Winter on Cape Cod

Oil painting of view towards Woods Hole passage from the drawbridge.

Living in Woods Hole is schizophrenic.  One minute the streets are swarming with people, the sidewalks so crowded that you bustle past people on the curb risking your life in the traffic…a month later as winter sets in, you could lie down in the middle of the road for fifteen minutes without causing a stir.

So the summer people ask, “What is it like here in the winter?” and since I used to be one of those people — the ones who are looking at the webcams of Woods Hole harbor three times a day in January (you know you are out there!)  — I really understand the fascination.

So here are my observations — the top ten reasons the Cape is EVEN better in the winter:

10. The Weather. It stays really warm here, much longer than the rest of New England because we are so close to the Gulf Stream.  North winds blow in and we get these crisp blue-sky days that simply take your breath away.

9. Christmas. Cape Codders really embrace Christmas and the decorations are wonderful everywhere you look.  I love the vintage train set out on the Falmouth Green, and the garlands lining the wooden fences there.  Best of all is Highfield Hall, the public art space rescued by generous donors for the town a few years back.  The curators over there really know how to do Christmas right.

8. Sunsets.  I have a theory that the sunsets become more intense in winter to inspire us to get through the grey part of the year.  As the evening fall comes earlier and earlier, I am astounded by the light over the water, night after night.

7. The Shopping.  Falmouth is packed with wonderful, quirky, unique shops and winter is the perfect time to explore them all.  I love the indy spirit that pulses here with myriad craft shows every weekend and so many local artists jockeying to show you their wares.

6. Blooming Roses. It astounds me in December to see roses still blooming, their stalks bare but one or two lovely blooms toughing it out since we have not yet had our first frost.  I even saw a totally brown and finished hydrangea the other day with one purple bloom stubbornly sticking out of the top. Several important arboretums were founded here because the climate is so mild, inspiring Victorian gardeners to experiment with unusual specimen.

5. Winter Door fronts.  Woods Hole has so many incredible cottages, and really they look great in summer too, but the winter feeling, with the shrubs going bare, has a romance all its own.  Here is one of my favorites:

4. Private Paths.  There are plenty of places marked “private” on Cape Cod and Woods Hole is no stranger to this phenomena.  In the winter though, with the summer residents enjoying their private perches over Manhattan and Palm Beach…well, let’s say there is a little more leeway for “exploration.”

3. The Beach.  Need I say more than this?

2. Low Tide.  Another way to visit the private beaches is at low tide…totally legal!  And especially delightful in the dead of winter.

1. Vineyard Sound.  The views across the Sound are beautiful year round but in winter the cold air makes the Vineyard seem closer, like you can reach out and touch it.

Winter view from a Falmouth beach.