Off-the Beaten Path: The Backroads and Breadmakers of Cape Cod

For a real taste of Cape Cod the average visitor will need some Innsider Innformation. It’s not just all sand dunes and salty air on this remote sand spit that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. Cape Codders are hardy stock, hardscrabble folks who have learned how to eek out a paycheck using all sorts of local resources and creative enterprise. Cape Cod is populated with artists, writers, and entrepreneurs of all ilks. You’ll find organic farmers, natural soap makers, herbalists, brewers, wine makers, bread bakers, chocolatiers, jewelry makers, and folks who do all sorts of things with cranberries. Many of these creative and enterprising people have achieved success locally and regionally with their products, and in some cases, nationally. If you want to sample the real Cape Cod, seek out products that are made here. Some of our favorites include:

Cape Cod Potato Chips: Made in Hyannis, but known world wide, and deservedly so; they are Rich’s favorite chips. Offering free tours of the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory on Breed’s Hill Road between 9 AM and 5 PM daily, Monday through Friday. You may also call them at (508) 775-3358 or look them up on the web at www.capecodchips.com

Barnstable Bat Company: Makers of the bat used by the Cape Cod Baseball League as well as some major league teams. Made of white northern ash, the bats bear the Cape Cod logo and start at around $40 for an adult bat and $30 for a youth bat. For $5 more you can get it personalized. The company opened in 1992 and is located at 40 Pleasant Pines Avenue in Centerville. The showroom is open Monday through Friday and some weekends in summer. Telephone (508) 362-8046 to request a brochure. You can also visit  their website at www.barnstablebat.com.

Cape Cod Metal Polishing Cloths: Famous the world over, these cleaning clothes were developed by an antique brass restorer living in Dennis, MA. The clothes are packaged in a distinctive tin and sold nationwide, and in Canada and Europe. For more information and store locations, call (508) 385-5099 or check them out at www.capecodpolish.com. Most hardware stores the Cape carry them.

Cape Cod Lavender Farm: Follow the signs from 124 in Harwich to a little oasis down a long windy dirt drive for an olfactory adventure you won’t soon forget. Here on this family-run lavender farm, are handmade soaps, oils, lotions and candles, all scented with lavender grown on the premises. If you can’t get there, call (508) 432-8397 for a brochure; or order online at www.capecodlavenderfarm.com.

Arts & Artisans Trails

In 2006, the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Economic Development Council, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and several others, released the first printing of the Arts & Artisans Trails, a guidebook featuring over 200 of the region’s finest artists located along seven defined itineraries that crisscross the byways and backroads of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.

The seven itineraries contained in the guide feature drives and walks to almost 200 stops.

Rough maps guide you around each trail, with starting points and a route that seemed logical to the editors. The first five trails are on Cape Cod, and a good map of Cape Cod is a handy thing to have with you, as are maps for both islands. The seven trails are identified by location and include:

Shining Sea Trail – Upper Cape

Old King‘s Highway Trail – Mid Cape

String of Ports Trail -Lower Cape

Sea Captain‘s Trail – Lower Cape

Great Dunes Trail – Outer Cape

Grey Lady Trail -Nantucket

Moshup‘s Trail – Martha’s Vineyard

Some of the artists can be accessed from bike trails and via shuttles in the summer. Walks to galleries in the harbor towns make a nice day trip. In the quiet seasons (November to April) it’s easy to drive the routes. Most stops are on or near major roads, and many of the artists open their studios year-round. Artists with regular hours all year are noted in the book. Others are open by appointment, which is also noted. If you visit in the winter, be aware that some sole proprietors take vacation in the slow season, and it would be wise to call ahead to check their hours.

We keep a copy of the Arts & Artisans Trails Guidebook in each guest room for your use while you are here. Or, you can purchase the guidebook from our Inn’s gift shop, at local bookstores on the Cape and Islands; at the Cape Cod Chamber Visitor Center, located at the junction of Routes 6 and 132 in Hyannis; or online at http://www.capecodchamber.org/store/Product.asp?pid=26.