Okay, so the title may be a little misleading, because unless you have very good friends or are a vagrant, this isn't really feasible. Unless you have your room and board provided for you by the theatre employing you for the summer.
However, since I fall into the latter category, I have had the opportunity to discover lots of things you can do on Cape Cod for free or almost free.
1. Lots and lots of beaches. Ocean, bays, and Nantucket Sound. Really no elaboration needed.
2. Find a friend with a clamming license. They have to be a local, but if they have a family license you can go out with them. Using rakes or just your toes you can feel around in the sand in waist deep water for clams. Later, you can have a clam bake.
3. Hang out at the Marina near the fishing boats and watch seals. You could pay for a seal tour (or have a friend with a boat) for a closer look. Also, there are sharks, but you aren't guaranteed a sighting.
4. Cape Cod National Seashore. Technically, pedestrians and bicycles are $3, which I think qualifies as almost free. From the beaches there, you can see whales spouting. The humpbacks and minkes come pretty darn close to shore. Or, once again, you can pay a pretty reasonable fee for a 3 hour boat tour.
5. While on the subject of aquatic animals: bioluminescent jellyfish. Technically, they are comb jellies, not jellyfish. And if you can handle the cuteness, one specific species is called the sea walnut, because of its size. If you head out to Oyster Pond late at night, you can wade out a ways and suddenly the water will be filled with what at first appears to be underwater lightning bugs. And don't worry, they don't sting.
6. Window shopping. Every little town has a little Main Street shopping district with boutiques, antiques, and thrift stores.
7. Festivals, fairs, and parades. The fourth of July parade in Chatham has locally made floats, antique cars and adorable kids in walking groups. There are arts and crafts shows and sales throughout the summer.
8. If you like art, the number of art galleries is astronomical. There are at least half a dozen in a row in Provincetown.
9. For very reasonable prices, you can eat a large assortment of fried, baked, or raw seafood, most of it locally caught. Fried clam strips are among my new favorite things.
10. The only winery on Cape Cod, Truro Vineyards, gives free tours. Tastings are $10.
11. Concerts. Local groups play in churches and parks throughout the summer for free.
12. There are a number of museums around the Cape, not to mention very very old cemeteries, but the one that stands out to me is the Pilgrim monument in Provincetown. Its $10 to go to the top, and it marks the signing of the Mayflower Compact.
I'm sure there's other things, but these are the ones I have experienced during my stay here. There are plenty of other things as well, for those more financially endowed.
However, since I fall into the latter category, I have had the opportunity to discover lots of things you can do on Cape Cod for free or almost free.
1. Lots and lots of beaches. Ocean, bays, and Nantucket Sound. Really no elaboration needed.
2. Find a friend with a clamming license. They have to be a local, but if they have a family license you can go out with them. Using rakes or just your toes you can feel around in the sand in waist deep water for clams. Later, you can have a clam bake.
3. Hang out at the Marina near the fishing boats and watch seals. You could pay for a seal tour (or have a friend with a boat) for a closer look. Also, there are sharks, but you aren't guaranteed a sighting.
4. Cape Cod National Seashore. Technically, pedestrians and bicycles are $3, which I think qualifies as almost free. From the beaches there, you can see whales spouting. The humpbacks and minkes come pretty darn close to shore. Or, once again, you can pay a pretty reasonable fee for a 3 hour boat tour.
5. While on the subject of aquatic animals: bioluminescent jellyfish. Technically, they are comb jellies, not jellyfish. And if you can handle the cuteness, one specific species is called the sea walnut, because of its size. If you head out to Oyster Pond late at night, you can wade out a ways and suddenly the water will be filled with what at first appears to be underwater lightning bugs. And don't worry, they don't sting.
6. Window shopping. Every little town has a little Main Street shopping district with boutiques, antiques, and thrift stores.
7. Festivals, fairs, and parades. The fourth of July parade in Chatham has locally made floats, antique cars and adorable kids in walking groups. There are arts and crafts shows and sales throughout the summer.
8. If you like art, the number of art galleries is astronomical. There are at least half a dozen in a row in Provincetown.
9. For very reasonable prices, you can eat a large assortment of fried, baked, or raw seafood, most of it locally caught. Fried clam strips are among my new favorite things.
10. The only winery on Cape Cod, Truro Vineyards, gives free tours. Tastings are $10.
11. Concerts. Local groups play in churches and parks throughout the summer for free.
12. There are a number of museums around the Cape, not to mention very very old cemeteries, but the one that stands out to me is the Pilgrim monument in Provincetown. Its $10 to go to the top, and it marks the signing of the Mayflower Compact.
I'm sure there's other things, but these are the ones I have experienced during my stay here. There are plenty of other things as well, for those more financially endowed.
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