Brewster (Massachusetts) - town in Massachusetts

Brewster is in Massachusetts on Cape Cod. Brewster, known as a favorite home of sea captains, is a charming bayside town. It quieter than many Cape towns and is home to Nickerson State park, a preserve of 400 acres of trails.

Get in

By car

• From Boston take I-93 south to Route 3 south to the Sagamore Bridge (Becomes Rt. 6). Brewster's exit is at Route 134 off of Route 6, approximately 40 minutes from the Sagamore Bridge and 1.75 hours from Boston.
• From Providence or points south take I-95 north to I-195 to Route 25 south to the Bourne Bridge (I-495 also becomes Route 25). At the rotary (traffic circle) on the Cape side, go almost all the way around and travel along the Canal to Route 6 east. Exit at Route 134, approximately 40 minutes from the Sagamore Bridge.

By bus

• Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway, 17 Elm Av., Hyannis, +1 508-771-6191. No service to Brewster, but to Orleans and other nearby towns.

Get around

Car or bicycle are preferred.

• Bike the Cape Cod Rail Trail Nickerson State Park. Free parking. This 22 mi (35 km) bike trail follows an old railroad bed through several towns. Check their website or call them to check for closures. Rent your bike at Rail Trail Bike & Kayak, Snow Rd., +1 508-896-9200. Park there for the trail, get your bike fixed... they do it all.
• Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, +1-800-352-7155, (dead link: January 2023). Bus service throughout Cape Cod. No Sunday service.

See

Galleries

• Maddocks Gallery, 1283 Route 6A, +1 508-896-6223. Daily in season. Cape Cod oils by Jim Maddocks. 2018-06-01
• Ruddeforth Gallery, 3753 Mass. Rt. 6A, +1 508-255-1056. Year round. Daily 10AM-5PM. Debra Ruddeforth's oils, and watercolors. Also photographs by Tom Ruddeforth. 2018-06-01
• Struna Galleries, 3873 Route 6A, +1 508 255-6618. Timothy Struna's pen-and-inks, watercolors and acrylics featuring Cape landscapes and houses. 2018-06-01
• Underground Gallery, 673 Satucket Rd, +1 508 896-6850. Year round. Daily in season. Watercolors by Karen North Wells. Amazing gallery supported by tree trunks and under tons of earth. 2018-06-01
• Winstanley-Roark Fine Arts, 2759 Route 6A, +1 508 896-1948. Daily in summer. Spring and fall M-Sa. Oils and pastels by Robert K. Roark and fine art photography by Anita Winstanley Roark. Framing services. 2018-06-01

Museums

• The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Main St, 41.754°, -70.116°, +1 508 896-3867. June 1-Sept 30 Daily, 9:30-4; October–March W-Su, 11AM-3PM; April–May W-Su 10AM-4PM. Exhibits and explore the flora and fauna of Cape Cod on their 80 acre (.32 km)site. This two floor museum is full of many exhibits and displays that are interactive and geared toward children. The whole family can enjoy exhibits on whales, indigenous birds, fish, frogs, turtles, snakes, and many more. In addition to the exhibits, the museum offers three nature trails and guided field walks. 2018-06-01
• Stony Brook Grist Mill, 830 Stony Brook Rd, +1 508 896-6745. Built on the foundations of a vintage 1873 woolen mill, contains old milling equipment and a 100-year-old loom. Adjacent herring run teems with fish in April and early May. Free. Bag of corn $2. 2018-06-01
• Cobb House Museum, 739 Lower Road, +1 508 896-9521. 2018-06-01

Parks

• Nickerson State Park, 41.7611°, -70.0333°, +1 508-896-3491. Rte. 6A (Route 6, Exit 12, left off ramp). Mid-Apr.-Mid Oct. Over 420 campsites on 1900 acres, eight miles of roads, an eight mile bike path that connects to the 25 mile Cape Cod Rail Trail. Stocked trout ponds and swimming at Flax Pond. Cape Cod Bay is within walking or bicycling distance. You can swim and canoe at Flax Pond; recreational programs offered by park staff. 2018-06-01
• Sweetwater Forest, 676 Harwich Rd, +1 508 896-3773, sweetH2oRV@aol.com. 250 campsites. 2018-06-01
• Windmill VIllage, 41.752222°, -70.121111°, +1 508 896-9521. Home of the Higgins Farm Windmill & Harris Black House. The park is on a wide-open meadow with the windmill on one end and a gazebo in the field on the other end. In the middle is a playground and swing set. Free, donations welcome 2019-02-23

