The ultimate family guide to Cape Cod

Best museums for kids
1. Cape Cod Museum of Natural History (869 Rte. 6A; Brewster; 508/896-3867). Kids can learn “everything there is to know about lobsters, crabs, clams, mussels, starfish, frogs, turtles,” and more. There’s also “an impressive list of excursions that teach kids about the Cape’s natural environment, including nature walks, canoe trips, and seal-spotting cruises.”

2. Cape Cod Discovery Museum (444 Main St., Dennis; 508/398-1600). "Lots of really good hands-on science exhibits," workshops, and reptile shows. "Great for elementary school-aged kids."

3. Cape Cod Potato Chip Company (100 Breed’s Hill Rd., Hyannis; 508/775-7253). Nevermind that it’s not a conventional museum (you say potayto, we say potahto), because "your kids will still learn a little something." Best of all: After a short factory tour where you see how potato chips are made, "you get some yummy free samples."

4. Heritage Museums & Gardens (67 Grove St., Sandwich; 508/888-3300; admission $12/adult, $6/kids 6-16; free for 5 and under). Set on 100 acres of “beautifully landscaped grounds with rhododendrons blooming everywhere from mid-May through mid-June” this complex includes three museums. The Shaker Round Barn is an auto museum which showcases vintage and classic cars, including “an old Model T that kids can climb on and pretend to drive.” The American History museum comprises the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame as well as many military artifacts. The Art Museum houses Native American arts, antique toys, and even a carousel that’s “for riding, not just for looking.” Families should inquire at the ticket office for Family Funpacks with children’s activities, or the Clue tours, which are “cool scavenger-hunt games for exploring the grounds.” In the summer, “Fridays are a great day to visit. There’s a concert, magic show, or other live performance in the gardens from 11 a.m. to noon, followed by a children’s craft project that kids can take home.”

5. Salt Pond Visitor Center (Doane Rd., off Rte. 6, Eastham). The “gateway to the Cape Cod National Seashore” offers “a brief film on how Cape Cod was formed through the ages with interesting time-lapse photography comparing the beach in summer versus winter.” There is also a museum and a gift shop “with lots of interesting books for children about Cape Cod.”

Best bakeries
1. Jams (14 Truro Center Rd., Truro; 508/349-1616). This bakery-cum-deli is a perfect place to stock up on picnic provisions, with pastries, cookies, rotisserie chicken, and much more. “Try the to-die-for freshly baked pizzas.”

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2. Cottage Bakery (5 Cottage St., Orleans; 508/255-2821). "Hands down, the very best bakery on the Cape," providing everything from croissants to dessert cakes. “If you go for breakfast, don’t pass on a Dirt Bomb, which is a cross between a doughnut and a muffin, completely smothered in cinnamon sugar.”

Best pizza
Red Barn (Rte. 6, North Eastham; 508/255-4500). “Fabulous pizza and terrific ice cream.” This place is “a godsend when children get tired of eating seafood.”

Best clam shack
1. Cobie’s (3260 Rte. 6A, Brewster; 508/896-7021). This is what every clam shack should be: “Nothing fancy, but they’ve got fabulous lobster rolls and fries,” not to mention the fried clams, burgers, shakes, and foot-long dogs. Cash only.

2. Cooke’s Seafood (Junction of Rte. 6A and Rte. 28, Orleans; 508/255-5518). This casual, family restaurant “has the ambiance of a Howard Johnson’s, but oh mama—those lobster rolls are delectable!”

3. The Clam Shack (Off Scranton Ave., Falmouth Harbor; 540-7758). “This classic is perched right on the edge of the water,” and serves up “reasonably priced fried seafood with all the fixin’s.” You and the kids can “dine happily and no-frills,” on picnic tables beside the counter or better yet, “right on the rooftop, for the most fantastic view of the harbor.”

4. Cap’t Cass Rock Harbor Seafood (117 Rock Harbor Rd., Orleans; no phone). You can't miss this shack, which “looks untouched since the 1950s” and is covered in colorful, salvaged lobster buoys. That’s your first clue to the freshness of what’s inside. Order the “amazingly sweet fried scallops”, which come in “simply prepared, huge portions.” Cash only.

5. Arnold’s Lobster & Clam Bar (3580 Rte. 6, Eastham; 508/255-2575). “Prepare to wait in line” at this “big and bustling” place known for it’s “amazing, totally high cholesterol meals.” Faves include fried oysters, fried onion rings, fried shrimp, fried lobster, and of course fried clams. “Order the whole clams, not the strips.” There are “lots of outdoor and indoor seating options for large groups and restless kids,” plus an outdoor walk-up window for ice cream.

6. Jerry’s Seafood and Dairy Freeze (654 Main St., off Rte. 28, West Yarmouth; 508/775-9752). Go for the “wonderfully fresh clams” and “it rates tops for soft ice cream, too.”

7. Moby Dick’s Restaurant (Gull Pond Rd., off Rte. 6, Wellfleet; 508/349-9795). “The menu at this lovely shack goes on and on, with plenty to interest the whole family.” Kids get “crayons and placemats to color.”

8. Mac's Seafood (Wellfleet Town Pier, Wellfleet; 508/349-0404). This favorite on the harbor has something for everyone. Little ones can feast on the old stand-by of chicken fingers, but seafood addicts shouldn’t miss “the best scallops ever.” The seafood take-out window is on the beach and has picnic seating and “a huge variety of food, from fallafel to seared tuna wraps.”

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