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ptownie’s guide to provincetown summer 2018

INSIDER TIPS FROM YEAR-ROUNDERS What’s this guide about, anyway?

Welcome to Provincetown!

We’re ptownie, a group of local residents and media specialists who work, laugh, create, and play together here year-round, and we’re passionate about sharing our love for Provincetown with you.

This guide doesn’t pretend to be a complete rundown of everything there is to see, everywhere there is to stay, or everyone there is to meet. It’s just an overview of what we at ptownie think are things you shouldn’t miss—the kind of advice you’d get if you were hanging out with us in person.

You’ll find some of our special favorites in highlighted boxes throughout the guide. In some cases, we’ve polled other year-rounders for their “must-haves,” so there are lots of options for you to choose from.

We’re glad you’re here, and hope to see you around town this summer. Come visit us at 199 Commercial Street (downstairs from Kohi Coffee) and say hello!

— the folks at ptownie

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 2 ptownie guide to provincetown | summer 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 HOW, WHAT, & WHY Do I need a reservation? How to get here How to get around Now I’m here, what can I do? When the sun goes down 2 RESOURCES Essentials Must-eats Must-shopping Ptown on a budget Theme weeks Staying with kids Hanging out with your best friend (dogs) 3 ABOUT About Provincetown About ptownie

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 3 ptownie guide to provincetown 1 HOW, WHAT, & WHY

Do I need a reservation? 5

How to get here 6

How to get around 7

Now I’m here, what can I do? 8

When the sun goes down 12

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 4 Do I need a reservation?

The short answer is, yes. No matter what you Making reservations also includes weddings want to do—stay, eat, play, get around—you’ll and other celebrations. Whatever kind of party avoid disappointments if you plan in advance. you’re organizing, there’s someone to help. Just write a list, make all your reservations in one fell swoop, and you’ll be set. Ptown is Wedding Destination Central (we are, after all, where marriage equality all began!), That list should include: and no matter what you need, the folks at • Inns, hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs Get Married in Ptown can help, from providing Don’t leave this to chance: they don’t let you the officiant to planning everything from venue sleep on the beach! to menu, with a lot of extras thrown in. They • Restaurants can also produce just about any other event Many of the most popular eateries take you can imagine. Contact them as soon as reservations weeks in advance, so make sure you’ve set the date! to plan ahead. There’s a three-day waiting period in MA • Bikes and cars between applying for your marriage license Choose from the various rental places, and picking it up (a waiver is possible but costly), but call before you come! so build that into your schedule.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 5 How to get here

BY SEA BY AIR Skip the traffic and enjoy the ride instead! There Since 1989, Cape Air has been operating direct are two services running between flights to Provincetown from Boston (and has and Ptown. Both of them have bar and snack recently added White Plains, NY) via a quick services. Be sure to book your tickets in 20-minute ride in a Cessna 402 (single engine, advance—as in, right now. We’re not kidding: eight seats). The views on the way are terrific! the ferry fills up quickly!

• Provincetown Fast Ferry, operated by BY BUS State Cruise Company, leaves from the The Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway World Trade Center in the Seaport and operates buses between Boston (Logan Airport operates the Provincetown IV fast ferry & South Station), Hyannis, and Provincetown, (as well as a traditional ferry on July 1 and with additional lines from Providence and July 8). The Trolley sightseeing New York. It takes slightly longer than driving tours are part of BSC. but is virtually stress-free and the least expensive way to get to and from Ptown. • Boston Cruises calls its fast ferry service ASAPtown; it operates the Salacia, the BY CAR largest and fastest catamaran in North America Be prepared for a lot of traffic, especially as (so sit indoors if you don’t want to get too wet you approach the Sagamore or Bourne bridge, from the spray), and has a concierge service and whenever Route 6 becomes one lane. Be on board. very careful driving on Suicide Alley (you’ll understand why it’s called that once you see it) • Captain John Boats runs a fast ferry between and in Eastham and Wellfleet, which have Plymouth (MA) and Provincetown. particularly vigilant speed-limit enforcement.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 6 How to get around

TO & FROM THE WHARF BICYCLES Some hotels operate shuttles that will pick you Your best transportation bet is a bicycle, and up at the ferry. we strongly urge you to reserve one in advance. Parking is very limited and very expensive, the parking police are vigilant, and bicycles allow TAXIS... you to get around while seeing…and being seen! Taxis are always at the wharf whenever the dock. Or you can call in advance to • Ptown Bikes have one meet you. 42 Bradford Street • Gale Force Bikes ...OR WALK? 144 Bradford Street Ext Lots of people simply roll their suitcases down • Arnold’s Commercial Street; why not join them and get 329 Commercial St a sense of what the town has in store for you? • Provincetown Bike Shack 63 Shank Painter Rd CAR RENTALS There are also car rentals via Enterprise at • Provincetown Bike Rentals the Provincetown Airport, though you need 136 Bradford Street to make a reservation and let them know what time you’re coming, as the desk isn’t always staffed.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 7 Now that I’m here, what can I do?