Do

• Brewster White Caps, 384 Underpass Rd, +1 508-896-7442, contact@brewsterwhitecaps.com. Cape Cod Baseball League collegiate summer action. Games played at Stony Brook School, 5PM or 4:30PM. 2018-06-01

Golf

• The Captain's Golf Course, 1000 Freeman's Way. Two practice greens, a driving range, electric and pull carts, club rentals. 2018-06-01

Theatre

• Cape Rep Theatre, 3299 Route 6A, +1 508-896-1888. 2018-06-01

Tours

• Cape Sail, +1 508 896-2730, bobrice@capesail.com. Saquatucket Harbor. Sail or learn to sail. Lessons given at Upper Mill Pond. 2018-06-01
• Emerald Hollow Farm, 235 Run Hill Rd, +1 508-685-6811. Emerald Hollow Farm offers gentle, guided, "walking", trail rides through the Brewster Punkhorn Parklands on their well-mannered, trained horses. These trail rides are safe and great for children, and are available 7 days a week by appointment only. 2018-06-01

Buy

Brewster has numerous galleries and shops to browse.

• Brewster General Store, 1935 Main St, +1 508 896-3744. A fixture since the mid 1800s, this place has a little something for everyone. Try the ice cream here at the Brewster Scoop, known for their rich flavors, and huge portion sizes. 2018-06-01

Eat

Budget

• Local Flavor (Lunch and Bagel), 302 Underpass Rd, +1 508 896-1234. Local Flavor has a wide variety of breakfast options such as bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and even some of their own breakfast specialties. 2018-06-01

Mid-range

• The Brewster Fish House, 2208 Main St, +1 508 896-7867. Creative seafood dishes. Voted best on the Lower Cape for 6 years. 2018-06-01
• Cafe Alfresco, 1097 Main St, +1 508 896-1741. Garden setting. Casual gourmet food. 2018-06-01
• Laurino's Tavern, 3668 Main St, +1 508 896-6135. Good family spot, cash only. 2018-06-01

Splurge

• Chillingsworth, 2449 Main St, +1 508 896-3640. Housed on a 300 year-old estate. Top notch and expensive. "Best restaurant on Cape Cod", according to the New York TImes. 2018-06-01

Drink

Sleep

Hundreds of campsites available at Nickerson State Park and Sweetwater Forest, see Parks section for more details.

• Brewster By The Sea B & B, 716 Main St, +1 508 896-3910. Outdoor pool and Jacuzzi. Fireplaces and whirlpool tubs in some rooms. 2018-06-01
• Captain Freeman Inn, 15 Breakwater Rd, +1 508 896-7481. 2018-06-01
• Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club, 2907 Main St, +1 508 896-9000. Large oceanfront resort on over 400 acres. Enjoy a game of golf at this challenging course, or visit Linx Tavern onsite to enjoy appetizing local seafood and unique meat dishes. 2018-06-01
• Old Manse Inn, 1861 Main St, +1 508 896-3149, innkeeper@oldmanseinn.com. Perfect for history lovers. 2018-06-01
• Tilden's Landing, 1360 Main St, +1 508 896-8812. 10 rooms in a 200 year old inn. 2018-06-01
• Candleberry Inn, 1882 Main St, +1 508 896-3300. 8 lovely rooms in this 200 year old inn. 2018-06-01
• Sea Meadow Inn (Isaiah Clark House), 1187 Main St, +1 508-896-2223. Mar-Dec. 7 rooms. 2018-06-01
• Old Sea Pines Inn, 2553 Main St, 41.7667°, -70.0619°, +1 508 896-6114. 2018-06-01

Go next

Orleans is just a bicycle ride away. Provincetown and Chatham are favorite shopping trips for those days that are just wrong for the beach.