museum Archives - Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce

Historic Yarmouth Port: A Sea Captains’ Paradise

The north side of Yarmouth features the historic Yarmouth Port village along Route 6A, also known as Old King’s Highway. The Captain’s Mile through Yarmouth Port includes over 50 former homes of sea captains. A few of these places are now treasured sites you can visit and even spend the night!

Illustrator and writer Edward Gorey purchased an old sea captain’s house on the Yarmouth Port Common in 1979. After his death in 2000, the house eventually became the Edward Gorey House museum, and is a celebration of his vastly varied career, which included designing sets for the Broadway production of Dracula and drawing the well-known graphics used by PBS in the introduction to “Masterpiece Theater.” The Edward Gorey House is open from April to December and reservations for a visit are encouraged.

Also on the Yarmouth Port Common is the Captain Bangs Hallet House Museum. This building too was once a sea captain’s house, dating back to about 1840, and is filled with period furniture and décor. The Historical Society of Old Yarmouth owns and operates the Captain Bangs Hallet House Museum and preserves the history of Yarmouth. Note that the museum is closed in 2025 for inventory and will reopen in 2026. The grounds of the museum feature an enormous 120-year-old weeping beech tree: the perfect place for a selfie!

The Historical Society also offers over 50 acres of nature trails. The trail head is located at the Tufts Gatehouse, the small building on the lane next to the Yarmouth Port Post Office. You can download the trail map from the Historical Society’s website, as well as a variety of self-guided walking tour guides, which include the Captain’s Mile, the Village of Yarmouth Port, and a ghosts, myths, and legends walk!

Across Route 6A from the Yarmouth Port Common is Thacher Hall, a historic building dating back to around 1870. Originally a church, and one of the best surviving examples of Gothic architecture in New England, the building has been preserved and is now managed as a community location for programs, events, and weddings! Check out the schedule to see what’s on during your visit.

Located in another 19^th century building, Parnassus Books is a family-run bookstore right down the street from the Yarmouth Port Common. They specialize in rare and antique books on a wide range of subjects, from fine arts to metaphysics, political science to fashion, and much more, including a major collection of books about Cape Cod. A visit to Parnassus Books is always an adventure!

Stay in a Sea Captain’s Home

To extend your historical experience in Yarmouth Port, you can stay in a former sea captain’s home! One option is the Captain Farris House, built in 1845 and restored to modern luxury, with ten rooms and beautiful gardens.

Chapter House was built even earlier, in 1716, by Captain John Minot, a soldier and later a doctor during the Revolutionary War, with Chapter House converted to a temporary hospital. Today, Chapter House is a boutique hotel, with the main house boasting an elegant bar, and a carriage house offering additional accommodations.

The Inn at Yarmouth Port dates back to 1843 and was the home of Captain James Bacon Crocker. He presided over the courthouse that was located on the first floor of his house. During renovations, workers found beams that may have come from Captain Crocker’s ships. It’s now a small inn with six suites and a lovely outdoor patio.

Enjoy Yarmouth Port

All these accommodations and attractions in historic Yarmouth Port are near the beautiful beaches of Cape Cod Bay. And it’s just a short drive to the rest of Yarmouth’s many activities along Route 28, so you can find the perfect blend of action, adventure, history, and tranquility that you need, all in one central Cape Cod town. Aye aye, Captain!

Written by Ellen Cliggott, Freelance Content Marketing Writer and Editor

Photos by: Amie Medeiros

This blog is funded through the Town of Yarmouth’s Tourism Revenue Preservation Fund.

Things to Do with Kids in Yarmouth

You planned a vacation in Yarmouth with the whole family, but other than spending time on the beach, you’re not sure how you’re going to pass the time. Your kids want to stay plugged into their devices. You want to focus on family time and creating memories to last a lifetime.

Check out our list of fun things to do when you are visiting Yarmouth and Cape Cod with children of any age.

*Family of mother and kids enjoying a ride on a public ferry at sunset*

Explore the area by land or sea

With water everywhere, you can enjoy a nautical adventure with a sightseeing cruise or a ferry to one of the nearby islands. Or take a drive through quaint towns and villages–an opportunity to encourage younger ones to take a nap while you soak in some of the picturesque views.

Go whale watching

Seeing whales in their natural habitat is awe-inspiring. While there’s no guarantee of how many whales you will see on your excursion, the boat ride alone will take a significant part of your day. Whale-watching trips are generally close to four hours, and you’ll want to leave yourself enough time beforehand for boarding.