BEACHES get a permit to drive in the dunes, this is •  Beach in the Cape National where you’ll be able to do that. Seashore actually comprises several beaches. • Town beaches: You can access the town Turn right at the guard shack after you pay for beaches on either side of MacMillan Pier or admission for kid- and disabled-friendly beach through labeled access points strategically access. (FYI, it’s free after 5:00 for sunset placed throughout town. This is a great way watching: this is one of the few places in the to take a little break from a long day of East where you see the sun set into the water). shopping or sightseeing in the town. Turn left at the guard shack and you’ll find: • Long Point Beach: You can’t drive to this beach: it’s an adventure to get here! You can – A concession stand run by Far Land either walk across the on the Provisions: get some food and hang out West End of town or you can take a water on the benches or take it out on the sand taxi across Provincetown Harbor. Since it is with you. There are also showers and harder to get to, it is a quieter, more secluded changing rooms here. beach that offers a wonderful view of town – Women’s beach: At the end of the parking and has its own lovely lighthouse. lot is a path leading down to the water. • Hatches Harbor Beach: If you want to visit The name is a misnomer: this is really a more marshy, grassy part of town, Hatches an everyone-friendly beach. Harbor (and the walk there) is the right place – Boys’ beach: You can go past—way past— for you! You park just past Herring Cove and the women’s beach and you’ll find it. walk along the fire road through the salt Alternately, cycle out, park your bike with marsh. It’s a very photogenic area so be sure all the others across from the Moors, and to take your camera! take the path in. Either way, it’s a hike. Clothing is required on all National • Great white sharks are now regularly Seashore land, but the rule is often sighted off Outer Cape beaches, so use ignored here. common sense. Don’t swim anywhere near seals—they aren’t cute and cuddly • Race Point Beach, also in the Seashore, is themselves, and they’re the ones attracting past the airport on Race Point Road. This is the sharks. a particularly family-friendly beach. If you have a four-wheel drive vehicle and want to

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 8 The National Seashore allows over to for a day at the beach? Head bonfires on the beach, but only with a permit, over to Flyer’s Boat Rentals. They also give and you must apply for the permit in person at boating lessons, provide moorings, and run the the Province Lands Visitor Center. (While you’re water-taxi out to Long Point. there, you can enjoy an indoor theater showing • Dog Gone Sailing Charters five short films daily on a rotating schedule, and • Fishing charters: a bookstore with Cape Cod National Seashore- related books, tapes, videos, toys and gifts. The – Ginny G (also offer private observation deck at this Visitor Center provides whale-watching) a 360-degree view of the Province Lands dunes, – Ceejay the Outer Beach and the .) A – Sea Salt Charters (also offers private limited number of permits are available every whale-watching) day, so be in line when they open their doors at • Schooners: 9:00. You can apply for your permit up to three There are two, both of them in slips at days in advance, and pick it up by 3:30 on the MacMillan Pier: day you’ll use it. There are no bonfires allowed – Bay Lady on town beaches. – Hindu • Whale-watching: POOLS Affiliated with theCenter for Coastal Want the water without the sand? There are Studies, the Dolphin Fleet is the oldest public swimming pools with free admission at (and best!) whale-watching fleet in New • Crown & Anchor England. Learn about whales, seals, and • Harbor Hotel other pelagic creatures, or just enjoy the sundeck on a beautiful day. Ptown has gone • Provincetown Inn from whaling to whale protection and we’re • Boatslip proud to be able to share that transformation All have cocktail bars and serve food from the with visitors. inns’ respective restaurants. • Kayaking: Venture Athletics, Provincetown Aquasports, BOATING, WHALE-WATCHING, Flyer’s SCHOONERS, AND FISHING • Parasailing: If you want to be out on the water, you’re in the Provincetown Parasailing on MacMillan Pier right place! • Want to rent a motorboat or 19-foot sailboat and just hang around in the harbor or head

