Fun Family Activities

Discover Chatham’s Best Attractions for Every Generation

Atwood Museum

The Atwood Museum is a charming museum that is keeping old sea stories and other Chatham history alive with great photos, sandwich glass, shells, a fishing display, a beach camp, and antique tools. It is an excellent place to learn about life in Cape Cod and learn how a 1700s home was operated. It is owned by the Chatham Historical Society which bought it from Captain Joseph Atwood in 1926. It has a friendly and knowledgeable staff, and varied exhibits, with something to interest everyone.

Chatham A’S Baseball

Cape Cod’s summer baseball league has been the one of the top amateur Baseball Leagues in the USA since its founding in 1885. The Chatham Anglers, locally known as the Chatham A’s, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham. From June through early August, see future Major League hall of famers play at Veteran’s Field on Main Street (Route 28) behind Chatham community center. Games usually begin at 7pm.

Chatham Band Concert

Every Friday evening during the summer months at 8:00pm all roads on the Cape lead to the band concert in Kate Gould Park on Main Street in Chatham. As many as six thousand people attend these concerts. The Chatham Band concert is old fashioned but fun – lots of family friendly music and group dances. Prepare to see happy families and smiling children. Bring a picnic blanket and some chairs and enjoy a simpler time.

Chatham’s Godfrey Windmill

The Old Godfrey Windmill was built in 1797 by Colonel Benjamin Godfrey, to grind corn. This wind-powered grist mill was originally built along Stage Harbor Road in and was in active commercial operation until 1898. Over the course of the 20th century, it was twice damaged by storms and was closed until 1956 when it was given to the town. The mill was then moved to its current location at Chase Park. It is open for tours Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in July and August and no admission is charged.

Chatham Lighthouse

Chatham Lighthouse was known as Twin Lights for many years because it was originally built with two full light towers, 70 feet apart, to make it distinguishable (when viewed from the ocean) from the lighthouse at North Truro. Due to coastal erosion, it was later rebuilt and moved to its current location. It is considered an iconic landmark and is 48 feet tall and 80 feet above sea level. It is one of only a handful of lighthouses in country that operates 24 hours a day. It has 44 steps and is visible for 27.6 miles. Tours are available during the summer on Wednesdays 1:00pm – 3:30pm, and are free, with no reservations needed.

Chatham Railroad Museum

This is a fantastic little museum with interesting trinkets and a well-informed curator that is open from mid-June. It is worth visiting this beautiful 1887 depot even if you are not a railroad enthusiast. It reveals the sights that would have greeted a typical Victorian visitor. Inside you will find volunteers dispensing lore and explaining the many displays. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free.

Marconi-RCA Wireless Museum

The museum traces the story of wireless telegraphy communications in Chatham from 1914 throughout the 20th Century, on the site of “The World’s Greatest Coastal Station”, Chatham Radio / WCC. Located in the historic 1914 Operating Building, it was once the busiest ship-to-shore radio receiving station on the US East Coast and a top-secret US Navy installation during World War II. The museum offers informative and interactive exhibits.

Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge

Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge is more than 7,600 acres of protected dunes and marshes that stretch from Chatham into the Nantucket Sound. There are several ways to get to Monomoy Island, including regular ferry services and private boat tours.

The island is home to long sandy stretches of beach, ideal for sunbathing and relaxing strolls. If you want to see one of the largest populations of shore birds along the East Coast, this is the place to be.  You can see cormorants, egrets, herons, terns, sandpipers, and the federally protected piping plover. There are also various walking trails to follow around the island, with many different animals to be spotted, including seals, and crabs. Be aware that the beach is only accessible at low tide.

You can choose between taking a guided tour (during the summer season) or walking along the beach yourself with self-guided maps. Recent visitors have noted that one of the staircases to the beach is under a dune due to erosion and the other set of stairs has been taken apart so that you cannot get to the beach without passing through the woods. Please be aware that ticks are present in the trees and long grass and take appropriate precautions.