Provincetown

Understand

As the first stopping point of the English settlers on the Mayflower, Provincetown grew into a colonial port, but remained small compared to other Yankee trading towns until the 19th century.

The town became prosperous in the 1800s as a fishing and whaling center. The population was bolstered by a number of Portuguese sailors, many of whom were from the Azores, and came to live in Provincetown after being hired to work on US ships. Today, the town is a hub for whale watching vessels, which provide excellent opportunities to see whales.

After the 1898 Portland Gale severely damaged the town's fishing industry, members of the town's burgeoning art and theater community took over many of the abandoned buildings. By the early decades of the 20th century, the town had acquired an international reputation for its artistic and literary output.

Some of the most famous literary lights and artists who lived in Provincetown included playwrights Tennessee Williams, Eugene O'Neill, and Susan Glaspell; Artists Marsden Hartley, Robert Motherwell, Willem de Kooning, and Jackson Pollock; Norman Mailer, author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and co-founder of the Village Voice, beat poet Harry Kemp and Slaughterhouse-Five writer Kurt Vonnegut. Today, the town is well-known for off-beat, queer and left of center writers and media personalities, including filmmaker John Waters; Michael Cunningham, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Hours; Andrew Sullivan, author, columnist for the Daily Beast; blogger Andy Towle, poet and founder of Towleroad.com; Kate Clinton, comedian and writer; and Anthony Bourdain, chef, author, television host.

Because of its status as the first artist's colony in the U.S., the town has a strong ethic of tolerance which supported the development of a large gay community from the 1960s on. Today it is quite common to see same-sex couples showing affection and one can expect to encounter men in drag, particularly on Commercial Street, which is the main string of restaurants, shops and galleries. In general, however, the town's attitude of tolerance extends to heterosexuals, who are increasingly present and are welcome in most establishments.

Climate

The water surrounding Provincetown has the effect of moderating temperatures in all seasons, such that the entire town is included in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a, which indicates an average annual extreme minimum temperature (1976–2005) of between 0 and 5 °F (-17.8 and -15 °C). The water also has the effect of delaying the onset of the seasons, by keeping spring temperatures cooler and fall temperatures warmer than the rest of the state.

The average annual snowfall is 19.5 in per year. The record high temperature was 98°F in 1964. The lowest recorded temperature was -4°F in 1976.

Read

Land's End: A Walk in Provincetown (ISBN 0609609076) by Michael Cunningham. This award-winning author and resident of Ptown writes an engaging travelogue about the city at the tip of the Cape.

The Maytrees: A Novel (ISBN 0061239534) by Anne Dillard. Set in Provincetown, this novel examines family life and the mysteries of marriage, the effect of forgiveness and human development.

Ptown: Art, Sex, and Money on the Outer Cape (ISBN 0743243110) by Peter Manso. This (now) dated, gossipy take on the people of Provincetown and the lifestyles of the somewhat rich and barely famous would make a good beach read. Published in 2003.

Tourist information

• Provincetown Tourism Office website

Get in

By car

The fastest route from the Cape Cod Canal bridges is Route 6, the Mid Cape Highway. Travel time from Boston's Logan Airport (BOS) or Providence's T.F. Green Airport (PVD) is about 2½ hours without traffic slowdowns. From the Cape Cod Canal, Provincetown is about 60 mi (97 km) and 1½ hours. Eastham, with its 40-mph speed limit and two-lane highway, is a notorious speed-trap.

By bus

By plane

By boat

Ferry service to Provincetown operates seasonally, late spring to mid-fall. All services dock at MacMillan Pier, just to the south of Lopes Square (off Commercial St at the foot of Standish St). All ferry companies allow bicycles on board for a fee.

From Boston:

From Plymouth:

Get around

By bicycle

• Ptown Bikes, 42 Bradford Street, 9AM to 6 PM (summer only). Bicycle rentals, sales, accessories, and repairs.
• Arnold's Bikes, Commercial Street, 10AM to 5PM (summer only). Bicycle rentals and repairs.
• Gale Force Bikes & Beach Market, 10AM to 5PM (summer only). Bicycle rentals, sales, accessories, and repairs. Beach Market sandwich shop.
• The Bike Shack, 63 Shank Painter Road, 10AM to 5PM (summer only). Bicycle rentals, sales, accessories, and repairs.
• Provincetown Bike Rentals, 136 Bradford Street, 10AM to 5PM (summer only). Bicycle rentals.

By rented car

By taxi

By bus

Go next

• Take the ferry to Boston or Plymouth or just explore any of the Cape Cod towns.
• Cape Cod National Seashore