Things to do in Barnstable County

Discover the scenic island of Martha's Vineyard on a day trip from Boston. Admire the gingerbread cottages of Oak Bluffs and the iconic lighthouse of Aquinnah. Enhance your day by booking the guided tour or choose to explore the island at your leisure. Start your day with a pickup from your downtown Boston hotel in a minibus and enjoy a smooth transfer to the ferry in Falmouth, Cape Cod. Enjoy snacks and bottled water onboard while browsing the Martha’s Vineyard guidebook as you plan your six hours on the island. After a short ferry ride, disembark on the beautiful island. Admire the picturesque gingerbread cottages of Oak Bluffs and explore the quaint downtown shops of Edgartown. Soak up the views at the Gay Head Cliffs and marvel at the famous lighthouse in the town of Aquinnah. Choose to rent a bike or a jeep, or simply explore the island with public transportation. Benefit from a discount card, valid at some of the island's top restaurants and attractions. After your day at Martha's Vineyard has come to an end, take in the views once more from the ferry before unwinding on your comfortable transfer back to Boston.

Embark on an unforgettable adventure with our expert naturalists on a three-hour whale watching tour! Picture yourself just feet away from some of the world's most majestic and rare marine mammals. Departing from Macmillan Wharf in Provincetown, our excursions offer breathtaking views and memories that will last a lifetime. Join us as we explore the stunning Cape Cod Bay and Stellwagen Bank, a renowned marine sanctuary and prime feeding ground for Humpback Whales, Finback Whales, Minke Whales, and the endangered Right Whales. Relax on our two open decks or unwind in our comfortable cabin, complete with full galley service offering delicious food and alcoholic beverages. Join us for a remarkable journey and create lasting memories!

Start the tour, with an early morning pick-up at your hotel between 6:45 and 7:30 AM. Take advantage of the complimentary snacks, water, maps, and discount food cards that are included in the vehicle. Arrive at the Martha's Vineyard Steamship Authority Ferry in Woods Hole, MA. Before boarding, there will be time for a spot of shopping or to enjoy breakfast. The vessel departs at 9:30 AM. Take an enjoyable 45-minute ferry ride to Oak Bluffs or Vineyard Haven, Martha's Vineyard. Food and drinks are available on the ferry, at your own expense. Inside air-conditioned seating, as well as outside sun deck seating, is available. There is plenty of room on this vessel to explore and take many pictures. Upon arrival at Martha's Vineyard, spend approximately 6 hours exploring the beautiful island. Guests who have chosen to take the 3-hour island tour will be greeted directly at the ferry dock. Everyone will depart Martha's Vineyard at 3:45 PM on the Steamship Authority Ferry. When you arrive back at Woods Hole, your guide will be waiting to take you back to Boston.

Board your 90-foot boat and head into the picturesque Hyannis Harbor and Hyannis Port. Relax on the comfortable vessel as you take in harbor views and the glittering water. Head to the fully stocked bar and purchase a drink to enjoy as you sail. Enjoy the soothing ambiance as soft music fills the air and unwind as you cruise. Take in the stunning sunset views and admire the changing colors. After the sun has set, return to port to enjoy the rest of your evening in Hyannis. We have themed Sunset Cruises a few nights a week: Thursday: Live Music Friday: Margarita Sunset Cruise Sunday: Luau Sunset Cruise

