Art’s Dune Tours | Provincetown, Massachusetts
Since 1946, this family-owned tour company has been introducing visitors to Cape Cod’s beautiful dunes, pristine beaches, and historic artist shacks.
By Ian Aldrich|Aug 09 2018|
One of several artist shacks that still remain in Province Lands and are available for rent during the summer and fall.
Credit: Ian Aldrich
One of several artist shacks that still remain in Province Lands and are available for rent during the summer and fall.
Credit: Ian AldrichCredit: Ian Aldrich You see, just beyond the lively hum of Provincetown’s downtown center is the Province Lands area of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Here, visitors can find what the playwright Eugene O’Neill described in 1919: “a grand place to be alone and undisturbed.” On the cape. Even in summer. Yes, it’s true. A scrubby, dune-filled sprawl of sand and water, the Province Lands area has long held a special place in the hearts of locals and visitors alike — so much so that it fell under government protection back in 1714, when forward-looking colonial leaders, fearing the deforestation that had already decimated the Outer Cape’s woodlands, restricted tree cutting to keep the sands of its northern tip from blowing into the harbor. O’Neill wasn’t the only artist who found solace out here. Others followed — including Jack Kerouac, Jackson Pollock, and Willem de Kooning, to name a few — and they would squat on the dunes or sleep in simple shacks they erected. A number of those shacks still remain, and artists from around the world flock to the Outer Beach every summer to rent them. But perhaps nobody knows this slice of land and water as well as the Costa family. In 1946, Art Costa, a Provincetown native and son of Portuguese immigrants, had recently returned from World War II and needed a job. In the sandy landscape just outside his hometown, he saw an opportunity. Costa fired up his 1936 Ford Woody and began giving tours of the dunes and beaches of the Outer Beach, and Art’s Dune Tours was officially born.
Art Costa leading a tour of his earliest clients in his 1936 Ford Woody.
Credit: Courtesy of Art’s Dune ToursCredit: Courtesy of Art’s Dune Tours Costa was a prescient businessman. Nearly two decades before the federal government set aside some 43,000 acres of prime seaside real estate to establish the Cape Cod National Seashore, he saw the area’s tourist appeal. So did others — some 15 local tour companies were in operation when Costa led his first group — but over time Art’s Dune Tours became the best-known (and eventually the only) outfit to guide visitors through the dunes.
Art Costa standing beside his original tour vehicle.
Credit: Courtesy of Art’s Dune ToursCredit: Courtesy of Art’s Dune Tours Today Art Costa’s son, Rob, runs the business, and over the years he’s helped the company expand its services. There are sunset and lighthouse tours, a sunrise trip geared for photographers, and another outing by sailboat. These trips are fun but also information-packed, as the guides are well versed on the history and ecology of the area. What visitors come away with is more than just pretty dune photos. Like both Cape Cod and Provincetown, Art’s Dune Tours is a frequent Yankee Editors’ Choice pick for one of the best summer attractions in New England. Last fall, we traveled to the cape to visit Rob and take one of his tours for a segment of the second season of Weekends with Yankee, our television show in collaboration with WGBH. Below is a selection of images from our trip.
Along the Cape’s Outer Beach, both sky and land feel big.
Credit: Ian Aldrich
We did this maybe about 20 years ago and it was so great to see the beautiful and learn about. I suggest it would be fun for everyone.