Falmouth is a coastal town on The Upper Cape that is just about 60 miles south of our home in Scituate. This Cape Cod town boasts over 68 miles of pristine coastline and is known for its white sand beaches, vibrant culinary scene (fresh seafood!), and historic Main Street lined with charming retail destinations.
Although Falmouth is a seasonal destination for the most part, there is plenty to do all year round!
My boyfriend, Andrew, and I got to spend some time in Falmouth in early April. We had an amazing time, and I wanted to share some of the hightlights!
What I packed
It’s not quite floral dress weather yet, but I did pull out the white jeans for the first time!
Because we were there for only one night, I wore the same outfit you see photographed all day on Saturday and threw a sweater over it for dinner. For Sunday’s breakfast & exploring, I packed a comfy athleisure outfit. All of it is linked below!
Where to Stay
The Coonamessett
We stayed the night at The Coonamessett, which is ideally located less than a mile from downtown. The Coonamessett is a beautiful boutique inn with modern, airy, and coastal decor.
Although I love coastal New England’s charm and its history, it is hard to find a modern, renovated, and thoughtfully designed boutique hotel. The Coonamessett is just that, while maintaining the feeling of laid back comfort & community. See my post Where to Stay in Falmouth for more!
Where to eat LUNCH
The Quarterdeck
We arrived in Falmouth just around lunch time, and headed straight downtown to The Quarterdeck on Main Street. The Quarterdeck has been serving Falmouth locals & visitors for over 40 years, and it shows from the the unique interior decor & friendly neighborhood staff.
We sat at the bar (which is 2021 means a socially-distanced table adjacent to the bar) for its casual atmosphere and fun decor. The walls are covered with badges of local first responders and old sports memorabilia. The bartender knew the name and orders of the regulars, and we felt very welcomed as visitors!
We ordered our first lobster roll of the season! While the small lobster roll comes on the traditional hot dog roll, the large option is served on Portuguese bread. We split the lobster salad sandwich as well as a lightly battered fish sandwich – both were delicious! And I loved the fries!
where to Shop
Main Street in downtown Falmouth is a shopper’s paradise! You will find both your typical favorites, like Lilly Pulitzer, as well as various local and independently owned shops. And it wouldn’t be Cape Cod without a classic Black Dog shop! I did some shopping, and a lot of window shopping.
One of my favorite shops on Cape Cod is The Gilded Oyster. The Gilded Oyster is a locally owned boutique jewelry store, featuring the signature “Cape Cod Bracelets” and much more. Don’t leave Falmouth without a keepsake from this shop for yourself or for the lucky someone in your life!
With all that shopping, you may need a snack. Pop into Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium for an sweet treat or Maison Villatte for a French pastry along the way.
If you’re visiting Falmouth, I would set aside an hour or two to explore all of what Main Street as to offer!
Things to SEE
You could spend all day in Falmouth eating & shopping, but don’t forget to take some time to explore more of the beautiful coastal town!
Nobska Lighthouse
After spending some time downtown, our first stop was Nobska Lighthouse. The lighthouse is located right on the coast in a neighborhood of Falmouth call Woods Hole. There is a small parking area for you to park and check out (and take photos with) the lighthouse.
The Knob
Another activity in Woods Hole that we carved out a half hour for was a short seaside walking trail called The Knob.
The trail to the Knob itself was closed due to ongoing erosion repairs, but other parts of the harbor side trail system were open. This trail had beautiful views of Quissett Harbor and a destination of a beautiful beach. There is a small parking lot right outside of the trail entrance.
Beaches
Because we were visiting in early spring, it wasn’t beach weather. During the summer months, many of Falmouth’s beautiful white-sand beaches require beach stickers, but Surf Drive Beach is a great option close to town that welcomes the public. My favorite part about Surf Drive Beach are adorable beach cottages the line part of the shoreline.
Shining Sea Bikeway
If we had one more day, we definitely would have rented bikes and checked out the Shining Sea Bikeway. This is on our list for our next visit!
AFternoon At the WInery
Cape Cod Winery
My personal favorite activity in Falmouth is spending some time at Cape Cod Winery. Cape Cod Winery is less than 10 minutes from Main Street, and is the perfect place to spend the afternoon. The winery has various outdoor seating options featuring fire pits, live music, and plenty of wine.
I like to get the wine flight. For this option, you can choose which wines you would like to try, and they are served to you on a paddle with one glass and five samples. From there, you can order a glass of your favorite one!
Because of current state restrictions, you will need to order food while you are there. Because we already had lunch we ordered the cheese & crackers. For more substantial options, they have been hosting local pizza company, Wolf Pizza. The pizza looks amazing!
where to eat Dinner
Añejo
After enjoying the winery and spending some time relaxing at The Coonamessett, we headed back to Main Street for dinner. There are so many amazing restaurant options in Falmouth, but we chose to try Añejo, a Mexican bistro. Mexican food may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Cape Cod, but this place is awesome!
This place has an extensive and impressive margarita list. I chose the Blood Organe Skinny, and Andrew got the flagship Añejo. We would recommend both! To accompany our margaritas, we got chips, salsa, & and an order of guacamole.
As for entrees, Andrew ordered the Classic Chicken Burrito and I had the Verde Chicken Enchiladas. We planned to share, but both of us loved our respective meals so much that we couldn’t stray. Everything was delicious!
Note: They don’t take reservations, but if you go on their website you can put your name on the waiting list remotely and track your spot in line. This is is an amazing feature that I wish more restaurants would offer!
Other Options
A couple of others restaurant options that we considered trying were Bluefins, a sushi bar, and Estia, a modern Greek restaurant. Both of these restaurants are also on Main Street.
If you were to venture outside of Main Street, or if everything was open for the season, I would also recommend LandFall in Woods Hole, or Pier 37 Boathouse on the harbor. Both of these restaurants offer waterfront dining and usually host live music & a lively bar scene.
where to eat Breakfast
After a great night’s stay at The Coonamessett, we headed straight for breakfast. The breakfast location wasn’t a hard choice, because I have been meaning to try Pick Jar Kitchen for some time now. This spot often has a long wait, but because it was off-season and we arrived right when they opened, we got one of the best seats in the house – the round booth in the window!
It’s tough to recommend a specific meal because both of our meals were from the rotating breakfast specials list, but everything was amazing. We both declared that this was the best breakfast we have had in a long time!
If you can’t make it for breakfast, The Pickle Jar also serves lunch!
Overall, we had a fantastic stay in Falmouth, and we cannot wait to be back in the summer! I highly recommend a visit to Falmouth, even if it’s just for an afternoon!
Thank you to Lark Hotels & The Coonamessett for hosting us for this trip!
Happy traveling!
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