, especially during the summer and early fall. Ice, fuel, and repair services are available as well. Transient boaters can also anchor inside the protected arm of Long Point, where they’ll find good holding ground.

Day-trip boating options from P-town include runs to Stellwagen Bank, the southwest tip of which lies a scant three miles offshore. Here you can view humpback, minke and finback whales at close range (just be sure to stay 300 feet from the whales, as per federal law). Ocean sunfish, bluefin tuna and basking sharks also gather over the bank to feed during the summer, when the surrounding waters teem with plankton and baitfish. Boaters can also cruise along the Outer Cape beaches, as long as they remain mindful of the sandbars and surf, which can run heavy after a storm or during strong easterly winds. Trips nearby Wellfleet Harbor, to the south, are an option as well.

Of course, shoreside activities and events abound in P-town. You can climb to the top of the 252-foot-tall Pilgrim Monument (built in 1910), also home to the Provincetown Museum, for a spectacular view of the Cape and surrounding waters. If you like eclectic stores, be sure to stop in at Marine Specialties, a P-town institution selling everything from mooring balls to fishnet stockings and located in an old fishing-net shop in the heart of Commercial Street.

The athletically inclined can rent a bike and ride through the towering dunes and pitch pine forests just outside town, or visit one of the former lifesaving stations along the Outer Cape, such as the one at Race Point Light. If you like to walk, you can hike along the West End breakwater (actually a long stone dike), which was built in 1911 by the Army Corps of Engineers. Cruises of the harbor are available through several companies, but kids will love the pirate ship cruises aboard Pirate Adventures. Nightlife abounds in town, with numerous cabaret performances each night during the summer and fall.

Speaking of fall, September and early October may be the best time to travel by boat to P-town. The harbor is less crowded, and you’re more likely to find a mooring or slip on short notice. Also, the throngs of tourists will have ebbed, leaving you more room to explore the town. Lastly, early autumn weather can be fantastic in this part of New England.

GETTING THERE
Charts: NOAA 13249, 13246, 13267

Provincetown, Massachusetts Chart

The approach and entrance to Provincetown Harbor from Cape Cod Bay are free of obstructions and are marked by three lights: Race Point Light, on the extreme eastern tip of the Cape (flashing white every 10 seconds); Wood End Light, at the southern point of the Cape’s final curve (flashing red every 10 seconds); and Long Point Light, at the harbor entrance, (steady green).

Speed limit inside the harbor is six mph. The harbor fairway is 100 yards wide and extends from 42 02’ 00 N/70 09’ 35 W to 42 02’43 N/70 11’01W, and in the area extending about 100 yards around the piers. Anchoring is prohibited in the fairway, but allowed in most other parts of the harbor, space permitting. Also, personal watercraft may not be used inside the harbor.

  • Note: Two breakwaters exist in Provincetown Harbor. One is a ¼-mile barrier located 835 feet behind MacMillan Pier. A 2,500-foot-long granite breakwater/dike lies roughly 300 yards southeast of MacMillan Pier. It extends southeast to northeast. The breakwater is marked by lights at either end. Use caution when operating in this area. Anchorage inside the breakwater is reported to be fair to poor, and there is an abundance of submerged debris.

Dockage, Moorings and Service:

  • Provincetown Town Float/MacMillan Pier/Harbormaster (508-487-7030; VHF 9, 12): Offers limited transient slips, gas and diesel. Free dinghy dock. Call for pump-out service.

  • Provincetown Marina (508-487-0571; VHF 9): 30 slips and 50 moorings reserved for transients. Water, electric and pumpout available.
  • Flyers: (508-487-0898; VHF 11): Rents moorings and small boats.
  • Lands End Marine Supply (508-487-0784): Marine supplies.

Anchorages:

Anchoring is allowed anywhere outside the breakwater and outside the main channel, but be aware that the bottom is somewhat hard so use appropriate ground tackle. A good anchorage exists outside of the mooring fields and tucked in behind Long Point, although this is a good distance from the town docks and beyond the range of launch service. Allow for a 10-foot tidal range. Note that the harbor is busy, and the numerous wakes can make for rolly conditions. A free dinghy dock is located at the end of MacMillan Pier.

Harbormaster:

(508-487-7030; VHF 9, 12 & 16): The Harbormaster’s office and public restrooms are located at the end of MacMillan Pier.

Launch Ramps

  • The only launch ramp on the harbor is the West End ramp. Due to the average 10-foot tidal range in the harbor, launching or hauling is limited to the 2 to 2 1/2 hours on either side of high tide, although smaller boats may have a larger time window. If your boat is over 22 feet long or the tide is not fairly high, consider launching in nearby Pamet Harbor in nearby Truro.
  • To reach the West End ramp, head west on Bradford Street then take a left on Franklin (about ¼ mile past Shankpainter Rd.) and continue on to Commercial Street, at the bottom of the hill. Follow Commercial Street as it swings right to rejoin the waterfront after the Coast Guard station (the road narrows considerably here). The ramp is located on the left about a quarter-mile past the CG station. A trailer-parking area is located on the southeast corner of the lot. Overnight parking is prohibited.

Boat & Kayak Rental:

Flyers Boat Rental (508-487-0898): Flyers rents kayaks and a range of small, open outboard-powered vessels suitable for nearshore cruising and fishing. Weekly rates are available.

Getting Around:

Public Transportation

  • The Provincetown Shuttle provides inexpensive service for residents and visitors. Major points of departure are the Municipal Parking Lot at the head of MacMillan Pier, Herring Cove Beach and Truro Center. Pick up spots are frequent on the major routes connecting these sites. Detailed schedules are available at the Chamber of Commerce Building and on the buses.

Bike Rentals

Things to See & Do:

  • Downtown P-town offers attractions and diversions too numerous to list—and some beyond description! Along Commercial Street you’ll find numerous gift shops, boutiques, candy stores, restaurants, ice cream shops, bars and theaters. Don’t neglect to visit Marine Specialties (508-487-1730), a funky, eclectic Army-Navy surplus store that carries everything and anything imaginable. Kids and grownups alike can spend hours in this place.
  • The Pilgrim Monument is open to the public and you can climb all 116 stairs to the top for amazing views of the Cape.
  • If you like to bike, the Cape Cod National Seashore has 8 miles of paved bike trails through forest and dunes connecting the major beaches.
  • Art’s Dune Tours (508-487-1950): Located on the corner of Commercial and Standish Streets, offers tour of the magnificent dunes east of town.
  • The Provincetown Trolley (508-487-9483): Offers tours of town.

Excursion Schooners & Harbor Tours

Fishing Information

Click here for more Fishing Information!

Where to Eat:

Provincetown is packed with restaurants of every imaginable description. A few standouts include:

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Launch Ramps
Where to Stay
Rentals
Harbor Master and Harbor Info
Getting There
Things to Do

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HawthorneHotel.com

Salem’s famed author,
welcome hotel guests

Nathaniel’s In The Hawthorne Hotel

18 Washington Square W, Salem, MA
978-825-4311
HawthorneHotel.com

Salem’s famed author,
welcome hotel guests

Nathaniel’s In The Hawthorne Hotel

18 Washington Square W, Salem, MA
978-825-4311
HawthorneHotel.com

Salem’s famed author,
welcome hotel guests

Nathaniel’s In The Hawthorne Hotel

18 Washington Square W, Salem, MA
978-825-4311
HawthorneHotel.com

Salem’s famed author,
welcome hotel guests

Nathaniel’s In The Hawthorne Hotel

18 Washington Square W, Salem, MA
978-825-4311
HawthorneHotel.com

Salem’s famed author,
welcome hotel guests