Eastham MA

Eastham is a fine choice for the outdoor enthusiast, though you wouldn't know it when traveling through the town by car. It takes some effort to find the beauty of Eastham but it is definitely there.

Incorporated in 1651, the area was first visited by passengers of the Mayflower in 1620. Led by Miles Standish, they met the Nauset tribe on an expanse of beach that they named First Encounter Beach, explored the area for five weeks and then moved on to Plymouth. Eastham began as a farming community and was once known as the asparagus capital of the U.S. Turnips were, and still are, another staple crop grown here.

Eventually farming gave way to fishing and saltworks, as in many towns in Cape Cod. The Cape Cod National Seashore, designated by John F. Kennedy in 1961, officially begins in Eastham. Just off U.S. 6 sits the Captain Edward Penniman House, named for the sea captain who built it in 1868. The beautiful old house is open to the public and is surrounded by fantastic views of farmland, Nauset Beach and Skiff Hill. The gated entry to the property is made of a whale's jawbone. Nauset Marsh is a favorite of photographers and bird watchers, and there are a number of paths for hiking, either through the Red Maple Swamp or up to the overlook and Indian Rock at Skiff Hill, where Samuel de Champlain's ship was moored below in 1605.

The Eastham Windmill is the oldest windmill on Cape Cod and sits on the grounds of an old smock mill that was originally in Plymouth, but was moved to Eastham in 1793. The surrounding park is used for concerts and festivals including the yearly Windmill Weekend, which is fun for all ages.

The National Seashore encompasses 27,000 acres, stretching between Chatham and Provincetown. With 30 miles of ocean beaches, huge sand dunes, swamps, wetlands and forest, it is a superb place for nature hikes, horseback riding and studying bird and wildlife.

Nauset Light, the famous red and white-striped lighthouse is here, moved 350 back from the eroding cliff's edge. Nauset Light Beach offers a beautiful beach area with showers and lifeguards for a fee.