Things To Do in Wellfleet

Antiques/Collectibles

Wheeler-dealers should head for the Wellfleet Flea Market, part of the Wellfleet Drive-In campus at 51 Route 6, north of the Eastham-Wellfleet border (tel. 508/349-0541). A few days a week in summer and during the shoulder seasons, the parking lot of the Wellfleet Drive-In Theater “daylights” as an outdoor bazaar with as many as 300 booths. Though a great many vendors stock discount surplus, there are usually enough collectibles dealers on hand to warrant a browse through. Summer hours are Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8am to 3pm. Lookers are charged $2 to $3 per carload.

Farmhouse Antiques, Route 6, at Village Lane, Wellfleet (tel. 508/349-1708), is a large storehouse filled with a variety of goods, including a wide array of furniture, stacks of books, and ephemera.

Arts & Crafts

One of the more distinguished galleries in town, the smallish Cove Gallery, at 15 Commercial St. (tel. 508/349-2530)—located by Duck Creek, with a waterside sculpture garden—carries the paintings and prints of many well-known artists, including the late John Grillo, whose work delights with boldly painted tango-themed paintings, watercolors, and prints. It’s closed mid-October through April.

Also by Duck Creek, the Left Bank Gallery, 25 Commercial St. (tel. 508/349-9451) is set inside a 1933 American Legion Hall that makes an optimal display space. Crafts make a stronger stand than art here; although the paintings occupying the former auditorium sometimes verge on hackneyed, the “Potter’s Room” overlooking the cove is packed with sturdy, handsome, useful vessels, along with compatible textiles.

Fashion

At Hannah, 234 Main St. (tel. 508/349-9884), Susan Hannah shows her own private label in this nicely rehabbed house, along with other designers' works. The emphasis is on flowing lines and relaxed fabrics -- slinky rayon, soft cotton jersey, and nubby linen. Closed mid-September to late May.

Slightly more citified is Off Center, 354 Main St. (tel. 508/349-3634), where the clothes are neither traditional nor trendy, but right-on, go-anywhere chic. Closed January through March.

Somewhat to the left of -- and across the street from -- its parent shop, Off Center, is Eccentricity, 361 Main St., in the center of town (tel. 508/349-7554). The store lives up to its name with dramatic antique kimonos and artifacts from Japan, India, and Africa. Closed January through March.

Karol Richardson, 11 W. Main St. (tel. 508/349-6378), is owned and operated by its namesake, an alumna of the London College of Fashion and a refugee from the New York rag trade. She has a feel for sensual fabrics and a knack for lovely clothes that, in her own words, are “wonderfully comfortable but sophisticated at the same time and very flattering to the less-than-perfect body.” It’s closed mid-October through April.

Gifts

North of Wellfleet in the town of Truro, Jules Besch Stationers, 3 Great Hollow Rd. (tel. 508/487-0395), specializes in papers, ribbon, gift cards, handmade journals and albums, desktop pen sets, guest books, and unusual gift items. It’s closed January through March.

A Vineyard in the Dunes

One of the last working farms in the Outer Cape, Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod, 11 Shore Rd./Route 6A, North Truro (tel. 508/487-6200) uncorked its first homegrown chardonnay and cabernet franc in the fall of 1996, and Muscadet and merlot soon followed. Inside the main house on this pastoral property, the living room, with its exposed beams, is decorated with interesting wine-related artifacts. From late May through October, wine tastings are every half hour at $10 per person. Free winery tours are offered at 1pm and 3pm. On the premises you’ll also find the South Hollow Spirits distillery, offering 20 Boat Rum and Dry Line Gin. Distillery tours are at noon and 2pm. Events take place all summer with live music and high-end food truck vendors; check website for details. Open Monday to Saturday from 11am to 6pm, Sunday noon to 7pm.

From Belfries to Bats & Other Entertainment

The First Congregational Church of Wellfleet, 200 Main St., about one-quarter mile west of Route 6 (tel. 508/349-6877), hosts organ concerts Sundays at 7:30pm during July and August on its elaborate 1873 instrument. They're a good excuse to stop in and take a look around -- the soaring 1850 Greek Revival church has the world's only bell tower ringing ship's time (an innovation introduced in 1952). Admission is free.

Wednesday nights in July and August, Wellfleet's workaday fishing pier (off Kendrick Ave.) resounds to the footfalls of avid amateur square dancers of every age. Call the Wellfleet Recreation Department at tel. 508/349-0314 for more information.

How about a night hike or bat walk? Both are offered at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (tel. 508/349-2615). Rates vary; call for schedule and reservations. Just don't take in any vampire movies at the drive-in beforehand.

The Wellfleet Drive-In Theater, 51 Rte. 6, just north of the Eastham border (tel. 508/349-7176), clearly deserves National Landmark status: Built in 1957, it's the only drive-in left on Cape Cod and one of a scant half-dozen surviving in the state. The rituals are unbending and every bit as endearing as ever: the playtime preceding the cartoons, the countdown plugging the allures of the snack bar, and, finally, two full first-run features. The drive-in is open daily from late May through mid-September; showtime is at dusk. Call for off-season hours. Admission is $7.50 for adults and $4.50 for seniors and children 5 to 11.

The principals behind the Wellfleet Harbor Actors' Theatre (WHAT), 2357 Rte. 6 (next to the post office), or 1 Kendrick Ave. (next to the town pier; tel. 508/349-9428), aim to provoke -- and usually succeed, even amid this very sophisticated, seen-it-all summer colony. WHAT's newer 200-seat space, the Julie Harris Stage, which opened in June 2007 on Route 6, is up and running. Smaller shows are still done in the 90-seat harbor theater. WHAT for Kids shows are performed in a tent on the Route 6 property. What makes this theater stand out is that they go to great lengths to secure original work, some local and some by playwrights of considerable renown, with the result that the repertory rarely suffers a dull moment. Performances at the harbor and on the Julie Harris Stage are given Wednesday to Sunday, with afternoon and evening shows from late May through October; call or check their website for a schedule. Tickets are $29 for adults, $15 for students 17 and under. WHAT for Kids performances cost $10 for open seating in the tent, Mondays through Thursdays at 7:30pm.

On Cahoon’s Hollow Beach, The Beachcomber (1120 Old Cahoon Hollow Rd.; tel. 508/349-6055) is the only nightclub on Cape Cod with an Atlantic Ocean view. Built as a lifesaving station in 1897, since 1978 this been THE dance club for those in the know on the Cape. The club also serves lunch and dinner, and the food is surprisingly good, with fish tacos a standby; frozen drinks and a great selection of draft beer complete the picture. As for the music, the acts have been mostly the same for years; cover charges range from $10 to $25. The Beachcomber now controls the Cahoon’s Hollow Beach parking lot; parking costs $20, but includes a $20 voucher for a meal at the restaurant. (After 5pm parking is free.) It’s open daily from late June to early September, noon to 1am. The Beachcomber also runs the free Funk Bus, to shuttle restaurant patrons and beachgoers from the nearby White Crest Beach parking lot to and from Cahoon’s Beach daily in the summer from 11am to 6pm.