May Vs June VS October on Cape Cod

[mamiecarter]

Want to go to Cape Cod off season. I have heard that there are nasty biting flies in June but children are still in school.
May is still chilly but fewer people and no flies. October is rumored to be best with no crowds and no flies and moderately comfortable weather.
I have also heard that May and October are quiet easy to exchange into.

Is this true? please reveal any secrets you may have about Cape Cod off peak. Thanks!

[#1 Cowboys Fan]

May would be my last (third) choice of the three.

When we lived on (or visited) Cape Cod in May, we had some nice, but MOSTLY not very nice Memorial weeks.

October would be my second choice. You could have some nice late summer-like weather if the week is right. And, it seems like weather in Sept/Oct the last few years in New England has gotten better (global warming?)

That being said, I would pick June as the best of the three options. Granted, JULY and AUGUST are THE MONTHS to be on the Cape, but June can be nice too! So, my vote goes for JUNE.

Now, if you'd asked for JUNE or SEPTEMBER, that would have been a harder question!!

Pat

[Timesharemogul]

I own fixed and float weeks on the Cape in all of these months. Each month has its own attributes....May is nice because business owners are painting and rehabbing their stores for the oncoming season and everything is beginning tolook fresh and clean. June is nice because while the reality is that you're past the "oficial beginning of the season (Memorial Day) local associations are doing special events topromote tourism (for example, there are usually several film festivals every June in both Falmouth and Provincetown). October is excellent because if youlike to shop many businesses willhave their final clearance sales around Columbus Day weekend. The FIRST week of October is usually the LAST week yours truly would set his body into the Cape Cod ocean waters (and usually stick to the warmer bayside). Renters in motels and guesthouses often find the start of the lowest off-season lodging prices after Columbus Day if not October 1st.
When trading a timeshare into Cape Cod, it is easiest to trade into May, and most difficult to trade into June, with October in the middle(unless you're trying to get into Provincetown in early October for Women's Week which would be the most difficult specific trade into the Cape).
Brian

[mamiecarter]

So what is September like?

[Timesharemogul]

September is fantastic.....the ocean is warm enough to swim in. The crowds of "day- trippers" from adjacent towns become non-existant. 95% of the businesses remain open after Labor Day although many are on reduced operating schedules.
Trading into a timeshare in September is still almost as difficult as July/August and rental rates for lodging have dropped in some (but not all) places since the ultra-high July/August season. Travelers (particularly those from Europe and other countries) come to Massachusetts in September/October expecting fall foliage however on the Cape there is an overpopulation of pine and evergreens and it's not the same changing of the leaves one would see if they were out in the Berkshires (Western Mass.)
Overall, September offers the best of both worlds: the warmth of summer with smaller off-season crowds. I've often heard many people say September is their favorite time time to go to the Cape. But if you own timeshare, don't think that it's easy to confirm an exchange in September....it'll be easier than July/August but not as easy as May or Octoberand a bit more difficult than June. Good luck!
Brian

[SailBadtheSinner]

We own a week 38 (last full week in September). The weather is perfect; still can wear shorts. You can still spend an afternoon sitting at the beach enjoying the sun. The crowds are long gone and with them their children. No waiting for tables or being served. Most of the seasonal businesses are still open. Earlier in September may be better.


SBtS

[Kenrabs]

Sept. would be the best. The weather the last few years has been great. May can be rainy and is very unpredictable. June is nice but starting to pick up tourist. Oct was great the last 2 years and is only busy on Columbus weekend. Placs tend to start shutting down if seasonal after Columbus day.

[e.bram]

If you go to a place like Falmouth, Ma. it is the same(exceptfor the weather)all the year. Not many touists, maybe people with summer homes. Nothing closes, only a little quieter.

[mamiecarter]

Province town sounds nice. I hear it has a big gay scene. Fine with my. Love watching NYC Gay pride day parades with all the exuberant costumes. Am hoping P-Town is exotic enough to keep parents of small kids away and provide fun things for elderly heterosexuals to watch. Also hear the Portuguese resteraunts are wonderful. Any body been there with stories to tell? What else to do?

[JUDIE25]

The other item that makes September fantastic is that the ocean is the warmest it will be all year. It takes June through August to warm up.

Enjoy.

[holdem]

What's the weather like in May?

[Timesharemogul]

Cool, and can be colder in May. Can also be warm but that's kind of rare. Generally temps are in the 50's-60's. The ocean is COLD- to a very few brave swimmers it's barely tolerable in late May if swimming on the bayside. The NICE thing about May on the Cape is that there's a sense of anticipation in the air as towns homeowners and businesses freshly paint and refurbish their places to welcome the upcoming annual seasonal onslaught of visitors. From a visual point, the Cape doesn't *appear* better than it does in May.
Brian

[Timesharemogul]

Originally Posted by mamiecarter

Province town sounds nice. I hear it has a big gay scene. Fine with my. Love watching NYC Gay pride day parades with all the exuberant costumes. Am hoping P-Town is exotic enough to keep parents of small kids away and provide fun things for elderly heterosexuals to watch. Also hear the Portuguese resteraunts are wonderful. Any body been there with stories to tell? What else to do?

