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Dennis: Fun and Sun on Wonderful Cape Cod

Dennis, Massachusetts makes an ideal setting for a Cape Cod vacation. Once part of Yarmouth, the town separated in 1798, naming itself after Josiah Dennis, a local minister in Yarmouth for over 30 years. Today, Dennis (which encompasses the communities of Dennisport, East, West & South Dennis) has embraced the 21st century in a grand way. The streets are lined with upscale boutiques and restaurants catering to every taste bud. If getting active is your idea of a great vacation, a day's itinerary can include beach combing, fishing, sailing, golf, parasailing, bicycling, hiking, shopping, sight-seeing, and any number of outdoor pursuits.

For a better understanding of the lay of the land, visit the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster. Since 1954, the museum has been on a mission to enhance visitors' knowledge about the Cape's natural environment. The museum contains two floors with exhibits dedicated to the Cape's flora and fauna. Included are displays about whales, avian life, coastal changes and how they affect the Cape in general, and aquariums holding various crustacean species. Behind the museum, three nature trails take visitors on nature walks to woodland areas, salt marshes, and the Cape Cod shore. The museum also sponsors nature study activities, including a seal sight-seeing excursion, an overnight trip to the Monomoy Lighthouse, and various bird watching trips.

Dennis has more than a dozen beaches that border salt water and two freshwater beaches open to visitors. Chapin Beach on Cape Cod Bay is a favorite of families with small children due to the calm waves and shallow waters. West Dennis Beach is a ½ mile long beach located on the Sound. The tricky waves make swimming problematic, but bring out surfers in droves. More beach time can be found at Scargo Beach, located around Scargo Lake.

Anglers also hear the call of the ocean. The waters off Cape Cod offer some of the best striped bass fishing in the world. If big game is your target, there are numerous charter boats available to take you out looking for tuna, bluefish, bonito, and false albacore (albies). If freshwater fishing is your particular cup of tea, toss in a line for trout and small mouth bass in both Fresh Pond and Scargo Lake. If you want to cast for saltwater fish without a boat, you can toss in a line off of the Bass River Bridge.

Birding enthusiasts will want to check out Monomoy Island. Located about 8 miles off of neighboring Chatham's shore, the island is home to every bird species native to New England. The island is on the Atlantic Flyway, and has received avian species from as far away as Brazil and the Arctic. A whopping 10,000 shore birds and 20,000 gulls have been sighted on the island in a single day. Notable species include yellowlegs, oyster catchers, prairie warblers, and eiders. The island is also home to a healthy population of white tailed deer and harbor seals who spend their winters here. Throughout the year, the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History arranges tours of the island, either single day or overnight excursions.

Dennis can serve as a jumping off point to other Cape Cod attractions. Cyclists can ride the 25-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail, which extends from Dennis to Wellfleet. Watch the boys of summer as you take in a baseball game at Red Wilson Stadium, home of the Dennis-Yarmouth Red Sox, members of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Head to either Hyannis or Provincetown and journey out to sea on a whale-watching excursion. Take in a play at the Cape Playhouse, America's oldest summer theater. Such acting icons as Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis have worked here. Whatever your heart desires in a Cape Cod vacation, Dennis has it all.