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Town in Massachusetts, United States
Photo: RoySmith, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Provincetown is at the very tip of the Cape Cod peninsula region of Massachusetts. Perhaps due to being at the remote end of the Cape and because of its variety of beautiful scenes, Provincetown has attracted artists of all types over the years. One of the oldest artist colonies in America, it has produced a large number of excellent galleries, cutting edge theatre, and many unique shops. There is also the persistence of an attitude of tolerance, making Provincetown a preferred home and travel destination for many LGBTQ people.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Observation deck with 360-degree view is open year round. Ranger guided tours, activities and exhibits about the natural and cultural history of the area. Films shown on regular schedule daily, see website. 5½-mile bike loop.
The Race Point Light is a historic lighthouse. It was first lighted on November 5, 1816. Today visitors can stay in the keeper's house and the Lighthouse can be used for events and weddings.
PAAM
Really worth visiting. Excellent school for aspiring artists.
A unique collection of exhibits that depict important events and people in Provincetown history.
CCS
The Center for Coastal Studies is an organization dedicated to the study and protection of the coastal environment. The Center offers exhibits that are open to the public. As these are subject to change, check their website for up-to-date information on their programs.
Annual week-long party for bears and their admirers. Attracts the largest number of attendees of any bear event in the world with over 5,000 registered attendees and thousands more in town. People come from around the world.
Premiere annual week-long party in August featuring the gamut of the LGBT community. Features a street parade with outlandish costumes and high spirits. Sponsored by the Provincetown Business Guild.
Fantasia Fair is the longest-running theme week in Provincetown: it began in 1975. Fantasia Fair has progressed from a holiday experience for transgender individuals into a mix of practical, social, and educational opportunities designed to enhance the personal growth and awareness of one's own gender expression.
Family Week is the largest national gathering of the LGBT-headed family community in the United States.
Girl Splash is a fun, women-only week with lots of activities from a clam bake to theater to tea dances.
Weekend celebration of the Yule season with toy drives, the Snow Ball and live music performances and sing-alongs. Most shops and restaurants are open.
Weekend contest and leather community celebration featuring dance parties and the crowning of Mr. New England Leather.
Annual celebration of Provincetown's Portuguese heritage with a parade and the Blessing of the Fleet.
This 5-day festival presents a wide array of American and international narrative features, documentaries and short films, and makes a particular point to honor and preserve Provincetown's rich and diverse history as an arts colony, Portuguese fishing village, and gay and lesbian mecca-while never forgetting the area's original Native American inhabitants.
Winter weekend featuring the leather community and dance parties, brunch and workshops sponsored by Full Kit Leather.
Theater fans flock to Provincetown to celebrate Tennessee Williams with live performances from as near as Cape Cod and as far as South Africa
This weekend features the Absolut Inn Stroll, a writer's workshop and a Jazz Brunch on Sunday
Presents high quality drag shows and Broadway divas all summer long. This is the home of Varla Jean Merman.
There are two companies operating within the theater. The Provincetown Repertory Theatre is an acclaimed company that presents a mix of classic and modern productions. The Provincetown Theatre Company is the birthplace of the modern American theater.
Presents professional quality theater, develops new scripts and interdisciplinary performances, and provides education in the arts on a year-round basis.
Dolphin Fleet
Educational and engaging whale watch including breakfast
Go sailing on the Schooner Hindu.
Offering private whale watching and fishing trips (specializing in striped bass and bluefish).
Explore the art, culture, & history of Provincetown on a guided bicycle tour departing from the center of town. Offers tours of town, the Cape Cod National Seashore's Province Lands Bike Trail, and bike school classes including "Survive Commercial Street."
Over 60 years experience providing a wide variety of tours, including a sunset clambake and a lighthouse tour. The only way to see the dunes and learn the history and see the natural, unspoilt beauty of the Cape and her dunes.
Lifeguards, rest rooms, changing facilities, food, handicapped accessible. Usually calmer waters than Race Point
Tip of Cape Cod
By some it's called "the end of the earth". An 1827 lighthouse graces the very tip of the Cape. Beware of poison ivy.
Lifeguards, rest rooms, changing facilities. This is a nice, wide beach. The surf can be rough at times.