It's not THAT "exotic". I think you'd be disappointed if you're looking for parades and costumes (outside of the shows at some entertainment venues)....for that maybe what you've seen in New York is as "good" as it gets? P-Town has a larger gay *female* presence than male (from what I see), but it's not "in your face" and is just as suitable for families with the small kids which you're trying to avoid.
Sadly, the "wonderful Portuguese restaurants" have dwindled down to just a few left with the skyrocketing cost of living on the Cape and the property taxes and lack of labor overwhelming many restauranteurs. The few Portuguese owned restaurants left include Lobster Pot, Tips for Tops'n, Michael Shays, and Clem & Ursie's. Having said that, I should note that the menus only have Portuguese style food on a FEW items at each restaurant.
Best things to do: Whale watches (April to early October); Bike riding or walking all the way along Commercial Street (it's entertaining, beautiful, historic, and fun); Take a boatride out to "Long Point" where the lighthouse is of the actual tip of the very tip/end of the Cape; visit and climb the PILGRIM MONUMENT & MUSEUM-inexpensive admission, authentically educational and you can take breathtaking pictures from the top....The Pilgrims landed here FIRST before settling upcape at what became Plymouth Massachusetts.
Concerning "e.bram"'s comment about Falmouth being more of a yearround place....I own a couple of weeks in Falmouth and I think e.bram has not been to Falmouth in Februiary or March as I have when I discovered a whole new meaning to the term "desolate"!

[e.bram]

Timesharemogul:
I've been in December and April. Everything is open including the Stop & Shop, Shaws and Walmart. All seviceses are available. Hyannis has a few shopping malls including Sears etc.

[wackymother]

Originally Posted by Timesharemogul

Concerning "e.bram"'s comment about Falmouth being more of a yearround place....I own a couple of weeks in Falmouth and I think e.bram has not been to Falmouth in Februiary or March as I have when I discovered a whole new meaning to the term "desolate"!

Mogul, how desolate is it? We're planning on going to Falmouth for a few days during President's Week. In the summer, it just seems like any other mid-sized town. The weather is horrible, I'm sure, but...does everybody clear out? It seems like there would be quite a few people there since there are major chain stores and all the usual things you would find in a non-beach town.

I figure a lot of the restaurants and the small touristy shops close down for the winter, but you can still get the basics of life, right? It's not like the Andromeda Strain, is it?

[Bwolf]

wackymother: I know people who live on the Cape and they tell me it is becoming a year round destination with 90% of "boutique" shops remaining open.

[Timesharemogul]

Originally Posted by wackymother

Mogul, how desolate is it? We're planning on going to Falmouth for a few days during President's Week. In the summer, it just seems like any other mid-sized town. The weather is horrible, I'm sure, but...does everybody clear out? It seems like there would be quite a few people there since there are major chain stores and all the usual things you would find in a non-beach town.

I figure a lot of the restaurants and the small touristy shops close down for the winter, but you can still get the basics of life, right? It's not like the Andromeda Strain, is it?

When I went to Falmouth in March a couple years ago, I walked around the area that seemed like it would be the center of the action had it been summer. I believe the bowling alley was open but found NOTHING else in that area open. While it is true that several miles away there are supermarkets which stay open yearround (with limited hours in the off-season), this is true of almost every town anywhere, isn't it?
I'mnot trying to knock a town like Falmouth where I already own a couple of timeshares if that's what it seems to anyone-just stating my honest opinion/experience. As for going shopping at Sears and whathaveyou, that would involve a trip to the Hyannis Mall- about a half-hour drive I recall. However,my idea of a vacation never includes going shopping- particularly in everytown retailers!
Just my opinion,
Brian

[wackymother]

Thanks, Brian and Bwolf. The February days we're going are the bonus days that go with our summer t/s in Falmouth. So basically, they're free, we're already paying for them with our maintenance fees. We thought if the weather is decent for the drive, it would be a relaxing long weekend, anyway. Sounds like it will be VERY relaxing! Should be fine for us, as we're easily amused. Fortunately!

[Timesharemogul]

Originally Posted by wackymother

Thanks, Brian and Bwolf. The February days we're going are the bonus days that go with our summer t/s in Falmouth. So basically, they're free, we're already paying for them with our maintenance fees. We thought if the weather is decent for the drive, it would be a relaxing long weekend, anyway. Sounds like it will be VERY relaxing! Should be fine for us, as we're easily amused. Fortunately!

Wacky- sounds like you also own at Briarwood and like me are planning to use your off-season "bonus" time to good use. Here's my suggestion....Look for things to do in Hyannis and Provincetown....these seem to be the places that have enough museums and yearround activities to keep people busy during the dead of winter. The dead of winter might be a great time to explore all of those museums you may have missed out on during high season (the glass museum in Sandwich, the Pilgrim Monument/museum in P-Town, the JFK Memorial in Hyannis, as examples). Falmouth is only about an hour and a half to two hours away from Boston (which is a big deal if unlike me you're not from Massachusetts and have been there a billion times already!) And Fall River has an interesting retired battleship museum-the U.S.S. Massachusetts. IF any of the ferry services are operating, it also might be a good time to quietly explore "the Vineyard"(as in Martha's), or "ACK" (Nantucket) as Falmouth is where you'd catch ther ferry.