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 9 MUSEUMS – Town Hall: The Provincetown Art • The Provincetown Art Association & Commission moves its collection around Museum shows juried members’ shows, the town hall, the library, and the school exhibitions from its own collections of on a seasonal basis, but whatever happens Provincetown artists (Charles Hawthorne, to be at Town Hall when you’re visiting is Henry Hensche, Blanche Lazzell, Hans sure to be worth a stop. We love this Hofmann, and more), and also runs classes collection because it’s art rooted in our and workshops in the summer. Summer community that tells its stories. Just go workshops are also offered at the Castle Hill straight through the doors at the back of Center for the Arts in Truro. the lobby and enjoy! • That tower you can see coming into Ptown? That’s the , and along with the Provincetown Museum it’s located TOURS up on High Pole Hill; you really should spend • Art’s Dune Tours: One of our favorite things half a day up there. Climb to the top of the to do—you really shouldn’t leave town Monument for stunning views of Cape Cod without taking at least one of these great and beyond; get a bite to eat at the Shallop tours. Choose from one-hour tours of the Café, and visit the museum that keeps Peaked Hills dunes, or make it a sunset tour Ptown’s history alive. Concerts and special with a clambake, a lake-or-sea tour with events are going on all summer, so check the kayaking added in, a tour with an additional website for more information. sailing experience, or any number of The Whydah Museum (colloquially known specialized tours. as the Pirate Museum), right next to the ferry • Mayflower Trolley: A fun and informative landing on MacMillan Pier, looks pretty ride focusing on historic and cultural hokey, but it’s well worth a visit—it contains landmarks, narrated with interesting stories artifacts from the pirate ship Whydah that and flavorful anecdotes. sank off Ptown in 1717, as well as lots of general information around pirating. The • Walking tour from Pilgrim Monument: A gift shop will delight your kids! really great deal for $20 includes a two-hour walking tour and admission to the museum. • Other cool attractions include: Wednesdays at 9:30am. – The Provincetown Public Library is home • Provincetown Ghost Tours: 90-minute to the Lipton Cup, won in a schooner race walking tours leave nightly from The in 1907; on the second and third floors, you Coffee Pot at Lopes Square. Who knows can see a half-scale model of the winning whose spirit you might encounter? Rose Dorothea.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 10 GALLERIES – West End Salon & Spa: Ptown is the longest continuously operating art 155 Commercial Street colony in the , and the arts are alive – Jonathan Williams Salon and Spa: and well here in 2018! We cannot list all the 139A Bradford St. galleries in town, but check out this gallery • Hairdressers map—and get out there and explore! – Snip at 182 Commercial St. is especially popular with the locals. WORKING OUT – Salon 54: 54 Bradford St. • Gyms – Hair by the Sea Salon and Day Spa: – Mussel Beach Health Club: 281A Commercial St. 35 Bradford St. – Waves Salon: 81 Shank Painter Rd. – Provincetown Gym: 81 Shank Painter Rd. – Hannah’s Headlines: 3 Freeman St. #1 • Yoga & Pilates • Massage – Yoga East Wellness Center: All the spas offer massage; in addition, there’s 43 Race Point Rd. Wonderful Hands (which—bonus!—offers – Strength & Clarity Pilates: a sliding scale of prices), Michael Perry the basement at 170 Commercial St. Massage, Marilyn Massad Massage (Marilyn is one of our favorite people!), and – Provincetown Aquasports offers Ptown Massage and Bodywork. paddleboard yoga: 333R Commercial St. • Tennis – Provincetown Tennis Club (open to HOW ABOUT DANCING the public): 286 Bradford St. IN THE AFTERNOON? – Provincetown Recreation Department You absolutely need to go to Tea Dance at the Free public courts at Motta Memorial Fields Boatslip at least once while you’re here (most people end up doing it every day!). Tea is the last beverage served at this famous outdoor PAMPERING dance party, where you can limber up for your • Spas evening or meet someone new to spend it with. – Shui Spa (Kiehl’s) is at the Crowne Pointe It’s every day at 4pm, with frequent special Historic Inn themed dances. – Namaste Spa is at the Carpe Diem Guesthouse – Blu Day Spa: 306 Commercial Street – Seaglass Spa is at the Seaglass Inn

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 11 When the sun goes down…

GALLERY STROLL ENTERTAINMENT Take in a little art with the Friday-night Gallery For something a little different from classic Stroll. Art galleries are located primarily on theatre, the Art House Theater, the Crown Commercial Street, but are also tucked away on & Anchor, and the Post Office Cabaret offer side streets and spilling out onto Bradford Street, a season filled with Broadway performers, and there’s truly something—paintings, glass, comedians, and drag acts. Check out their block prints, and statues—here for everyone. individual websites for specifics.Tin Pan Enjoy something to eat and drink, and take a Alley, across from Town Hall, features live piece of Provincetown home with you to enjoy music most nights, and and you can usually find all year long! Bobby Wetherbee on the piano at the Crown.

Want to keep up with what’s going on? THEATRE Check out the listings and picks at ptownie. Theatre in Ptown builds on the legacy of com, and listen in to Cape Cod’s only community Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neill, and radio station, WOMR (92.1 FM) every Thursday Susan Glaispell, keeping the spirit of the old at 12:30p for Arts Week, a rundown of arts and Lewis Wharf alive. The Provincetown Theater entertainment for the weekend. offers its own productions of classic American plays as well as connections to other cultural AND FOR LATE-LATE NIGHT FUN… events such as the dance festival and the Tennessee Williams festival. The Peregrine Provincetown shuts down earlier than Boston or Theatre Ensemble performs at Fisherman’s New York, so be aware that most bars close by Hall and delivers excellence in the quality of 1:00. But you don’t have to turn in yet! Check out production, casting, and selection. Just out Spiritus Pizza for a late-night slice and check out everybody else who’s doing the same thing of town you’ll find thePayomet Performing (you know they’ll be checking you out, too!) And under the tent in Truro, and the Arts Center if things just didn’t happen for you at the club or and Harbor Stage Company Wellfleet bar, you can head over to the Dick Dock along in Wellfleet. Harbor Actors Theatre (WHAT) the beachfront under the Boatslip’s pool.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 12 ptownie’s guide to provincetown 2 RESOURCES

