AROUND CAPE COD
Centerville
One of seven villages in the town of Barnstable, Centerville is located on the south side of the town with a long sandy coastline on Nantucket Sound. The area was originally called Chequaquet, which means “pleasant harbor,” by the Wampanoag before it was purchased by Myles Standish in 1648. By the early 1800s, the village had grown significantly and was renamed Centreville (the modern spelling of Centerville was instituted soon after). The Centerville Historic District encompasses forty historically significant buildings, including eighteenth and nineteenth-century churches and homes in the Greek Revival and Italianate architectural styles. The Centerville Historical Museum houses historical and contemporary arts, crafts, and artifacts in an 1850s house on Main Street. The Centerville Public Library, which today has a state-of-the-art facility, was originally started in 1869 as a few shelves in a general store.
The much-loved 1856 Country Store still operates as a general store today, and the famous Four Seas Ice Cream shop (a favorite of John and Jackie Kennedy) is part of a long-standing tradition of friendliness in Centerville. Long Beach, Covell’s Beach, and the very popular Craigville Beach make up the town’s beaches, which are all clustered along the sound. Further inland, Wequaquet Lake is a wonderful large pond that is great for boating and swimming, while Bumps River, which creates the western border of the village with Osterville, is a good kayaking spot. Centerville has a wide range of homes from simple cottages near Wequaquet Lake, single-family dwellings in the middle of town, and more luxurious beachside houses. Its name proves its convenient locale as Centerville has easy access to downtown Hyannis, off-Cape destinations, and Route 6 for Outer Cape excursions.
Cotuit
sweet finish of their oysters is a combination of saltwater from Nantucket Sound and the freshwaters of nearby streams, marshes, and estuaries. Cotuit Center for the Arts is a nonprofit organization founded in 1993. The well-known center makes art accessible by encouraging artistic development through programs and producing art exhibits, concerts, and theatrical productions throughout the year. Also in the village is the Cahoon Museum of American Art. Housed in an eighteenth-century Colonial Georgian home, the museum provides an intimate setting to view nineteenth and early twentieth-century American art.
Cotuit is surrounded by water on three sides and is the smallest of Barnstable’s seven villages. But don’t let its size fool you, Cotuit has character that packs a punch. Stroll Main Street and see impressively maintained Federal, Greek Revival, and Queen Anne houses—most seem to come with green lawns studded with Adirondack chairs. Waterfront living has its perks. There are a few beaches in the village, including Ropes Beach, Riley Beach, and the Loop Beach. From the shore, be on the lookout for Cotuit skiffs, which are a unique design of racing sailboat that has sailed Cotuit Bay for over a century. The Cotuit Oyster Company, the oldest oyster brand name in the country, harvests oysters from Cotuit Bay. The moderate salinity and
Made famous by a mention from Oprah Winfrey, Centerville Pie Company was founded in 2009 by two long-time friends known as “The Pie Ladies.” The shop features a variety of delicious savory and sweet pies. It has a successful partnership with a local disabilities-services nonprofit and employs men and women with special needs.
In the late 1800s, many professors, artists, and doctors associated with Harvard University flocked to Cotuit to build houses or spend summer days. The influx of academics earned the village the nickname “Little Harvard.”
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