Falmouth Heights rental home, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts

The Tuck 'em Inn in Falmouth, Massachusetts sleeps 17.
The Tuck ’em Inn in Falmouth, Massachusetts sleeps 17.

Epic Vacation, Part III, The Finale

After enjoying weeks exploring the east coast, from Manhattan to Maine, this summer with my kids, we concluded our trip with a family reunion on Cape Cod. It’s become a tradition now that most of my brothers and cousins have children. A way to help capture the nostalgia of our youth and share it with our kids.

Huge, Charming Beach House

It fell to me to do the organizing (last minute, from the opposite coast). It’s challenging to find a cottage at the peak of the season that sleeps fifteen! But I’ve done it before… After salivating over a gorgeous mansion with a pool, zen garden, tennis court, and access to Old Silver Beach that got snapped up by another family, I came across this charming seven bedroom Dutch Colonial with a cafe-style front yard. We spent hours in that “cafe.” The house also had two other big selling points—close access to the beach (100 yards to Bristol Beach) and history (built in 1888). I located it on the Internet at HomeAway.com, but rented directly through Jacqui Jorga, the owner who met us at the house herself. We paid $4,500 for the week. The only drawback was that we couldn’t use the roof deck and there was no washer and dryer. Ah, well.

Bristol Beach, Cape Cod
Bristol Beach on Cape Cod.

Transportation Challenge

That Saturday morning my husband Dan, the kids, and I took the bus from Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod to the Hyannis Airport to pick up our rental car. Note to travelers: renting cars on the Cape is difficult. There are just a few rental locations and only one company (Avis) that allows you to pick a car up on the Cape and drop it off elsewhere—in my case I needed to drop it at Logan Airport 10 days later.

My older brother arrived first and we met him at one of our favorite local spots, the British Beer Company, a great pub right across the street from Falmouth Heights Beach.

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The Shining Sea Bikeway

The week went by way too fast. We spent the days biking—the Shining Sea Bikeway is amazing as it winds along the Vineyard Sound shoreline hugging the coast from Falmouth to Woods Hole and then to North Falmouth—swimming in the Ocean at the nearby beaches, and cooking delicious meals, eaten al fresco.

The most memorable night was when a slew of my cousins arrived and both side-by-side parlors overflowed with those watching the Red Sox game one side, while the rest of us participated in a jam session on guitars, piano, and discordant voices singing along to Neil Young in the other.

Insider Tip

One of Cape Cods best beaches is a 20-minute drive away. While Falmouth Heights and Bristol Beaches are both lovely and only steps away from the Tuck ‘em Inn, Old Silver Beach is stunning, with soft smooth white sands, no rocks, and facing west to you can catch beautiful  sunsets.

Bourne Bridge, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
A view from the Bourne Bridge on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Tuck ‘em Inn
19 Elysian Ave., Falmouth, MA 02540
978 3421701
Owner: Jacqui Jorga
Jacquijurga@hotmail.com

Post and photos contributed by Lisa Dion of Friscomama.com.