Essentials 14

Must-eats 15

Must-shopping 16

Ptown on a budget 18

Theme weeks 20

Staying with kids 24

Hanging out with your best friend (dogs) 25

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 13 Essentials

HEALTH & EMERGENCY SERVICES • Eye care We really hope that your stay in Ptown is a Lost a contact lens? Forgot your glasses? Or healthy one! Hopefully you won’t need any even hurt an eye? No worries: Outer Cape of these services, but they’re here if you do. Health is on the job here, too! • 911 • Pharmacy In case of a clearly life-threatening emergency, There is a pharmacy at (you guessed it!) Outer 911 calls work here. Be aware that if your Cape Health Services, and another at the back situation requires transportation via ambu- of Stop & Shop on Shank Painter Road. We lance, the closest hospital is in Hyannis, more strongly recommend that you use the OCHS than an hour away from Provincetown. Just pharmacy, as the community clinic is largely something for you to keep in mind when financed by its pharmacy, and we all need to you’re partying so you don’t over-do anything. keep it open! • Primary & emergency care The Outer Cape Health Services (OCHS) is a ATM & BANK LOCATIONS nonprofit community health center located • Seamen’s Bank at 45 Harry Kemp Way. It offers primary care, – Main office: 221 Commercial Street. urgent walk-in services, mental health 24-hour ATM. services, an on-site pharmacy, and some –  56 Shank Painter Rd. (next to Stop & Shop) specialties. They are open seven days a week 24-hour ATM. Branch is closed on Saturday during the summer months. Call 508-487-9395. & Sunday • Dental services • TD Bank No one wants to see a dentist on vacation, – Branch office: 103 Shank Painter Rd. but sometimes things just happen. OCHS also 24-hour ATM offers dental care at the same address on – ATM only: 307 Commercial Street Harry Kemp Way. You can also see Scott Allegretti at Provincetown Dental Arts at • Bank of America 135 Bradford Street, 508-487-2800, or Cheryl – ATM only: 299 Commercial Street Andrews at Provincetown Dental Associates, There are cashpoints in a number of 86 Harry Kemp Way, 508-487-9936. establishments throughout town as well.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 14 Must-eats

In true ptownie fashion, we took a poll to 8. Slice determine Provincetown’s not-to-be-missed Spiritus culinary pleasures. We got over 2,000 votes, so one thing is clear: food matters! 9. Eggs Benedict Chach

Here are the top-15 choices: 10.  & chips Squealing Pig 1. chowder Lobster Pot 11. Whole-bellied fried John’s Footlong 2. Brussels sprouts The Canteen 12. Lobster risotto The Mews 3. Burger Local 186 13. Beef Wellington Jimmy’s Hideaway 4. Sandwiches Far Land Provisions 14. Filet mignon The Red Inn 5. Lobster roll The Canteen 15. Duck sliders Joon Bar 6. Lobster Lobster Pot So…go out there and enjoy!