Reel them in with some fishing

The variety of water bodies in Yarmouth provides a wide range of fishing options. Search out a lake, pond, or riverside fishing hole, or take to the high seas for a day of trawling on the open waters. Even if you prefer catch-and-release, a day spent fishing teaches patience and persistence. Plus, it can give you time to slow down, relax, and talk with your kids about anything, everything, or nothing at all.

Get out

Burn off some energy with outdoor adventures. Take in the scenery by biking, kayaking, sailing, or taking a trek on the dunes. Let the kids take the wheel on a go-kart track or cool off at the Wicked Waves Water Park.

Play a round or two

On Cape Cod, you’ll find expertly designed golf courses of all sizes. Not only can you take the whole family mini-golfing on a putt-putt course, but you can play 9 or 18 holes with your older children on links with incredible scenic views.

Step back in time

Explore Yarmouth’s rich history and culture at a variety of museums and historical centers. Visit the homes of notable literary figures, check out sites that recreate the region’s legends and lore, and give your children an education without their even realizing it.

Indulge in a sweet treat

Regardless of how else you spend the day taking a break for ice cream makes everything a little sweeter. Treat the kids to an afternoon snack or delicious dessert. Or, for teens who sleep in all morning, surprise them with ice cream for a late breakfast. It’s sure to create memories they’ll hang on to for years to come.

Cheer for the home team

No tickets are needed to turn out to root for your favorite Y-D Red Sox players. Bring the whole family to watch some of the best collegiate players take to the diamond. You never know when you’ll see a future phenom, like former Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale.

Spend time on the beach

Yes, this one is obvious, but it’s an essential part of a stay in Yarmouth. There are many beautiful beaches with options on both Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket Sound sides. Not only can you go swimming, but you can walk or play along the water’s edge or just listen to the water going in and out. Teaching your children how to unplug and just live in the moment is an essential lesson for the years ahead.

Kids grow from toddlers to teens all too fast. But with our suggestion of ways to entertain your family on the Cape, you’re sure to find plenty of reasons to keep coming back year after year.

This blog is funded through the Town of Yarmouth’s Tourism Revenue Preservation Fund.

Doing the Steps: Edward Gorey and the Dance of Art

A centuries-old sea captain’s home in Yarmouth Port became the final dwelling place for a quirky, but reclusive artist when he moved from New York in the 80s. It was there that he spent his remaining 14 years of life with his curious assortments of oddities, over 26,000 books, and most importantly his “people” as he endearingly referred to them, his cats. Edward Gorey’s work as an author, illustrator, and designer spanned nearly 50 years, earning him a Tony Award for Best Costume Design for his work on the Broadway revival of Dracula, and a cult following for his exquisitely gothic style of illustration and macabre surrealism.

“I must say, I don’t always understand Ted’s books, but I do like them.” – Edward Gorey’s mother, Helen

In 1953 Edward Gorey self-published his first book, The Unstrung Harp, thus beginning a cascade of literary nonsense with distinctive pen and ink lines depicting the delightfully dreadful in over a hundred more books, and by the time of his death, several more unpublished manuscripts stashed neatly, (and haphazardly), around his home. His work became the inspiration for Lemony Snickett’s Series of Unfortunate Events, Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, and Neil Gaiman’s Coraline for which Gaiman lamented was written after Edwards’s death, thereby missing its chance for his illustration. Edward himself wrote his books using both his given name and its anagrams, such as Ogdred Weary, Raddory Gewe, and D. Awdrey-Gore. As private as he was popular, Gorey preferred to avoid the spotlight. Very much an animal lover and advocate, he usually had up to 6 cats, the perfect number according to him. Before he died he established The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust to manage his legacy and estate, and to support his favorite animal welfare organizations locally and afar. The upstairs of the house continues to be occupied by cats, keeping the spirit of the home authentically charmed.

Today, 22 years after his death, The Edward Gorey House stands as an archive for his admired collections of rocks, trinkets, books, and the grotesque. Cheese graters are casually displayed with skulls. A preserved Belgian waffle and a mosaic of checks from his favorite dining spot, Jack’s Outback II, are framed together on the kitchen wall. Handmade puppets and dolls adorn the rooms and halls amongst his characters and illustrations. One hapless child’s legs and feet protrude from a rug. A collection of old matches is stacked on the mantle. A bottle of lye on the windowsill.

Past year’s exhibits have included He wrote it all down Zealously: Edward Gorey’s Interesting Lists in 2020, and Hapless Children: Drawings from Mr. Gorey’s Neighborhood in 2021. This year’s Exhibit is Doing the Steps: Edward Gorey and the Dance of Art, which shares with us the influence Edward’s passionate infatuation with the New York City Ballet had on his art and life.

