Visit Provincetown for a Colorful Spring Experience

Sponsored by the Provincetown Tourism Office

Why You Should Plan a Spring Getaway to Provincetown

Spring is a glorious time to visit Provincetown and brings with it a rare feeling of exuberance that can only come from having endured winter in New England’s outermost town. Crocuses, tulips, and daffodils stand in bright relief to winter’s fading grays and browns. The crowds are still sparse, and the lingering daylight invites an evening stroll past spring gardens. Explore the newest creations of Provincetown’s famed artists in shops and galleries, and sample the freshest seafood and local fare without waiting in line for a table. It may not be spring break in the traditional sense, but then, little about Provincetown is traditional.

A Whale of an April

Whale-watching season officially begins in mid-April, and spring on the outer Cape is the time to catch a glimpse of extremely rare and endangered North Atlantic right whales (which number just 400 worldwide). Right whales and their calves visit Cape Cod Bay to feed on their way north and can be spotted off Race Point through mid-May. Other species visible from shore include humpback, finback, and minke whales. Be among the first to board one of the many local whale-watching vessels, which are set up exclusively for whale-watching with onboard interpreters and interactive activities. In 2019, as part of the Massachusetts Whale Trail, the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown will be hosting an ongoing exhibit featuring a skeleton of Spinnaker, a humpback whale.

Pack binoculars for the possibility of seeing whales from the top of the 252-foot-tall Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum, which opens for the season on April 1. Panoramic 360-degree views are well worth the walk up 116 steps to the top of this ornate Italianate tower (modeled after one in Siena, Italy). As Provincetown’s most emblematic landmark, the tower remains the tallest all-granite structure in the U.S.

The stories that inspired literature’s greatest whale tale come to life during the Provincetown Public Library’s annual Moby-Dick Marathon (April 26–28). The read-a-thon of Herman Melville’s masterpiece is similar to others in New Bedford, Mass.; Mystic, Conn.; and New York City. This one celebrates Provincetown’s colorful history as one of America’s largest mid-19th-century whaling ports, second only to New Bedford. This year, in commemoration of Melville’s 200th birthday, actor and Melville performer Stephen Collins will open the three-day marathon on Friday with “Call Me Ishmael,” and close that night with a performance of “Sailing Towards My Father,” a one-man play about Melville. Anyone can sign up to be a reader by contacting the library.

Celebrate Art and Pride in May

The oldest continuous art colony in the country is said to have started here more than 100 years ago, when the painter Charles Webster Hawthorne built a barn on a sand dune in Provincetown. The Hawthorne Barn’s preservation and the ongoing significance of its legacy in the art world is due to the nonprofit Twenty Summers, named for a line in poet laureate Stanley Kunitz’s ode to Provincetown, “Route Six.” From May 10–June 15, join Twenty Summers for its sixth annual festival of concerts, artists’ residencies, and special events, including a conversation with esteemed newswoman and photojournalist Susan Meiselas and writer Elizabeth Rubin on opening night.

Art, science, and climate change come together for the second annual Broto Conference (May 17–18). This art-cli-sci conference is the real-world meetup of an online community of artists and scientists tackling aspects of climate change. Guests represent a diverse group of thinkers and doers who are spearheading projects and organizations that are seeking solutions to climate change or interpreting it through artistic media.

Provincetown embraces art in every form, including the celebrated singers of the Outer Cape Chorale, who perform “Opera Meets Broadway” May 17–19. Notable for its welcoming, no-audition-necessary approach and its free admission, the chorale features an impressive 120 to 150 singers per concert.

Mid-May is when Provincetown’s 60-plus art galleries begin opening their doors and hosting receptions for their newest shows as part of the summer tradition of Friday night gallery strolls. Visit Ptownevents.com for a list of Friday night openings to plan your stroll along Commercial Street, the heart of Provincetown’s dining and retail district.

Search for deals and steals on art and antiques, furniture, and much more when homes and businesses embark on spring cleaning during the wacky townwide Monumental Yard Sale Weekend (May 18–19). A paradise for treasure hunters, this unique event is one reason why Travel & Leisure magazine named Provincetown one of “America’s Quirkiest Towns.”

As it is everywhere else on Cape Cod, Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of the summer season in Provincetown. For LGBTO visitors, it’s the official Provincetown Women’s Weekend, with nightly dance parties, the Freedom Women’s Boat Cruise, a pool party, and the season’s first Tea Dance, a see-and-be-seen event that resumes daily in mid-June at the Boatslip Beach Club.

Provincetown Pride Weekend (May 31–June 2) is an especially bright spot on the calendar, and not just for the rainbow flags fluttering over Commercial Street. Now in its second year, Provincetown Pride begins Friday with the Pride Ferry and ends Sunday with a flotilla parade in the harbor.

The same weekend, take in CabaretFest (May 29–June 2), the East Coast’s biggest cabaret festival. Newcomers and veterans from around the country present soulful, sophisticated shows inspired by the glamorous nightlife of the 1950s and ’60s, and renowned cabaret artist Marilyn Maye makes a rare appearance outside New York City.

Catch a Downtown Vibe

A visitor’s acquaintance with Provincetown often starts on Commercial Street, the lively thoroughfare of restaurants, shops, and galleries where window-shopping and people-watching are pursued in equal measure and chain-store commercialism is abhorred. Amid T-shirt shops, postcard stands, and novelty shops, Provincetown’s world-famous galleries showcase fine art, handmade jewelry, and artisan pottery and clothing. Spring is the best time to scope out new arrivals.

Commercial Street also reflects Provincetown’s diversity of lodging, from full-service hotels with pools and spa services to cozy inns and guesthouses with wide porches and garden gates — all priced well below regular rates in April and May. Privately owned getaway options range from downtown cottages and treehouse suites to airy beachfront retreats.

The Great Outdoors

Fast ferry service with three daily departures from Boston to Provincetown begins May 16, just when traffic begins to make the two-hour drive less enjoyable. The 90-minute scenic trip ends downtown at bustling MacMillan Pier and is a great way to get your sea legs ready for the season’s water-based adventures, like kayaking. Rent single or double kayaks for guided tours of Provincetown Harbor starting Memorial Day weekend.

The ocean warms more slowly than the land in spring, and because Provincetown is surrounded by water, a chilly breeze requires extra layers even if you’re not on the water. But the sun is warm and so is the sand on the tall, rolling dunes interspersed with historic weathered shacks and panoramic ocean views. The unique but fragile ecosystem is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Tour the dunes with a guide from Art’s Dune Tours, a second-generation family business full of knowledge about dune restoration and preservation efforts, life-saving stations, famous shipwrecks, and the dune shacks that are registered historical landmarks. Personalize your experience with tour themes such as “sunset,” “art & lighthouse,” and “dune & water” (kayaking, sailing, or fishing).

Spring is prime bird-watching season on Cape Cod, so any hike will reward you with the sights and sounds of nesting activity, including that of the threatened piping plover, which lays its eggs in the sand. If you have your four-legged friend with you (on a leash), hike the old Provincetown fire road to Race Point Lighthouse from Province Lands Road. Check with the Cape Cod National Seashore for beach and trail closures before setting out, or visit the Province Lands Visitors Center, which opens for the season in mid-April. Located atop a dune off Race Point Road, the center has 360-degree views from indoor and outdoor observation decks and offers hiking and biking advice, interpretive items, and an overview of outdoor activities. The hilly 5.25-mile loop of the Province Lands Bicycle Trail starts from the center and extends to Herring Cove Beach, Race Point Beach, and Bennett Pond, a spring oasis of quiet trails and woods, waterfowl, lily pads, and elusive lady slippers.