Introduction to Barnstable and Hyannis

15 miles E of Sagamore; 44 miles S of Provincetown

Hyannis, which has a bustling city-like atmosphere, is the Cape’s unofficial capital. This is where you will find the Cape Cod Mall, the largest shopping plaza in the region, and other well known chains; and, unfortunately, the traffic that goes with them. But Hyannis is also where you will find a vibrant Main Street just one block from the harbor. The two are connected by the Walkway to the Sea, so you can go from shopping and lunch at a sidewalk café to a sightseeing cruise or fishing trip without ever needing your car. (There is lots of free parking on North Street, one block north of Main Street.)

Thanks to the initiative of forward-looking town officials and business leaders, Main Street in Hyannis is the most hopping commercial center on the Cape south of Provincetown. In the summer, there are about a dozen sidewalk cafés, and there are musicians every half-block or so providing free entertainment on Thursday nights. Full-scale free music concerts take place several nights a week at Aselton Park beside the harbor and at the Village Green in front of Town Hall. There are also artist shanties at the harbor, where strollers can see artists at work in what amounts to mini-studios by the sea.

It is easy to forget that Hyannis is actually a village in the town of Barnstable. The town has seven villages in all and each one is distinct. Once you have finished browsing the shops in Hyannis, you may want to head to Osterville, which has a charming Main Street and a number of exclusive and elegant shops. Centerville is best known for Craigville Beach, one of the Cape’s best public stretches of shoreline. Cotuit is the place to find the Cotuit Center for the Arts and the Cahoon Museum of Fine Arts.

On the north side of Barnstable, you can travel a particularly scenic section of the Old King’s Highway, through Barnstable Village and West Barnstable. It doesn’t get any more old Cape Cod than this.