Avoiding the Crowds

If you like the beach, but hate the crowds and the high prices, this is the place for you...

Sun, fun and atmosphere--without the usual resort congestion--are all nearby (about an hour-and-a-half out of Boston) in Cape Cod.

It's a little too cold for swimming, but the ocean and sand are beautiful and the sunset is spectacular. Whether you're looking for a romantic week in a cozy bed-and-breakfast, or a place for leisurely bicycling through tumbling sand dunes, the Cape is a great, and relatively cheap, spring vacation spot.

Since any self-respecting professor can be found on the Cape in the summer months, you might think a trip there over the break would leave you alone on the beach with your history prof. But not to worry--March is safe. All the academics are grading papers in their offices.

Provincetown, located on the Cape's tip, may well be called "Honky-Tonk Town" for its funky bars and lively entertainment. Although packed in the summer, P-town is quieter in the spring--there are no lines at the restaurants and the atmosphere retains more of its New England charm.

Some of P-town's bars have spectacular night shows featuring comedians and female impersonators. But be warned--if you go to one of the funny drag shows, don't sit up front unless you can take a little ribbing. The entertainers like to interact with the audience, so don't be surprised if a man dressed as Marilyn Monroe leaves red smooch-marks all over your face and neck.

Most of the Cape's activities require little expense, and are all easily accessible by car. While it doesn't really have a galloping nightlife in the spring, there are lots of things to do if you're willing to create your own entertainment.

During the day, vacationers can bicycle or walk along the myriad trails by the shore. Rental stores are conveniently located nearby, offering a wide selection of bikes for both those who take this stuff seriously and those who just want to have fun.

Although there are a large variety of restaurants along the peninsula, most of them have large seafood menus and provide fish, lobster, mussels, clams--and whatever else you might imagine--fresh everyday. The eating places closer into town promise a quiet atmosphere and nicely prepared dishes.

Avoid at all costs the roadstop restaurants with big signs and the word "LOBSTER!" in the title. They offer a lot of fried seafood and assemblyline service at prices not worth the trouble. Imagine the Harvard dining halls' fish pizziola with a $27.95 pricetag.

Wellfleet, Truro, and Orleans have some of the nicest beaches on the Cape. Orleans, which is about 40 minutes by car from P-town, has a small town center with a first-run movie theater, a couple of really good restaurants, motels, and--my favorite--a bed-and-breakfast or two.

The prices in the B-&-B's are down during the spring season, so you can stay for about $20 a night in someone's quaint colonial house and get a very well-prepared breakfast every morning. The people who run these establishments are usually quite friendly, so you shouldn't steal their towels. They are also nice enough to leave you alone if you wish. You can find B-&-B's listed in selected tourist manuals.

But if you're really looking for the inexpensive vacation, youth hostels are located in almost every town along the Cape. They run about $10 per night, and are usually built only yards from the water's edge.

Wellfleet and Truro are next to each other and about 20 minutes from Provincetown. Wellfleet has a drive-in movie theater (as well as an indoor one), a miniature golf course and a town center with antique shops, clothing stores and a couple of small, mediocre restaurants. But even in these places, like everywhere on the Cape, you can always get a good bowl of clam chowder. The Lighthouse, a restaurant in the center of Wellfleet, is worth a visit, though mostly for its friendly service and delicious blueberry pancakes.

Although Truro does not have much of a town center (the main street is about 200 yards long), its beaches are by far the best along the Cape. In the summer, residents flock to Truro's sands and sit on line for hours waiting for a parking space in its small lots.

In April, however, there are few swimmers, but couples, readers and sun-worshippers roam Truro's sands in the brisk breezes and 60-degree weather all the same. So, if you can't afford the Bahamas, remember, the less-crowded beaches make it better at the Cape.