Thinking about planning a Cape Cod Vacation? Think Spring! When you think of taking a Cape Cod vacation you think of summer, right? You have good reason to – our beaches, seafood, shopping and people are some of the best in the country! We love having you here during the height of the season, but experienced tourists and locals alike know that the spring can be one of the best times to come and visit. Here are some reasons why: 1.) Smaller Crowds Ask anyone that visits us here on Cape Cod what the most frustrating part of their trip is and they almost always answer traffic, especially coming on and off the Cape…UGH!! Everyone has their own theories on how to avoid it but let’s face it in the middle of August it is unavoidable. Well, getting around Cape Cod in the spring is a piece of cake, and even better is that by the first weekend in May, almost all restaurants, resorts and attractions are open. If you want to spend an extra weekend with your special someone or the family, May and early June are great times to do it! 2.) Spring Festivals There’s way more to Cape Cod than beaches! Everybody knows about our summer traditions like huge fourth of July fireworks and celebrations, Carnival Week in Provincetown, concerts at the Cape Cod Melody Tent and catching the stars of tomorrow at the Cape Cod Baseball League games. But did you know that there are awesome festivals in the spring as well? Events like the Toast of Harwich, the Chatham Spring Fling and the Figawi Charity Ball and race all happen in May. At the Toast of Harwich you can sample food from Harwich’s best restaurants, sample wines from around the world and listen to live music. The Chatham Spring Fling is a similar event, but with a uniquely Chatham feel. The Cape Rep Theatre also starts it’s spring schedule so why not make one of the first weekends in May a cultural and culinary adventure? Going to these events will make you feel like a local, and you get to experience something you can’t do in the summer! 3.) It’s a Great Time to Run, Bike or Hike. The spring is a great time to be outside – especially on Cape Cod. If you’re a fitness enthusiast, it simply can’t be beat. In May, it’s usually warm enough to run or bike outdoors in shorts, but cool enough that you won’t risk getting heatstroke or dehydrated. Plan a trip to come down and take some time exploring the Cape’s great biking, hiking and running trails. Many runners and bicyclists make the mistake of thinking that Cape Cod is endlessly flat. On the contrary, we actually have some of the hilliest terrain in the region, and biking the National Seashore’s trails (especially in the Provincelands in Provincetown) can prove to be a challenging endeavor. May also plays host to several road races. Plan an “active vacation” around spending a weekend exploring Cape Cod’s trails or a road race, and spend dinnertime enjoying a restaurant serving local, organic food from one of our many farms. 4.) You Can Get Up Close with Nature Here on Cape Cod, we’re equally closely tied to the land and sea. Without the cranberry bogs that dot the Cape, and Truro’s little known history with turnips, the earliest Native American and English settlers would never have stayed around to give us the region we have now. The spring is an important time for the whales, a time during which some return to the region and when others leave. The endangered North Atlantic right whale leaves the waters around Cape Cod the first weekend in May every year, making it a great time to come down, book a trip on a whale watch and catch these majestic creatures. However this year the whales are on the move a bit early and up to 85 have been spotted in the Bay already this year! It is a great time to get up close with some of the most amazing creatures on earth. Other attractions, like botanical gardens such as the Pilgrim Monument and Museum in Provincetown and the Heritage Museum and Gardens in Sandwich are just now starting to open their doors meaning you can wander through, climb to the top and enjoy the views with no crowds! 5.) The Deals are Great It’s easy to take a Cape Cod vacation on a budget in the springtime. Many resorts don’t start charging peak season rates until Memorial Day, meaning you can get a great value on your stay if you come in the Spring! . Even a lot of regular vacationers don’t know that a good number of their favorite restaurants from the canal to Provincetown stay open year round, and that almost all of them have off-season menus, pricing and specials. Visiting in the Spring, you blend the best of both worlds – some of the nice weather you look forward to in the summer, with the value you’d get if you visited in the winter. ]]>
Create a Home Environment that Encourages Healthy Habits for Your Family
Home is where the heart is and we all want to make sure the heart of our home, our family, is healthy and happy. Creating a home that sets your family up for success towards becoming a healthier, and therefore happier family can lead to happy memories you can cherish forever. Keep reading for tips and habits you can enforce and lead by example in your home to encourage your family to make healthy choices both mentally and physically. Practice gratitude. At the end of each day, perhaps even around the dinner table review your family’s favorite moments of the day and what they are grateful for. Creating space for these moments is akin to writing out gratitude lists which have been scientifically proven to help increase happiness. This habit also has the added benefit of bringing your family closer together . Spend time together at home. Whether it’s a weekly game night where your family gathers around the kitchen table to play board games, huddles up in the living room to play some video games or spend the day playing a game of ball in the backyard. Taking time to enjoy each other at home base creates happy memories and helps your family become more tight knit. Create zones in your house. Set up zones for activities such as tech only, homework, play, solo time and even family time to help encourage focus on the activity at hand while maintaining balance. By creating specific zones you help hardwire your family’s brains to focus on the activity at hand and allow a way for other members of the family to respect that person’s time while they are engaging in an activity. Healthy Choices. Set out bowls of fruits, pre-cut veggies to snack on and keep a jug of cold water on hand to guide your family towards healthy choices on their own. This works especially well with younger children so that you can allow them to make their own food choices at snack time and ensure you are making it easier for them to reach for the good stuff. Encourage physical activity. If you child is interested in an afterschool sport, practice being enthusiastic and supportive of their new interest. Spend time practicing with them in the backyard and volunteer to host their friends over for a group practice in the backyard. If your partner is interested in joining the gym or an adult league, leave room in your family’s schedule for them to easily stick to and enjoy their new commitment. Make relaxation easy for your family. Consider what each member of your family’s go-to technique to relax is and set up ways for them to easily do so. If your children love to draw or paint set up an art station they can easily access at their discretion. If your partner enjoys curling up with a good book and some hot tea arrange a bookcase with their favorite titles within reach and keep tea making supplies at the forefront of your cabinet. Get outside. Sometimes it’s important to get out of the house too. A few times a month schedule times for family trips to get outside and visit nearby trails. Whether you walk, hike or ride bikes as a family getting outdoors to enjoy fresh air and be active will improve your family’s health and guarantee some quality time together. We all want health and happiness for the ones we love. You can help promote healthy habits that lead to increased happiness for your family with a little preparation and guiding by example. Working with, playing with, and supporting each other along the way will guarantee a healthier, more tight knit family with loads of memories to cherish for years to come.]]>