AROUND CAPE COD
The award-winning Cultural Center of Cape Cod on Old Main Street opened in 2007 in a renovated old bank building to serve the entire Cape community and visitors to the area with instruction and exhibition in the visual, literary, and performing arts. Also in town is the Yarmouth Art Guild, which provides education, enrichment experiences, and showcase opportunities for its more than 125 community artist members. ARTS The Edward Gorey House Museum on Yarmouth Port’s common celebrates the life and work of the American author and illustrator, while the nearby Thacher Hall, a historic former church revitalized by the Yarmouth New Church Preservation Foundation, serves as a vibrant center for public benefit and use. The Whydah Pirate Museum on Route 28 is home to thousands of relics from the Whydah , a ship seized by pirates and shipwrecked off Cape Cod in 1717. Since 1978, the Yarmouth Seaside Festival has been creating community spirit each October with live music, a craft fair, kayak and canoe races, children’s events, and a spectacular firework display on Seagull Beach. CULTURE Yarmouth is part of the Dennis-Yarmouth school district and has two elementary schools: Station Avenue and Marguerite E. Small. Older students attend schools in both towns, including Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, home to the Werner Schmidt Observatory. Yarmouth teens can also choose Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich. St. Pius X School, Cape Cod’s only pre-K through grade eight Catholic school, is located in Yarmouth. EDUCATION Long before 1639, when a land grant to English settlers John Crow, Thomas Howes, and Anthony Thacher transformed “the lands of Mattacheeset” into Yarmouth, generations of Native people lived here. The whole area was known as “Mattacheese,” which meant “old lands by the borders of water.” It was home to different tribes of the collective Wampanoag nation, including the Pawkunnawkuts, who occupied both sides of the southern section of Bass River; the Hokanums, who resided in the northeast section of town; and the Cummaquids, who lived in the western part. Today, a traditional Wampanoag structure, known as a Turtle Wetu, has been designed and constructed by a member of the Wampanoag nation on the grounds of the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth. HISTORY
South Yarmouth is bound by Bass River to the east and the waters of Nantucket Sound to the south. Bass River, which flows into Follins Pond, is a popular spot for fishing, swimming, kayaking, and paddleboarding. Along the south coast is where residents find popular town beaches. Bass River (Smuggler’s) Beach is located where the river widens and empties into the sound. Follow the coast west and you’ll hit Thatcher Beach, Seaview Beach, and Parker’s River Beach. South Yarmouth
On Thursdays and Saturdays from June through September, the Bass River Farmers’ Market takes place across the street from the South Yarmouth Public Library. There you’ll find an assortment of produce, baked goods, and crafts sold by local vendors. The Cultural Center of Cape Cod is also located in South Yarmouth. The active nonprofit offers a wide range of events, exhibits, and educational programs with a mission to make the arts accessible to the Cape Cod community.
The Judah Baker Windmill is in South Yarmouth. The structure was built in 1791 in North Dennis before it was moved to where it is today overlooking the Bass River.
There are three golf courses in Yarmouth and two are in South Yarmouth: Bass River Golf Course and Blue Rock Golf Course. There are also many popular mini golf courses.
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