A convenient beach, but not as nice as the others.
A 35-foot downeast fishing boat.
Fishing parties and Cape Cod fishing charters.
Free parking, helmet, locks. Near the start of the trail.
Rentals, service. Near start of the bike trail.
Bike rentals and service. Pick up and drop off available. Online reservations.
The epitome of craft baking; delicious pastries and breads from scratch and by hand daily. Shane, who worked with Connie for five years, took over when she and her husband, Richie, retired. Besides great breakfast pastries and breads, they have sandwiches and coffee, too.
Deli, breakfast bread, bagels and bakery. In the spirit of a general store, Far Land Provisions offers one-stop shopping for prepared meals, baked goods made in-house from scratch, deli sandwiches, wine & spirits, and full service catering.
West End Espresso Cafe with hot food, soups and sandwiches and sweet snacks.
Try the malassadas, or the rich trutas.
Bayside Betsy's is a casual American/Continental restaurant offering breakfast, lunch and dinner in a waterfront location.
An upscale fry-shack with fresh salads, interesting sandwiches and fresh seafood. Serves alcohol and oysters on the half-shell.
Long waits in the summer for the back deck with a view of the bay. Lobster and all manner of seafood. A tourist magnet that doesn't have to try very hard.
formerly Enzo's
Hip beers and burgers, salads and luxe starters like foie gras and oysters.
Quintessential P-town experience. Location directly on Commercial, good people-watching, fun atmosphere, great food, cocktails, good music and very friendly.
Delicious pizza, open late. A large crowd gathers in front after the bars close at 1AM.
Inventive and well-prepared American fare on a very extensive menu. Good choice of cocktails and for wine lovers.
formerly Lorraine's
Focus on small, delicious plates in a sleek and clean ambiance; excellent cocktails.
An outlet of Cape Cod's premiere seafood restaurants. With delicious seafood and perfect sushi, this new entry to Provincetown's dining scene has made a big splash and become a favorite hangout. Try the oyster happy hour from 3 - 5PM
New American and regional New England specialties with an emphasis on the seafood bounty of Cape Cod. Excellent cocktails and good vibe and live entertainment.
Set in a historic mansion on a bluff overlooking Provincetown. Unrushed award winning dining, free parking, stellar wine list.
Harborfront dining with 211 vodka selections from 29 countries. Good food (Italian) as well. Casual upstairs. Mondays in the winter features Coffeehouse at The Mews, an open mic for writers, playwrights, poets, singers, songwriters, comedians.
Traditional New England seafood and steaks with a view.
Drinks and raw bar are the focus here.
Great selection of beer, and raw oysters.
Perhaps the oldest gay bar in the United States. Was frequented by Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill.
This complex includes multiple bars with different themes, including a piano bar and a leather bar (see the Vault below).
This inn contains three bars: Porch Lounge, the Lobby Piano Bar and Purgatory Dance Club.
Harbor Lounge is presided over by Liam McGonigle, a gingerbear from Ireland who makes kick-ass drinks and has a nice selection of beer and wines.
Informal and fun bar with great martinis.
Provincetown's premier nightclub. Within the Crown & Anchor complex.
An upscale bar at the Brass Key Guesthouse featuring an outdoor patio with lounge seating, beautiful fountain, stunning gas fire pit and delicious cocktails. In the center of Provincetown. Ample parking available at the adjacent municipal parking lot.
Provincetown's leather bar. Within the Crown & Anchor complex.
Provincetown's only video/sports bar. Within the Crown & Anchor complex.
Steps from Commercial Street. Free parking, wifi, continental breakfast, an outdoor 5-person jacuzzi, bikes to borrow.
Right in the heart of town. New guesthouse with great energy for those who want to experience the best P-Town has to offer.
May-Oct. European-style youth hostel.
Central location walk to everything, hot tub, Unique rooms.
Contemporary boutique guesthouse in the east end. Features 7 rooms with air conditioning, robes, some with balconies. The hotel has a pool (which is rare for guesthouses here), jacuzzi and sauna; bikes are available to borrow. As a chef-owned B&B, the breakfast features local produce at a large buffet that includes fresh-baked items and eggs to order. Friendly innkeepers set a fun, upscale, relaxed tone.