7. French onion soup Ross’ Grill

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 15 Must-shopping

This was another ptownie poll on Facebook. a great selection of books about the area as well There seems to be something here for everyone! as fiction that takes place on Cape Cod and even The top 15 shopping destinations include: in Provincetown. • Marine Specialties. Want a Soviet officer’s • Recovering Hearts. A gift shop and bookstore pin? A collection of seashells? A 50’s lunchbox? with an emphasis on 12-step programs, A wedding gown? You’ll find all this and more meditation, and recovery. in this venerable eclectic jumble shop. Serious • D.Flax. Established in 1987, D.Flax (named for army-navy stuff in the back, too. the original owner) is the go-to place for many • Womencrafts. Handmade gifts from local vacationers looking for Provincetown apparel. artisans, lesbian fiction, political stickers, • HRC store. This is the Provincetown branch of clothing, and more in this reimagined feminist the nonprofit Human Rights Campaign store, shop. Owner Michelle is one of ptownie’s your one-stop for LGBTQ apparel and gifts. favorite people. • Taqwa Glassworks. The studio is in • Utilities Home Store. This shop is chock-a- Whaler’s Wharf, but the glassworks can block full of things you never thought you’d be found in galleries all over town. Glass need… and now that you’ve seen, you can’t live sculpture, art, and architecture. without them! Some of the coolest things in • Kmoe. Both a Boston designer’s name and town. her local store, kmoe features art, leather, • Botanica. Gifts and delights for home and and lighting. garden alike, with everything from vintage • Cuffy’s. A local chain of Cape Cod clothing, items to tiles and plants to pet-themed objects known for its durability. • Provincetown Bookshop. A local treasure • Roots. A home and garden shop with a full line since 1932, the shop is run by knowledgeable, of décor, gifts, tabletop accessories, original caring staff who support local authors. There’s artwork, furniture, rugs, and lamps.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 16 MUST-SHOPPING (CONT’D) • Puzzle Me This. That cool purple building on • Ruthie’s Boutique on the corner of Center and Commercial Street? It’s filled with even cooler Bradford streets. Smaller than The Methodist toys, games, puzzles, and fun. but beloved by the community, Ruthie’s often • Shop Therapy. If you long for the sixties, has special sales and events. Proceeds (to the this place is for you. This “alternative lifestyle tune of $25,000 over the last five years) go to emporium” carries everything from incense programs to help the homeless, women, and and jewelry to bells and tapestries. Upstairs those with AIDS. The shop is open Tuesday- is a head shop and sex-toy nirvana. Saturday from 10am to 4pm. • Cape Tip Sportswear. It’s all about the great  Please take time while you’re here to shop at outdoors, so if you want a jacket for the either The Methodist or Ruthie’s and help bonfire or some running shoes for the support those who are struggling here on the National Seashore, this is the place. Outer Cape. Because a substantial number of Provincetown residents are wealthy and/ In addition to these fine establishments, Ptown or artistic, these shops often offer exceptional has two thrift shops, both of which we think are items at bargain prices. If you’d care to donate awesome: used items, both shops will be pleased to accept • The United Methodist church on Shank Painter them, but please bring by items only during Road. Known affectionately in town simply business hours. as “The Methodist,” this thrift shop is open Monday-Saturday from 10am to 2pm. Sales ($45,000 last year) benefit a wide range of local nonprofit groups. The church also hosts a daily soup kitchen in the off-season as well as a number of 12-step meetings year-round.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 17 Ptown on a budget

A lot of people think they can’t stay in Ptown BUDGET EATS because of the expense. And it’s true that you • Consider making lunch your main meal of can spend a lot of money here! But the truth the day and eat out then. The food will be is that you don’t have to, and choosing where just as good and far less expensive than it to spend your money is the key to a budget- is at night. conscious stay. • Get your food to go from Relish, Far Land Provisions, or Angel Foods, and take it out BUDGET STAYS to the beach. • The least expensive option is camping. • If you’re renting a condo, head over to the There are two campgrounds in Ptown, Stop & Shop for ingredients and have fun Coastal Acres and Dune’s Edge. practicing your cooking skills together • If you can live dormitory-style with a instead of eating out. Also, this is a good shared kitchen, Ptown also has the time and place to experiment with pretty Outermost Hostel. cocktails, rather than ordering more expensive versions at a bar! • Renting a condo for a week can be expensive, unless you’re sharing the cost with a group • Several restaurants offer reduced-price of friends. But once you take camping gear appetizers during Happy Hour from 4pm into account, this might be the most cost- to 6pm, including Mac’s Fish House effective option, and generally—bonus!— and Saki. will put you right in the center of town.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 18 BUDGET ACTIVITIES • The library is free and has activities going on • The best entertainment in Provincetown is all summer. Plus it’s a museum in and of itself, free: a saunter down Commercial Street to see with paintings, the Lipton Cup, and an and be seen. There are lots of other places to impressive model of the Rose Dorothea. explore on foot: watch the boats come in at • There are swimming pools that are free MacMillan Pier, walk the length of Ptown on and open to the public: Harbor Hotel, the beach, explore the nooks and crannies of Provincetown Inn, and Crown & Anchor. the side streets. • For a modest $20 fee, you can take the trolley • Renting a bicycle is inexpensive and opens up ride (and impress everyone later with what lots of possibilities. The bike path through the you know about Ptown!). National Seashore on the Province Lands Bike • If you’re over 62, you can work out for free Trail is a solid workout. Or just park your bike at the gym at the Council on Aging. at Beech Forest and have a wander around the pond. You have to pay to enter the beaches, but they’re free after 5pm, so bring a picnic BUDGET NIGHTS and some wine (or buy food at Far Land On • For the price of a drink and a tip, you The Beach at Herring Cove) and watch the can enjoy live music at Tin Pan Alley or a sunset! sing-along at the Crown and Anchor lounge. • Drag karaoke, anyone? Speaking of the beach, if you’re over 62 you • A slice at Spiritus Pizza is an inexpensive can buy a pass that will give you free access late-night must-do. to every national park in the US for the rest of your life! See the ranger at Herring Cove Beach or Race Point Beach for details.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 19 Theme weeks

