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Dennis Attractions
In Dennis, as in Yarmouth, virtually all the good stuff—pretty drives, inviting shops, and restaurants with real personality—is in the north, along Route 6A. Route 28, on the other hand, is chockablock with generic motels and strip malls. The main cultural target here is the Cape Cod Center for the Arts campus, a nexus for all sorts of arts events.
If kids get sick of all the miscellaneous go-carts and minigolf concessions on Route 28, they can take in a show. On Thursday and Friday mornings in season, at 9:30 and 11:30am, the Cape Playhouse, at 820 Rte. 6A, in Dennis Village (tel. 508/385-3911; www.capeplayhouse.com), hosts various visiting companies that mount children's theater geared toward kids 4 and older; at only $11, tickets go fast. Cape Cod's first Inflatable Park (13 Theophilus Smith Rd., South Dennis; off Rte. 134 next to Dick & Ellie's Flea Market; tel. 508/394-0588; www.capecodinflatablepark.com) has opened with multiple bouncers, slides, obstacle courses, water slides, and games. The park is open July 1 through Labor Day 10am to 8pm. Admission is $12. Socks are required. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
- Film
Cape Cinema
The Cape’s only year-round art-house theater is a treasure, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s inside a 1930s Art Deco building complete with a colorful ceiling mural by the artist and book illustrator Rockwell Kent. There is just one large screen, and seating is on black leather… - Museum
Cape Cod Museum of Art
This museum was founded in the 1980s to highlight outstanding artists of Cape Cod and the Islands. The founders felt that unless they began a repository for the Cape’s art, it would migrate to museums all over the country, leaving little for locals to enjoy. The museum’s several… - Performing Arts Venue
Cape Playhouse
From the first performance at this summer theater (“The Guardsman,” starring Basil Rathbone, 1927) to the years when soon-to-be Hollywood stars like Henry Fonda and Bette Davis plied the boards in summer stock, the Cape Playhouse has brought the quintessential summer theater… - Landmark
Scargo Tower
All that remains of the grand Nobscusset Hotel, this 28-foot stone observatory looks out from its 160-foot perch over the entire Outer Cape, including the tightly furled tip that is Provincetown. In the foreground is Scargo Lake -- the legacy, native legend has it, of either the…
Dennis Shopping
You can pretty much ignore Route 28. There's a growing cluster of antiques shops in Dennisport, but the stock is flea-market level and requires more patience than most mere browsers -- as opposed to avid collectors -- may be able to muster. Save your time and money for the better shops along Route 6A, where you'll also find fine contemporary crafts.
Antiques/Collectibles
More than 136 dealers stock the co-op Antiques Center of Cape Cod, 243 Rte. 6A (about 1 mile south of Dennis Village center), Dennis (tel. 508/385-6400; www.antiquecenterofcapecod.com); it's the largest such enterprise on the Cape. You'll find all the usual "smalls" on the first floor; the big stuff -- from blanket chests to copper bathtubs -- beckons above.
The Cape’s most prestigious auction house is Eldred’s, 1483 Route 6A (about 1/4 mile west of Dennis Village center), in East Dennis (tel. 508/385-3116). The gavel has been wielded here for more than 40 years; specialties include Asian art, American and European paintings, marine art, and Americana.
Arts & Crafts
Mostly fashioned of lustrous 22-karat gold, the dramatic creations of Ross Coppelman Goldsmith, 1439 Route 6A in East Dennis (tel. 508/385-7900) seem to draw on the aesthetics of some grand, lost civilization. Scargo Pottery (tel. 508/385-3894), 30 Dr. Lord’s Road South in Dennis, is a magical place. Harry Holl set up his glass-ceilinged studio here in 1952; today his work, and the output of his four daughters, fills a glade overlooking Scargo Lake. Much of it, such as the signature birdhouses shaped like fanciful castles, is meant to reside outside. The other wares deserve a place of honor on the dining room table or perhaps over a mantel. The hand-painted tiles by Sarah Holl are particularly enchanting.
Dennis Nightlife
6 Results
Cape Cod Chat House Gallery
A combo coffee shop, art gallery and entertainment venue, the Chat House is setting the new standard for Cape Cod’s burgeoning hipster scene. Performances in a given week might include jazz, poetry and Middle Eastern dance. Located inside an 1853 farmhouse on 6A, it’s all very…Harvest Gallery Wine Bar
Harvest has become a major destination for the 30- to 60-year-old crowd looking for rootsy music on a Saturday night. The walls also serve as gallery space, brightening up the restaurant and bar areas. Music starts at 7:30pm. Good food too.O'Shea's Olde Inne
At one of the Cape’s best Irish venues, Celtic musicians can join the “seisiuns” on Sunday night, when musicians offering jigs, reels, and sing-alongs. On other nights, there’s jazz, blues, folk, and even rockabilly.O’Shea’s Olde Inne
At one of the Cape’s best Irish venues, Celtic musicians can join the “seisiuns” on Sunday night, when musicians offering jigs, reels and sing-alongs. On other nights, there’s jazz, blues, folk and even rockabilly.Sand Dollar Bar and Grill
Entertainment is 7 nights a week from April through October at this fun and lively venue for the younger crowds. Weekends feature a raw bar, and bands start playing at 4pm.Sundancers
Dancing on the decks overlooking the Bass River is de rigueur at this club, which has been going strong for more than 30 years. Entertainment, from karaoke to 80s night to reggae, is on weekends until Memorial Day and the nightly during the summer season.
