Want to do something different Memorial Day weekend on Cape Cod? Here are some ideas.
Looking for something unique to do on Memorial Day weekend on Cape Cod?
The beach is amazing - check out our beach guide if that's where you want to be - but maybe the weather isn't cooperating for your weekend stay or maybe the sun and sand has been great, but you need a change of pace.
The Cape has options around Memorial Day, if you want to try something different, from poetry slams to estate sales to an oyster celebration and more.
We've got you covered with a list of events, addresses, times and details below.
P.S. Be sure to check our listing of Memorial Day observances on Cape Cod, if you plan to put aside time to honor those who died serving our country.
Slamming stories at the Cultural Center
Arriving on Thursday, May 23? You might want to check out the Mosquito Story Slam at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod. The theme for this event is Mother Nature. Storytellers will tell a five-to six-minute story about Mother Nature. Notes are not allowed. Audience members can participate or they can sit back and listen as others share their experiences – good or bad - with nature.
This is the 10th year of the Mosquito Story Slam. Storytelling events have been held in Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet and Yarmouth. Shows are recorded. The Cultural Center of Cape Cod is at 307 Old Main St., South Yarmouth. Mosquito Story Slam starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and are available at https://mosquitostory.org/events-1/may232024.
Make nature prints with artist Leslie Kramer
On Saturday, May 25 from 12 to 1:30 p.m., kids can make their own nature prints at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. Artist and teacher Leslie Kramer will help make prints using leaves, flowers, ferns, stencils and water-based paints. Budding artists will create their own designs on gelli plates. The event is appropriate for ages 6 and up. All materials will be provided.
The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History on Route 6A in Brewster has two floors of exhibits. The museum sits on 80 acres and is adjacent to another 300 acres with trails that go through forest, marshland and out to Cape Cod Bay, depending on the tide.
Admission: Children under 2 years old - free; Ages 3 to 12 - $10; Ages 13 to 64 - $15; Seniors 65+ - $12; Active Military and immediate family, Veterans with ID and MA teachers with MTA card are free.
Love oysters, shopping and live music?
Wellfleet will hold its first annual "Shuck and Shop" on Sunday, May 26, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event will showcase the town’s world-famous oysters as well as the quaint shops near the town center.
Shellfishing is Wellfleet’s largest industry, and there’s good reason. Rowan Jacobsen and Carter Stowell of Oyster Guide call Wellfleet oysters the most famous of all New England oysters. They credit Wellfleet’s huge, protective harbor for the bivalve’s “profoundly briny flavor."
Wellfleet Preservation Hall and the Wellfleet Oyster Alliance are sponsoring the rain or shine event. People are invited to walk and shop at stores on Wellfleet's Main Street, and purchase raffle tickets for door prizes. Josh Ayala will host live music at the Preservation Hall. A raw bar, clam chowder, hot dogs and a cash bar with beer and wine will be available.
Tickets are $60 for adults and $15 for children. All sales are final. More info at https://wellfleetspat.ticketspice.com/main-street-shop-shuck-24
Stony Brook Herring Run, Grist Mill and Museum
The annual run of the herring, small fish about a foot long, brings tourists and residents alike to the picturesque stone passageway in Brewster. There you can see the herring make their way from Cape Cod Bay to their spawning grounds at Lower Mill Pond.
The run is near its end, but whether the fish are active or not, the place is a beautiful area to walk. Paths follow the brook up and back to the pond. The historic Stony Brook Grist Mill and Museum has a water wheel that still operates. When the museum is open, visitors can see corn being ground, looms and tools early Cape residents relied on.
Stony Brook Herring Run, Grist Mill and Museum is at 830 Stony Brook Road, Brewster. A small parking space is adjacent to the herring run on the south side of Stony Brook Road. Dogs are not allowed. Admission is free.
Are bargains on your list?
Two estate sales will be held in Orleans on Saturday, May 25 according to the estate sales website, https://www.estatesales.net/.
“Treasures in Orleans” advertises fine furnishings for the sale on Saturday, May 25 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Stem to Stern Estate Sales sponsors the sale which includes Wedgewood china, Majolica pottery, Limoge porcelain, oriental rugs and wood carvings. More pedestrian items include exercise bikes, a four-post king-sized bed, beach chairs, glassware and Christmas figurines. Pictures of rugs, furniture, clocks and beer steins are shown on the website. The address will be posted on May 24 after 9 a.m.
A second estate sale featuring art and antiques will be held on Saturday, May 25 starting at 5 a.m. According to the website, more than 100 items will be available, priced to sell. Clocks, knots, paintings and old tools can be seen on the website. The address will be posted on May 24 after 9 a.m.
Denise Coffey writes about business, tourism and issues impacting the Cape’s residents and visitors. Contact her at dcoffey@capecodonline.com.
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Memorial Day weekend on Cape Cod: Shucking oysters to estate sales