During the summer months—and increasingly in • Memorial Day Women’s Weekend the off-season, too—Ptown celebrates just about (Thurs. 5/ 24–Mon. 5/28) every community that makes us who we are. Also known as “baby dyke weekend” for the attracted demographic, there are myriad APRIL 2018 parties, along with boating, dancing, pool parties, and drinking. A lot of drinking. • Gays for Patsy (Fri. 4/27 – Sun. 4/29) • Provincetown Women of Color An annual spring hoedown featuring & Friends Weekend dancing, workshops, and lots of socializing. (Thurs. 5/31–Sun. 6/3) The weekend includes five workshops, MAY 2018 dances, parties, a talent show, and lots of pizza and fun. • Twenty Summers (Fri. 5/18–Sat. 6/16) Twenty Summers fosters public engagement JUNE 2018 with art and artists. It restored the historic • Provincetown Cabaret Festival Hawthorne Barn where that legacy (Wed. 5/30–Sun. 6/3): began and where its festival of concerts, Four days and three nights of music, cabaret, conversations, artists residencies, and workshops, networking, and fun. special events take place. • International Encaustic Conference • Single Women’s Weekend (Fri. 6/1–Sun. 6/3) (Fri. 5/18–Sun. 5/20) An annual interdisciplinary event in An opportunity for lesbians to connect, Provincetown, MA, bringing a community perchance to eventually marry! of artists together with gallerists, curators, Meet-and-greets, speed dating, shows, critics and collectors engaged with wax, and other events. printmaking, mixed media, professional practices, and more.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 20 • Provincetown Film Festival • Bear Week (Wed. 6/13–Sun. 6/17) (Sat. 7/ 7–Sun. 7/15) One of the country’s preeminent film The largest bear event in the world, with festivals presents a diverse array of Ptown overrun by hair, leather, and large men. American and international narrative Restaurants love the bears! features, documentaries and short films. • Girl Splash • Portuguese Festival (Tues. 7/17–Sat. 7/21) (Thurs. 6/ 21–Sun. 6/24) Concerts, comediennes, parties, dancing and A week-long celebration of Ptown’s more for the summer women’s festival. Buy Portuguese heritage and vibrant community your tickets early, as events sell out quickly! that culminates in the Blessing of the Fleet on • Family Week Sunday. Come watch all the boats as they show (Sat. 7/28–Sat. 8/4) off their finery! The largest annual gathering in the world • Provincetown Dance Festival of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and Performers range from tap to ballet, to queer-identified parents and their families. contemporary, hip-hop, and classical Sponsored by the Family Equality Council, Indian dance. this fun-filled week will include more opportunities than ever to build community. All families are welcome! JULY 2018 • Whale Week • July 4th (Sun. 7/29–Sat. 8/4) (Wed. 7/4) Sponsored by the Center for Coastal Studies, The town puts on a fireworks show (~8:45pm this is a week filled with educational over Provincetown Harbor) and a Parade activities and opportunities for everyone. (~11am) to celebrate the 4th of July. • Independence Week (Fri. 6/ 29–Fri. 7/6) AUGUST 2018 This is party-week central in Ptown, • Carnival alternately referred to as circuit-boy week, (Sat. 8/11–Fri. 8/17) twink week, or pretty-boy week; you get the This year’s theme for the busiest week of picture. A young, energetic crowd. the season will be Mardi Gras By The Sea. This event is a huge celebration that takes over the town ending in a colorful, spectacular parade.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 21 SEPTEMBER 2018 • Provincetown Invitational Antique Car • White Party Show & Parade (Sun. 9/1) (Sat. 9/15) Starting out in 1981 as a private cocktail The Yankee Lambda Car Club is in town with party and croquet tournament, the White the coolest cars ever! Event includes car show, Party has evolved into a popular fundraiser parade through town, banquet and awards, for the Outer Cape Health Services. and a tour of Heritage Museum car collection (Sandwich). • The Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta (Tues. 9/4–Thurs. 9/6) • Pet Appreciation Weekend A celebration of the role of the Great (Fri. 9/21– Sun. 9/23) Atlantic fishing bank schooner in A pet parade, dog show, and other activities all Provincetown’s maritime history, while to benefit the Carrie A. Seamen Animal Shelter. providing educational opportunities for • Tennessee Williams Festival residents and visitors to experience these (Thurs. 9/27–Sun. 9/30) historic vessels both in and at sea The festical honors Tennessee Williams by through a series of races. presenting his classic and undiscovered plays, • Afterglow Festival the work of his peers, and new work inspired (Mon. 9/10–Sun. 9/16) by Williams’ creative vision worldwide. A gathering to Provincetown of both • Mates Leather Weekend renowned and under-the-radar innovative (Thurs. 9/27–Sun. 9/30) stage artists evolving the world of live A weekend of fun and frolic for men who like performance today. leather, rubber, and uniforms, but that also • Gay Pilots Cape Cod Classic Weekend has a serious side: raising serious money for (Thu. 9/13–Sun. 9/18) the AIDS Support Group. Sponsored by the nationwide gay and lesbian • Provincetown Dance Trophy pilots’ association. (Sat. 9/29) • Provincetown Book Festival Ballroom dance competition open to (Fri. 9/14–Sat. 9/15) same-sex couples, reverse role couples, Speakers, book readings, meet-the-author and mainstream (traditional) couples. opportunities and more. Come and watch even if you don’t compete!

