Chatham, Massachusetts
Chatham, Massachusetts is an ideal location for a Cape Cod vacation. Bordering both the Atlantic Ocean and Nantucket Sound, Chatham's history is intertwined with the sea. Samuel de Champlain cruised these waters in 1606 and the town is one of the only places on the Cape that still has a viable commercial fishing fleet. The clapboard mansions built by sea captains during the 1800s are still around today, beacons of Chatham's sea faring prosperity. The town's streets are lined with quaint boutiques and excellent restaurants, perfect respites for shoppers and "foodies" of all description. 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.The beaches around Chatham offer perfect locations for soaking up some sun or trying your hand at any number of aquatic activities. Cockle Cove Beach, Ridgevale Beach, and Hardings Beach, located on the Sound, are perfect for families with small children due to the calm waves and shallow, gently deepening waters. Surfers have discovered the charms of Forest Beach. For a get-away-from-it-all experience, head out to North Beach, a barrier island located offshore and only accessible by boat. A water taxi leaves from Chatham pier to take you to this 5-mile long stretch of uninhabited sand.
While the waters off Cape Cod offer some of the best striped bass fishing in the world, there are 5 fresh water ponds and lakes in Chatham that allow fishing. One of the most popular, Goose Pond, is also an excellent swimming hole. If you want to cast for saltwater fish without a boat, you can toss in a line off of the Bridge Street Fishing Bridge.