The Boston All-Inclusive Pass by Go City provides you access to over 45 of the area’s top activities, attractions, and tours for a single low price. Enjoy planning your own itinerary while saving up to 50%* compared to the cost of individual attraction tickets. Choose a 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7-day pass and visit as many attractions as you like during that time. Take a Trolley Tour, gaze at the city's skyline from the top of View Boston observation deck, or explore the Museum of Science. These and many other options are included in the cost of your Boston All-Inclusive Pass. A free digital guide helps you decide what to do, where to go, and how to get there. Below, "(R)" means that reservations are required. Included attractions with your Boston All-Inclusive Pass: TOURS AND ACTIVITIES • Historic Sightseeing Cruise (Seasonal - April to October) • CityView Hop-On Hop-Off Boston Trolley: 2-Day Ticket (Seasonal - April to November) • Swan Boats of Boston (Seasonal - April to September) • The Harvard Tour • Boston Movie Mile Walking Tour (Seasonal - April to October) (R) • Boston Bike Rental • Hyannisport Harbor Cruise (Seasonal - May to October) • Cape Cod Canal Cruise (Seasonal - May to October) • Liberty Ride (Seasonal - April to October) • Boch Center Wang Theatre Tours • North End Boston's "Little Italy Tour" • Boston Historic Pub Crawl Tour • Beacon Hill True Crime Tour • Sam Signature Experience MUSEUMS AND PLACES OF INTEREST • View Boston • Old State House Museum & Old South Meeting House Combo Ticket • USS Constitution Museum • Museum of Science • Paul Revere House • Museum of Fine Arts • Salem Witch Museum (R) • Boston Children's Museum (R) • Harvard Museum of Natural History (R) • JFK Presidential Library and Museum • Plimoth Patuxet plus Mayflower II or Grist Mill Combo (Seasonal - April to November) • LEGOLAND Discovery Center Boston • Franklin Park Zoo • Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum • Peabody Essex Museum • Institute of Contemporary Art • House of the Seven Gables • Buckman Tavern • Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology (R) • Concord Museum • King's Chapel Attractions and tours are subject to change. Check the digital guide included in your confirmation voucher for the full list of inclusions, opening times, and reservation instructions. *Savings based on itineraries on Go City website.

Departing from Boston in comfort, your guide will bring you over the Cape Cod Canal and into the quaint Village of Sandwich, the oldest town on the Cape (1639). Tour the Cape Cod Canal Museum and marvel at this immense feat of engineering. Then visit a commercial lobster pound--a big industry in Massachusetts. Hold a lobster weighing 5-10 pounds! Stop for a photo of the iconic Sandwich Boardwalk, stretching over a thousand feet, crossing salt marshes and creeks to a beautiful beach. Travel to historic Sandwich Village (1639) to a working 1650s grist mill grinding maize into corn flour for hundreds of years. Perhaps purchase a bag of corn meal to bring back home. Visit the world renowned Sandwich Glass Museum, displaying thousands of pieces of pressed and blown glass reflecting the pressed glass factory that put Sandwich on the map back starting in 1825. Heading back off of the Cape, your next destination is the Town of Plymouth, home of “Mainstreet USA." Discover what it was like to brave crossing the Atlantic Ocean as you walk on the newly restored, historically accurate Mayflower II, an exacting replica of the original 288-ton ship that sailed 3,300 to the New World. Did you know that the Mayflower is a gift of England reflecting our bond of undying friendship? Take the picture of a lifetime standing next to Plymouth Rock, where brave souls like Mary Chilton disembarked, seeking to establish a tenuous foothold in the New World in search of religious freedom. Walk on Leiden Street, America's oldest street, to see the Church of the Pilgrimage. Gawk at the Forefathers Statue, the tallest solid granite monument in the world. Then, sit back and relax as your guide brings you back to Boston with memories of a lifetime. (Lunch time is set-aside at a local (inexpensive) restaurant in Sandwich or Plymouth.)

Discover how a small religious summer camp transformed into one of Martha’s Vineyard’s most popular island destinations on this walking tour through the town of Oak Bluffs. Starting in Ocean Park, you’ll follow the coast to Inkwell Beach before heading into the heart of the town. Along the way, you’ll hear its history and discover what makes this island paradise so alluring to everyone from the rich and famous to curious Cape Cod vacationers that come for a day. Around Trinity Park, you’ll see Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association, its cottage museum, and the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs where the religious campers came to worship. After heading down Circuit Avenue, where I’ll show you the town’s famous Flying Horses Carousel, our tour will end at the harbor. By the end of this tour, you’ll have the answers to questions like: • How did Martha’s Vineyard get its name? • What is the origin of the famous gingerbread cottages? • Who are some of Oak Bluffs’ most notable African-American cultural icons? • How did Oak Bluffs go from a religious settlement to a secular resort town? • What is the most famous (and delicious) drink on the island, and where do you get it? Whether you’re on the island for only a day, or calling Martha’s Vineyard home for the season, this tour is for anyone who wants to dig into Oak Bluffs’ past and enjoy its present. Allow 60-90 minutes to get the most out of this tour. There are a few places to stop along the way in case you’d like some relief from the sun or to grab a drink or bite to eat.