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 22 OCTOBER 2018 NOVEMBER 2018 • Inspiration Weekend Provincetown • Day of Dead Festival (Fri. 10/5–Sun. 10/7) (Thu. 11/1–Fri. 11/2) This is a weekend about self-reflection and This is a relatively new annual event spiritual development with the assistance honoring life and death with art, a of music, lyrics, and spoken word. procession, and more. Take a workshop • Women’s Week and make your own offrande! (Sat. 10/6–Sun. 10/14) • Provincetown Men’s Weekend This is a celebration of women hosted (Fri. 11/9 – Sun. 11/11) by women (the Women Innkeepers of This weekend brings all men together in Provincetown to be exact) with more than Ptown, regardless of relationship status, 150 diverse events. with lots of parties and dances. • Wellfleet Oyster Festival • Mr Leather Weekend (Sat. 10/13–Sun. 10/14) (Fri. 11/16–Sun. 11/18) Not technically in Provincetown, the A regional section of the International Mister Wellfleet Oysterfest is an annual celebration Leather competition to be held in Chicago. of local fishing traditions and delicious food. • Pilgrim Monument Lighting • Fantasia Fair (Wed. 11/21) (Sun. 10/14–Sun. 10/21) Every year the distinctive Pilgrim Monument This event is the longest standing transgender is beautifully lit to commemorate the event. It is part-conference and part social Pilgrim’s first landing in the New World. gathering with a fashion show, banquets, and There are speeches, entertainment, food, lots of speakers. and more; everyone comes to it! • Provincetown Roundup • Thanksgiving (Wed. 10/17–Sun. 10/21) (Wed. 11/21–Sun. 11/25) This even focuses on recovery and service Many restaurants will open their doors on among the LGBTQA+ community. It features Thanksgiving to present a hot, delicious meal five days of 12 step programs and activities. (often with a special Provincetown twist) • Halloween for this holiday. (Fri. 10/26–Wed. 10/31) • Lobster Pot Tree Lighting In true Provincetown fashion, we go all-out (Sat. 11/24) for Halloween. There are dances, parties, To really welcome in the holiday season, a haunted house, and much more. we light the lobster pot Christmas tree in • Spooky Bear Weekend a special ceremony at Lopes Square. (Fri. 10/26–Sun. 10/28) As part of the Halloween extravaganza, DECEMBER 2018 don’t forget about Spooky Bear weekend! • Holly Folly (Fri. 11/30–Sun. 12/2) Holly Folly is a weekend of shopping, partying, and revelry! Come get all your Christmas shopping done, sample soups at a special benefit lunch, and enjoy Provincetown in the offseason!

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 23 Staying with kids

FUN  • Ptown has two public playgrounds, the For aspiring marine scientists, sign up for Chelsea Earnest Memorial Playground at the Whale Camp with the Center for Coastal intersection of Bradford St. and West Vine St. Studies. It’s a three-day program during July and the East End Playground at the intersection and August where you learn about local of Bradford St. and Howland St. whales, disentanglement, and do art activities. • If your friend jumped off a pier, would you do it, too? It’s actually quite a fun and popular • The Province Lands Visitor’s Center is activity to jump off MacMillan Pier! a great educational resource all about the life and physiology of the local beaches and • The town puts on a variety of children’s estuaries. It has a rotating theater, showing programs year-round; an updated list can be five short films every day, and a bookstore found on its website. where you can buy field guides. • Do your kids love to pop wheelies and do tricks on their skateboards? The Provincetown Skate • PAAM runs Children’s Art Adventures weekly Park (at the intersection of Jerome Smith and throughout the summer for kids age 5+ where Shank Painter Rd.) could be the perfect place they are encouraged to explore different media for them to hang out and socialize. to create art inspired by the world around them. • There are fun things to find in all the stores in • The Provincetown Public Library also puts on Ptown, but kids might especially be enchanted fantastic events for children of various ages! by Puzzle Me This, The Penney Patch, and • The Payomet Performing Arts Center puts on Marine Specialties. special children’s theatre productions for our • Don’t forget ice cream! There are lots of ice younger visitors! cream shops in Provincetown with such a vari- Note that not every Provincetown inn or ety of flavors you will find something bed-and-breakfast is kid-friendly, and many for even the pickiest of eaters. Try Lewis smaller establishments prefer not to cater to Brother’s Homemade Ice Cream, the children at all. They’re filled with delicate Nut House, the Purple Feather (for gelato), antiques and their primary clientèle may be Ptown Scoop, Bliss, Happy Camper, Twisted here to party, so don’t be offended. Choose Pizza and Ice Cream, and Ben & Jerry’s. instead a hotel—the Provincetown Inn, the Harbor Hotel, and the Surfside all will cheerfully EDUCATIONAL FUN accommodate children, as will places in Truro • For you adventurous families, spend the day and Wellfleet. out on the water learning to sail with West End Racing Children’s Community Sailing.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 24 Hanging out with your best friend (dogs)

