Up and down Route 28 in Yarmouth, there are a multitude of activities for a fun day with your family. Some offer indoor options for the occasional rainy day, and others involve fresh air and sunshine. Many places are open late on summer evenings if your kids get a second wind after dinner! Read on to learn more.
High Energy Fun
Wicked Waves Cape Cod is the largest water park in Massachusetts and has features to delight people of all ages, including giant slides, a wave pool, and the Roaming River. It’s a perfect place for families. Right next door is the Cape Cod Inflatable Park with 18 rides, and when the kids are napping, the Surf House is an adults-only pool bar with a Flow Rider stand-up surfing machine!
Skull Island Adventure Golf and Sports World is not just one of the Cape’s most entertaining mini-golf courses. It also features a driving range, an arcade, and a go-kart track! They have new single and double seat electric go-karts so you can drive with your kids or let them take the wheel.
Pirates on Cape Cod? Arr, Matey!
The Whydah Pirate Museum combines science and history to create a very special experience. The Museum opened in Yarmouth in 2016, and contains artifacts from the pirate ship Whydah, which was shipwrecked off the coast of Cape Cod in 1717. The wreck was discovered in 1984 by Barry Clifford, who also discovered the Titanic. More artifacts are recovered from it every year, meaning that the Museum is ever-changing as new discoveries are made. You’ll want to spend an hour or two here and the level of information is geared for older children and adults.
To continue the pirate theme of your day in Yarmouth, Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf has two 18-hole mini golf courses with a variety of hole designs, two pirate ships, and fascinating details about pirates along the way. The courses are fun and often challenging. Some holes require careful aim and others, such as a hole where your ball drops down to the next level, require good luck!
Free Family Activities
Did you know that one out of every six current Major League Baseball players formerly played in the Cape Cod Baseball League? It’s true! You can see some of the best college players in the country right here in Yarmouth, several times a week from mid-June to early August. The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox play at Red Wilson Field, located on the Dennis-Yarmouth High School campus. Admission and parking are free, and before the game, family entertainment includes cornhole, face painting, speed pitch, and more. All games take place in the early evening, so you can go out to eat later or get supper for the whole family at the concession stand!
For a more peaceful outing, head over to Route 6A in Yarmouth Port and visit Taylor-Bray Farm. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that the area was inhabited by native people for 10,000 years! The Taylor family first arrived in 1639, and after seven generations, the property was sold to the Bray brothers in 1896. The Town of Yarmouth purchased the Farm to preserve it. Enjoy a walk through the woods, stroll out onto the Boardwalk into Black Flats Marsh (where you may see ospreys nesting!), and see the many animals, including a friendly goat, a pair of donkeys, a massive Scottish Highland cow, chickens, and sheep. Admission is free and the Farm is open every day from dawn to dusk, which comes late in the summer!
The Cape Cod Baseball League and Taylor-Bray Farm are both non-profit organizations and donations are welcome but not required to visit.
Rain or Shine, You’ve Got Choices
At Ryan Family Amusements in Yarmouth, the choices are amazing! Arcade games: nearly 100 favorites. Bowling – 12 ten pin lanes, eight candlepin lanes. Axe throwing. Virtual reality rides. And an inflatable air park, like a super-sized bounce house for kids and adults! If your day in Yarmouth happens to be rainy, or if your kids just really need to play, Ryan’s is the place. Plus, it includes a restaurant and bar.
For another rainy day activity, forget about online shopping – Cape Cod Toy Chest lets your whole family explore the world of toys in real life! Children can play and you can get help in finding just the right gift for the kids in your family.
When the sun comes out again, Wild Animal Lagoon is an 18-hole mini golf course populated by gorillas, elephants, and more. The course features a large fountain and a replica of a small plane that appears to have crashed into a waterfall! Kids of all ages can enjoy the golf and learn fun facts about the animals.
Create Lasting Family Memories
Whether you’re here with your family for a day or a week, you have many fun options in Yarmouth in addition to our wonderful beaches, and you’ll make family memories that last a lifetime.
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.
