Herring Cove

The most popular beach in Provincetown, this bayside beach has placid waters ideal for children and a relaxing swimming experience--no undertow and water that is always warmer than at Race Point. Traditionally the right hand side of the beach is considered more family oriented, while the left is more gay-friendly. If you want to avoid the crowds walk north towards Hatches Harbor. You may even see whales breaching or seals basking in the sun. Stay until sunset- this is the place to be for a spectacular view. The sunsets at Herring Cove are unparalleled on the entire Cape, since the sun actually seems to set into the ocean, unusual for the east coast.

The beach, which is managed by the Cape Cod National Seashore, has restroom facilities, a concession stand, showers, and lifeguards. Parking is available for $10 per day. There are two parking areas to the beach. The parking lot to the right, which directly abuts the beach, is ideal if you tend to be weighed down with toys, beach umbrellas and a car full of eager children. This lot, however, is the smaller of the two and fills up quickly. In comparison the lot to the left is three times the size and the beach at this end is wider, which means a short walk through the dunes to get to the shore.

The Travel Channel has named Herring Cove Beach as one of America's Best All-Time Beaches by Region. They gave it particularly high marks for swimming, sand quality, atmosphere, and Provincetown's legendary non-beach activities.

How to get there: Take Route 6 past Provincetown center to the end