Oh my God, it’s summer!
- Jeanette Robinson
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
Oh my God, it’s summer!
About a week before 4th of July, I tell myself, “well here we are!” After months of waiting for warm weather, summer has finally arrived on Cape Cod. And then, overnight all the stores bring out the Halloween stuff and I feel rushed through the most beach savvy parts of this short New England Season.
It happens every year.
The Fourth of July is hardly over, and somehow we’re already being reminded that summer is ending.
Maybe that’s why I’ve learned not to take any of it for granted. Because some of the best parts of a Cape Cod summer simply don’t exist the rest of the year.
You can certainly visit Cape Cod in October, which is a spectacular event in its own right. You can walk the beaches in November. You can even enjoy beautiful sunny days in September.
But summer?
Summer is something entirely different on Cape Cod.
It’s sitting outside on a warm evening at the Epic Oyster while Main Street in Falmouth buzzes with vacationers and locals enjoying one of those perfect July nights, American flags flying in every yard and neighborhoods are still safe enough where front doors remain unlocked.
It’s grabbing a waterfront table at the Chart Room in Cataumet, watching the boats drift by while knowing that when the season ends, those waterfront evenings disappear until next year.
It’s standing in line at Dairy Queen in Falmouth on Main Street to get the seasons first blizzard, or making a pilgrimage to Smitty’s for homemade ice cream because everyone knows summer calories don’t count.
It’s stopping at the little lobster stand next to Grumpy’s Pub for a lobster roll and realizing that this tiny seasonal tradition is every bit as important as the beaches.
It’s hearing live music drifting across harbor restaurants.
It’s ferries packed with passengers heading to Martha’s Vineyard.
It’s kids covered in sand at Old Silver Beach.
It’s bicycles flying down the Shining Sea Bikeway.
It’s the smell of sunscreen, fried seafood, salt air, and hydrangeas all mixed together.
Most if these things only happen in the short 16 weeks of Summer…and by the time Labor Day ends…they change.
The Chart Room closes.
Seasonal lobster shacks shutter their windows.
Ice cream stands shorten their hours and eventually close for the season. Many Cape Cod favorites, including Smitty’s, traditionally operate only during the warmer months.
The crowds leave.
The ferries quiet down.
The energy shifts.
And that’s exactly why July feels so special.
Because unlike Halloween, Christmas, or winter, summer doesn’t stick around very long in New England.
It arrives.
It dazzles.
So if you’re lucky enough to be on Cape Cod right now, don’t rush through it.
Get the lobster roll.
Order the ice cream.
Take the bike ride.
Watch the sunset.
Summer is finally here.
And it never stays as long as we think it will.
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