1. Horizons Beach Resort
City: North Truro, MA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (508) 487-0042, (800) 782-0742
Address: 190 Rte. 6A
Description: In a quiet, rural setting just a short drive away from Provincetown and only a mile from Cape Cod National Seashore, Horizons Beach Resort offers efficiency units, some right on the beach and the rest a short stroll away. All have cable TV, kitchens, and individual temperature control. Beachfront units have private decks with views of Cape Cod Bay. Relax on the 500-foot private beach on Cape Cod Bay, or take a dip in the beachside pool. Horizons also offers two-room condominium units with fireplaces and is open from early Apr to late Oct.
2. Top Mast Resort
City: North Truro, MA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (508) 487-1189, (800) 917-0024
Address: 217 Shore Rd.
Description: This resort is located directly on Cape Cod Bay and surrounded by conservation land and scenic views. Choose from 72 units: Beachfront motel rooms have a queen bed and couch, small fridge and microwave; beachfront one- and two-room efficiencies and cottages have double and/or queen beds, cooktops, sinks, refrigerators, microwave ovens, and more. All beachfront rooms have private balconies overlooking the groomed beach and are perfect for watching sunsets over the Provincetown skyline. The outdoor pool is surrounded by chaise lounges and picnic tables, and new to the property is a large indoor pool complex complete with a heated pool, hot tub, kiddy pool, sauna, steam room, weight room, large outdoor deck area with a fire pit, frozen drinks, beverages, and snacks. Breakfast is served daily at the on-site Top Mast Cafe. Family owned and operated by the Silva family for over 35 years, the Top Mast is open from early May to late Oct.
3. Kalmar Village
City: North Truro, MA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (508) 487-0585, (617) 277-0091
Address: 674 Shore Rd.
Description: In the same family since the 1960s, the “village” features a 400-foot private beach, a large freshwater pool, barbecue facilities, and well-maintained grounds awash in fragrant lilac and rosa rugosa. Kalmar is just steps away from the Provincetown border and close to the National Seashore. Rates include linens, towels, blankets, maid service, and cable TV, and there’s even a laundry on the premises. Kalmar Village also has wireless Internet access.
4. The Moorlands
City: North Truro, MA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (508) 487-0663
Address: 11 Hughes Rd.
Description: Built by Captain Atkin Hughes at the turn of the 20th century, The Moorlands has been restored to Victorian splendor and updated to include such modern amenities as in-room phones, ceiling fans, TVs, and refrigerators. A continental breakfast is served daily in the dining room. The Moorlands has a music room with a variety of instruments for guests to play, including a piano, organ, guitars, and bass. Accommodations at this year-round inn vary: Choose from several guest rooms (all with private baths), a two-room suite, a three-room apartment, two 1950s-style cottages, a penthouse apartment with a private deck and entrance, or an 18th-century restored carriage house, which has a full kitchen, TV and VCR, private bath, courtyard garden, and a five-person hot tub. Pets are welcome in the cottages.
5. Days’ Cottages
City: North Truro, MA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (508) 487-1062
Address: 271 Shore Rd.
Description: If these pretty-as-a-picture waterfront cottages look familiar, it’s because they have been immortalized through the years by dozens of artists in countless paintings and postcards. What began as nine cottages in 1931 has grown to 23—all exactly alike. These cottages are so popular with returning guests that it’s nearly impossible to book one for less than a week during the season. The on-site market stocks everything you’ll need, from postcards to pomegranates. The cottages are open May through the weekend after Columbus Day. No credit cards.
6. Hostelling International
City: North Truro, MA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (508) 349-3889
Address: 111 North Pamet Rd.
Description: There’s a reason this hostel is perched high atop the sand dunes: It was once a Coast Guard Station known as Little America. Now this hostel’s known by that name too. Its location within the Cape Cod National Seashore will give you unbeatable views of the coastline, cranberry bogs, beaches, and beautiful Cape Cod sunrises. The 42 beds are set up in a multilevel house. Rates are $32 to $35. It’s open from late June through early Sept.
7. Adventure Bound Campingresort Camp Cod
City: North Truro, MA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (508) 487-1847, (877) 409-2267
Address: 48 Highland Rd.
Description: This campground includes 330 tent, trailer, and RV sites surrounded by 22 acres of native pines and rambling hills, smack-dab in the middle of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Amenities include flush toilets, metered hot showers, a Laundromat, private picnic tables, wireless Internet access, a fully stocked camp store, ceramic-tiled restrooms, and cable TV. Saunter over to the ocean or bay beach, both less than a mile away, or hike and bike the nearby trails. The basic site fee is $36, plus $16 for complete hookup. Pets are allowed with certain restrictions. Open mid-Apr through Oct.
8. Atlantic Spice Company
City: North Truro, MA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (800) 316-7965
Address: 2 Shore Rd.
Description: This warehouse sells row after row of spices and herbs, from allspice to vanilla beans and everything in between. You can buy in bulk (one- or five-pound packages) or, if you’re unsure of the potency of a particular spice, you can buy a smaller sampler bag or ask for a taste. Atlantic also sells a wide range of teas (loose and in tea bags), shelled nuts, seeds, potpourri, and baking items. The shop is open daily year-round.
9. Susan Baker Memorial Museum
City: North Truro, MA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (508) 487-2557
Address: 46 Rte. 6A
Description: Everyone has a right to his or her own idiosyncrasies, and Susan Baker is no exception. Not wanting to wait until she dies to have her own memorial museum, she opened this pop palace in 1984. Once you spot Susan’s work, you won’t forget her startling and brightly colored pieces, which are sometimes three-dimensional, sometimes satirical, sometimes in the form of printed booklets. The shop is open daily in season and erratically off-season (ring the bell at the side door if you’d like to see the collection in the off-season).