“Gorey once said that he could visualize that progression of ballets in his head, like a movie he could play forward or backward, decades of form and movement and story—literally, at his fingertips.”

The Edward Gorey House is open from early April through the end of December each year.

8 Strawberry Lane • Yarmouth Port, MA 02675

508-362-3909 • edwardgoreyhouse@verizon.net

Click here to see house visiting hours, tour times, and admission info. Reservations are encouraged due to limited capacity. Admission is free for members.

This blog is funded through the Town of Yarmouth’s Tourism Revenue Preservation Fund.

(Britt Skinner is a freelance writer.)

‘Hapless Children’ and dark treasures at Edward Gorey House

Little children don’t enjoy many happily-ever-after moments in Mr. Gorey’s Neighborhood. In fact, they almost always meet a dark and unexpected demise. Take young Ernest, who choked on a peach, or his book-mate Fanny, who was eerily “sucked dry by a leach”.

The unfortunate children are two of 26 characters in one of Edward Gorey’s most popular creations, “The Gashlycrumb Tinies” – an alphabetized picture book of kids who fall down the stairs, get sucked into a mire, or tossed from a sleigh. More to the point, they’re examples of the dark humor you’ll find when touring the Edward Gorey House in Yarmouth Port this season.

“Hapless Children: Drawings from Mr. Gorey’s Neighborhood” explores the artist’s not-so-gentle treatment of children, said Gorey House curator Gregory Hischak. And yes, the clever subtitle is an intentional play off the benevolent nature of public television’s “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

Edward Gorey was a prolific artist, writer, book illustrator and even a celebrated stage designer, who created the sets and scenery for the long-running Broadway production of “Dracula” during the 1970s. And while many know him as the quirky animator of those shadowy figures who tangoed through the intro for the PBS “Mystery!” series, Gorey was also highly sought illustrator of children’s books during the 1950s and ’60s. Amid his rising popularity, he took to creating his own books, which he intended as a children’s literature, Hischak explained. Unfortunately, publishing houses didn’t see the work as suitable for youngsters, so Gorey frequently resorted to self-publishing. Many of his works, like “The Hapless Child” and “The Gashlycrumb Tinies,” became favorites of adults and children – much in the way that Lemony Snicket stories and Tim Burton’s dark animations found cult status some 30 years after Gorey’s work.

“The Hapless Children” exhibit features work from the 1950s through the ’90s, including some original drawings on loan from the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust in New York, Hischak said. And while the collection may be fascinating, the macabre content begs the question: Is it suitable for families with kids?

The answer is an unequivocal yes, says Hischak. Kids are resilient, he said. By age 7, most are ready for Edward Gorey’s books.

The Edward Gorey House is a 200-year-old sea captain’s home on Strawberry Lane, which was purchased by Gorey in 1979 after the artist spent multiple summers with his aunt in Barnstable while working in New York. Gorey moved to Yarmouth Port about six years later and lived in the home for 15 years, until his death in 2000. In his later years, Gorey was fond of visiting auctions, yard sales and estate sales around the Cape, and he collected everything from books and kitschy artwork to shabby-chic furniture, gaudy jewelry, antique glassware, and old farm implements.

If you want to see the exhibit and tour Gorey’s home, reservations are highly recommended as the Gorey House is limiting attendance to a dozen people at a time, due to safety concerns amid the pandemic. Face masks are mandatory, Hischak said, as is safe, social distancing among patrons exploring the 14-room house. After Memorial Day, the museum will likely bring back docents to answer questions and conduct formal tours through the home, he said.

A visit to the Gorey House, including a stop to pore over books and intriguing items at the museum store, should take an hour to 90 minutes, so you might look for a second destination to make a day of it. The area near Strawberry Lane and Route 6A is peppered with historic sites, including the nearby Winslow Crocker House, the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth, and the Yarmouth New Church, now a cultural center and performance venue.

There are also hiking trails and plenty of places for lunch. Heading west on Route 6A, you’ll find the Old Yarmouth Inn, Jack’s Outback and the Optimist Café. A few miles east is Royal II Restaurant and Grill, which is highly recommended by Hischak.

Hapless Children runs at the Edward Gorey House through Dec. 31. Email the museum at edwardgoreyhouse@verizon.net or call 508-362-3909. Find more information online at edwardgoreyhouse.org.

Andy Tomolonis is a textbook author, travel writer and freelance multimedia journalist.