In case you haven’t noticed, Provincetown is WALKING definitely going to the dogs! You don’t want to • Most businesses in town have water bowls leave part of your family home for vacation, outside their stores so your pets can stay cool and when traveling to Ptown, you don’t have and hydrated while you explore town together. to: Ptown loves your dogs almost as much as you do! • There are so many places for you and your dog to go on nice walks together! As long as they remain on a leash, you can go through a lot of TRANSPORTATION the Cape Cod National Seashore (freshwater • Bay State Cruise Company and Boston ponds, fire roads, beaches without life guards, Harbor Cruises both allow dogs on board and other trails on certain dates). Just steer as long as they are leashed. clear of areas that explicitly state no dogs or • Cape Air will let you fly if your dog is crated. have nesting shorebirds. • The Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway Company allows service dogs on their buses. Town beaches allow unleashed playtime between six and nine (morning and night) FUN as long as you clean up your furry friend’s “buried treasures” (you can find bags for this • The Pilgrim Bark Park is a one-acre dog park along the beaches). filled with local art, water fountains, and happy dogs. The park even has a separate section for your extra small friends Amenities: (25 pounds and under). • Safety first! If you suddenly need to go to the veterinarian while in town, head over to: • If you don’t want to leave your best pal alone – Herring Cove Animal Hospital while you go out to eat, call ahead and ask if 83 Shank Painter Rd. the restaurant has outdoor seating where they will permit dogs, lots of places will! – Provincetown Animal Hospital 9 Center St. • Want to go on an ocean adventure? The Dolphin Fleet, Dog Gone Sailing Charters, • If you are looking for a dog sitter or and SeaSalt Charters are all dog-friendly dog boarding while in town, check out: cruises. – Provincetown Pet Resort 79 Shank Painter Rd. • If you want to go shopping for your pet, check out: – A Happy Pet, 774-487-7294 – Paws & Whiskers, 304 Commercial St. • If you want to adopt a dog, head on over to the – Provincetown Pet Resort & Supply, CASAS (Carrie A. Seaman Animal Shelter) 79 Shank Painter Rd. to find your new best friend! – Friends of Heart, 301 Commercial St.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 25 ptownie’s guide to provincetown 3 ALL ABOUT US

About Provincetown 27

About ptownie 29

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 26 About Provincetown

THE TOWN inward toward the town, and provides a Provincetown is located at the extreme tip of natural barrier for Provincetown Harbor. Cape Cod in Barnstable County, . A All three points are marked by lighthouses. small coastal town with a year-round population All of which should be explored to understand of just under 2,000, Provincetown has a summer the beauty of Provincetown. population of as high as 60,000. Provincetown is governed, like most New Surrounded by water in every direction except England towns, by the open town meeting form due east, allows for the most spectacular light of government in which citizens act as the and why artists have been drawn here for legislative branch. This is a site to behold generations. The town has 21.3 miles of and town meeting can be some of the best coastal shoreline. entertainment of the year. To the north lie the “Province Lands,” the area Most of all, Provincetown is a remarkable and of dunes and small ponds extending from Mount strong COMMUNITY. A place where people Ararat in the east to Race Point in the West. The come to celebrate, heal, relax, energize, and shoreline extends from Race Point build memories. Come visit us for a day or to the far west, to Wood End in the south, for a lifetime. eastward to Long Point, which in turn points

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 27 PTOWN HISTORY • 1899: Charles Hawthorne founds the Cape Cod School of Art, helping to establish • Pre-17th century: Prior to the arrival Provincetown as the nation’s oldest of Europeans, Cape Cod is inhabited by continuous art colony. the Wampanoag Indian Federation. The Nausets, one of six subtribes, live at the • 1915: The Provincetown Players Theatre end of the Cape. starts in Joe O’Brien and Mary Heaton Vorse’s fish-house at the end of their wharf. • 1602: Bartholomew Gosnold arrives and names the place Hope , then revises • 1936: competes with fishing as it to Cape Cod. Provincetown’s major industry; in addition to a plethora of rooming houses, a series of • 1620: The Mayflower arrives, and on “auto camps” spring up along Beach Point; November 21 the is tourists choke two-way Commercial Street; drafted and signed in Provincetown Harbor. a plethora of nightclubs, taverns, and On December 20th the Mayflower leaves restaurants appear. for Plymouth. • 1975: The Dolphin Fleet originates the • 1727: Provincetown is incorporated. concept of “” in town, running the first whale watch tour on • 1840: Portuguese sailors and fishermen the East . arrive in Provincetown as extra hands on fishing and whaling vessels and displace • 2004: Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Yankees in the fishing industry Massachusetts and Provincetown becomes Destination Wedding Central.

ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 28 About ptownie

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ptownie’s guide to provincetown | summer 2018 | page 30 ©2018 ptownie, LLC. Special thanks to staff photographerptownie’s guide Ric to Ide. provincetown Contact |ptownie summer 2018 for more| page information31 about his work.