Bed and breakfast.
A gay-friendly hotel with a pool and the site of popular afternoon tea dances.
Small luxurious spa resort featuring 19 rooms, gourmet breakfast, daily wine & cheese hour, 24 hour espresso coffee and tea station and numerous amenities to pamper you during your stay. Clothing optional spa with Provincetown's largest steam room, Finnish sauna and Hydrojet spa tub and spa deck. Full spa menu offering classic massages, scrubs & polishes, energy work and Thai Massage.
Oceanfront retro-glam Commercial Street retreat on the edge of downtown. Features include beach access, outdoor heated pool, 6+ fire pits, cabana bar, plenty of parking, wedding and event space, seasonal shuttle service, onsite dining, pool, ping pong, lawn games, onsite bike, and electric scooter rentals.
Carriage House
A blend of space, amenities, privacy and location. 13 rooms all with private entrances in the center of Provincetown.
Victorian home with a very large front patio that looks onto Commercial Street. Hot tub and gardens in the back. Each room offers a private bathroom, cable TV, air conditioning (in season), ceiling fans, mini fridges.
Historic hotel with a sunny garden courtyard and made to order breakfasts. Family & pet friendly.
A restored 19th-century colonial house furnished with antiques and modern amenities.
Oceanfront hotel, features contemporary-styled guestrooms and two-bedroom apartments with kitchens and balconies overlooking the sand and surf. Guests love this hotel's heated outdoor saltwater pool, large fire pit and patio, onsite bar, private beach and central location.
A boutique contemporary B&B in Provincetown.
Built in 1845 as a sea captain's house, this bed & breakfast is in the heart of Commercial Street. With twelve guest rooms and a "great" room with fireplace and grand piano, the breakfast is expanded continental.
Everyone is welcome at Provincetown’s premier gay luxury resort. Nine historically restored buildings enclose the terraced courtyard with its infinity edge pool and in-ground spa. Experience extraordinary lodgings, a gracious staff, full-service bar, on-site spa treatments, and our private rooftop ocean-view deck. The perfect place to relax, rejuvenate and make new friends; A short walk to the nightlife, museums, restaurants, shops, art galleries and bars of Provincetown.
Central location walk to everything, great spa, wonderful rooms. Cape Cod Life Magazine Editors Choice, 2007. The Shui Spa is open to the public and offers great treatments, steam room, sauna, mineral soaking tub, 4,000 gallon exotic koi pond.
Panoramic ocean views and luxury accommodations high atop a hill in Provincetown's West End. Provincetown's most luxurious guest rooms.
Waterside residence available to rent by the week. Self-catering.
120 sites.
Over 80 sites. Coin operated hot showers, laundry, camp store, and dump station.
The Bowersock Gallery was established in 2004 as a venue to encourage and explore a deeper interest and enjoyment for contemporary, modern, abstract and classical works of art.
Dedicated to the artists who established Provincetown as an art colony
Established as Universal Fine Objects in 1988, the gallery shows a core group of artists, but always has an eye out for new artists
Opened in 1986, Packard Gallery represents the works of 3 generations of a family of artists
A unique clothing store. All of Birdie's art is specifically designed with images of Provincetown and Cape Cod. One of the fun aspects of shopping at Birdie's is that you can watch her print while you shop - but don't ask her more than three questions, or she'll put you to work folding tee-shirts!
Coastline Tattoo is dedicated to creating quality, one-of-a-kind tattoos and artwork in a clean, friendly, creative studio environment. Open year-round.
A premiere leather, rubber and fetish gear store.
Provincetown's only game store features challenging and cutting-edge board games, brain teasers, puzzles and card games. With a huge inventory of products, there is something for everybody here.
Eclectic and high quality objets d'art and home decor shop for interior and outdoor spaces.
Over 2000 modern & useful items for the home. Frommers: "A breath of fresh design..."
The largest liquor store on the outer Cape featuring beer, wine, and liquor
By bus
By plane
By boat
Ferry service to Provincetown operates seasonally, late spring to mid-fall. All services dock at MacMillan Pier, just to the south of Lopes Square (off Commercial St at the foot of Standish St).
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Hyannis · Regional · HYA
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