It's a journey 400 years back in time! Four immersive living history sites, One Museum! New exhibits coming soon to celebrate American 250! o Mayflower Compact exhibit at the ship. Did you know the Compact is a founding document to the U.S. Constitution? o Alden & Winslow Houses at Plimoth Patuxet. Plimoth Patuxet includes the Henry Hornblower Visitor Center where you will begin your experience with a viewing of our orientation film in the theater; then we welcome you to begin your journey back in time visiting the Historic Patuxet Homesite, Craft Center and the 17th-Century English Village. Plentiful Cafe is open 11 am - 4pm, for your pleasure serving 17th-century tastings and modern favorites. And, for that unforgettable memory, we have four retail stores that will capture your interest, including Plimoth Artisan-made and New England Artisan items. o Historic Patuxet Homesite Culture keepers and educators represent themselves, their community and their culture that has lived here for over 12,000 years. They share their stories and make clear that Indigenouse people were here before the arrival of Europeans, and they they are still here today. o 17th-Century English Village Guests are living history, not just watching a reenactment, in our recreation of the early English Pilgrim settlement. Lend a hand in the garden, learn a dance, sing a song, play games, help with chores, serve in a milita drill and talk with first-person historic interpreters portryaing the Pilgrims in the year 1627. If visiting inNovember, the year played is 1621 for the First Harvest Feast known to America and the First Thanksgving. You can try to fool the historic interpreters, but they will not go out of period acting! You'll also enjoy coming up close to our furry friends, we have a heritage rare breed animals programs where you will see cows, sheep, goats and might see our pigs and chickens. o Craft Center Watch the reproduction of 17th-century european pottery and other artisan exhibts that rotate seasonally. The retail store has Plimoth artisan-made pottery for sale. UPGRADE to a Combo Ticket or Heritage Pass to include a visit to Mayflower II or/and the Plimoth Grist Mill. Both located less three miles north of the main campus in the Plymouth Bay Cultural District, on and near the waterfront where we have two retail stores with a focus on maritime. Mayflower II (listed on the U.S. Register of Historic Places): Climb aboard and experience what the 1620 crossing was like for the Pilgrims. Modern-day guides are on hand to enrich your experience, sharing stories about 1620, and the history of Mayflower. Plimoth Grist Mill STEM and History programs for all ages! At our working reproduction of the mill built by Pilgrim John Jenney, in the original location along Town Brook, you will experience the operations of the watered powered mill, and the ecology of Town Brook. Cornmeal and grits are available for purchase. We hope to see you, safe travels!

Arrive at the Historic John Paul Jones House 43 Middle Street Portsmouth for a meet and greet. Please use Google Maps for John Paul Jones House to find us. Please call direct if you need additional assistance. Pedal to the incandescent islands off of Portsmouth on a breathtakingly scenic bike tour offering abundant stunning photo opportunities and the ease and convenience of a comfortable bicycle. This idyllic tour takes you for a peaceful pedal along the Piscataqua River to the islands of New Castle, Four Tree, and Pierce Islands, with impressive stops at the Great Island Common, Fort Stark, Four Tree Island and Prescott Park along the way. You will pedal through charming islands, gardens, and lush parks, and over to New Castle Island to greet the vast Atlantic Ocean. Your friendly guide will share stories about the commercial and military history, fortifications, the transformations of a rundown waterfront to a vibrant park, a Victorian Hotel saved from demolition and more.   Highlights: Pedal along the Piscataqua River out to New Castle Island Visit New Castle Island Village's downtown Visit the Great Island Common to hear about the Isle of Shoals and lighthouses (great place for photos!) Visit Fort Stark to hear about the father to our state motto "Live Free or Die" Visit Four Tree and Pierce Islands to hear about the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (great place for photos!) Visit Prescott Park to hear about Prescott Sister's transformation from the combat zone to a waterfront park. (great place for photos!)  What To Expect: At your selected departure time, meet 30 minutes before your tour start time to get fitted for your bike. -Offered at 10 AM and 2 PM  (5PM Summer) -2-2.5 Hours -8-12 Miles -Easy - some small hills Tour Includes: Expert guide, high-end 21-speed city bike, and safety equipment (helmet & vest). Upgrade to an electric assist ebike for an additional cost of $50.00. Bookable on our site.

Board your 90-foot boat and head into the picturesque Hyannis Harbor and Hyannis Port. Relax on the comfortable ship as you take in city views and the glittering water. Head to the fully stocked bar and purchase a drink to enjoy as you sail. Enjoy the soothing ambiance as soft music fills the air and unwind as you cruise. Take in the stunning sunset views and admire the changing colors during your cruise. After the sun has set and all the fireworks have been set off, we will return to port to enjoy the rest of your evening in Hyannis.