Cape Cod
The biggest change on Cape Cod is the elimination of the Sagamore Rotary, the roundabout on the mainland side of the Sagamore Bridge. Work progressed more quickly than expected and the majority of the project was completed in the fall of 2007. According to traffic experts, without the rotary, drivers who now have a straight shot from Route 3 onto the Sagamore Bridge will save at least 20 minutes during the height of summer traffic snarl-ups.
There have been a number of improvements made this year to the Cape Cod Rail Trail, including a new rail trail section in Chatham that starts on Route 28 at the border of Harwich and Chatham. The trail ends at Crowell Road, close to Main Street. Completed last year was extensive work on the westernmost section of the path from Route 134 in Dennis to Nickerson State Park in Brewster. The next stage of work is on the northeastern section of the path from Nickerson to LeCount Hollow Road in Wellfleet. While the work is being done, that section of the path will be closed until about mid-June 2007. Plans also call for a connection to bring the western end of the trail from Dennis all the way to Hyannis. The first phase of that plan, which could begin as early as next year, would extend the path six miles through woods and near the beach to the border of Barnstable.
The scores of families who have rented at the Days Cottages in Truro for years are in for a surprise next summer: The cottages are now condominiums. Days Cottages are those 22 tiny shacks, each named after a flower, that sit on the beach on the way to Provincetown. The cottages will no longer be available for rentals all season long. Each owner will now determine whether or not to rent their cottage. You can call tel. 508/487-1062 to find out if any of the condos are available to rent.
The Taylor Family Restaurant, 13 Lake Avenue, off Route 130, Mashpee (tel. 508/477-1300) has replaced The Flume, the beloved restaurant owned for decades by Earl Mills, a former chief of the Wampanoag Indian tribe. The restaurant had been known for offering comfort food staples and classic New England dishes, and the new owners hope to continue the tradition.
As for mid-Cape restaurant news, Grille 16, the expensive steak house on Main Street in Hyannis, will have a new name and more moderate prices in the summer of 2007. The restaurant, which is located in the historic Asa Bearse House, is now reinventing itself as a family destination. The new name of the restaurant is 415 Main Street (tel. 508/778-0006) and the rear bar is now called, The Back Room at 415 Main Street. The new menu includes Italian and seafood dishes, as well as standard American choices. Main courses range from $13 to $22.
The owners of Abbicci, 43 Main Street/Route 6A, Yarmouthport (tel. 508/362-3501; www.abbicci.com), the high-end eatery that has long been a favorite destination on the Old King's Highway, have recently completed a seven-month renovation. They have reopened the restaurant, calling it, "a contemporary Mediterranean bistro." Complimenting the promising new items on the menu is a full list of tapas.
The new restaurant, The Oyster Company Raw Bar and Grille (tel. 508/398-4600) is creating some positive buzz in Dennisport. The restaurant, which features 50¢ raw oysters on the half shell on weekends in the off-season, is located at 202 Depot Street at Route 28. On Sunday nights, you can order a roast turkey supper with all the fixings for less than $15.
In Dennis, the Olde Inne of West Dennis is now O'Shea's Olde Inne on Cape Cod, 348 Main Street/Route 28 (tel. 508/760-2627), featuring breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner, and entertainment on weekends.
The Binnacle Restaurant on Route 28 in Orleans, one of the classic taverns on the Cape, is no more. The restaurant closed for good this fall and the nautical objects hanging from the walls and ceiling were auctioned off.
Barnstable has a new museum. The US Coast Guard Heritage Museum has opened at the old Customs House, which is the location of the former Trayser Museum on the Old King's Highway/Route 6A in Barnstable Village (tel. 508/362-8521). Exhibits include interesting artifacts from the US Lifesaving Service, the precursor agency to the Coast Guard. The museum is open from 10am to 3pm Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission is $3 for adults, free for children 10 and under and for active duty Coast Guard personnel.
For those who have a disability or who just like to explore the Cape's many walking trails, a new handicapped trail has opened in the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Wellfleet Bay Wildife Sanctuary, off Route 6 in Wellfleet, near the Eastham border. The All-Persons Pathway, which is three-quarters of a mile in length, is wheelchair-accessible and passes Silver Springs Pond along the way to an observation deck overlooking Goose Pond.
Nantucket
The newest airline to enter the island shuttle business is Nantucket Shuttle (tel. 508/771-2711; www.nantucketshuttle.net). The airline gives passengers another choice for the 12-minute flight from Hyannis to the island of Nantucket. Discounted fares on early morning flights and other flights could go as low as $30 for a one-way ticket, as compared to the competition, which can be as high as $91 for a one-way ticket.
In other transportation news, Cape Air, which flies a shuttle service from Hyannis and Boston to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, is now offering an online reservations service at www.flycapeair.com.
The Jared Coffin House, 29 Broad Street (tel. 508/228-2400), the venerable inn in the center of town, will not have a restaurant in 2007 or 2008. The owners of the inn, Nantucket Island Resorts, announced in January 2007 that the both the inn's tavern and formal dining room will be closed at least until 2009 for renovations. There are also plans to renovate the guest rooms, but no specific timetable for that work has been announced.
The restaurant at the Woodbox Inn is now a bistro called 29 Fair, 29 Fair Street (tel. 508/228-7800; www.woodboxinn.com). The new owners of the property are Danielle DeBenedictis and Peter Karlson, who also own the Summer House in 'Sconset, and the Summer House Inn on Fair Street nearby. Their son, Chris Karlson is the manager. Chef Charles Salliou, originally from Brittany, France, has created a new menu reflecting his many years of restaurant experience. There are French standards like coq au vin and foie gras, as well as dishes that take advantage of local seafood, like a special lobster tail in filo pastry.