Hyannis, MA Outdoor Activities
Recommended Outdoor Activities by Groupon Customers
After choosing your starting point for traversing the waters—be it Aquinnah, where Lobsterville Beach awaits, or Edgartown, where Spielberg filmed much of Jaws and Animaniacs —you're armed with a paddle and a veteran guide. A crash course in introductory kayaking techniques brings everyone up to speed before launch. Safe in your newly aquatic superiority, you and up to nine paddlemates smoothly coast through beautiful coastal waters and engage in educational feeding frenzies of engrossing anecdotes, local history, and wildlife. Kayaks, life jackets, and paddles are provided, and guests are advised to pack a sack lunch or giant sloppy sandwich to tide them over.
Sailing daily from MacMillan Wharf and stretching 39 feet lengthwise and 16 feet abeam, the Coast Guard–approved Viking Princess accommodates up to 42 passengers and two crewpersons per cruise. Several different cruise formats introduce water wanderers to coastal views of varying sites, such as Cape Cod’s prime real estate, well-known lighthouses, and hidden Provincetown gems. The Princess also embarks on festive holiday-themed voyages, such as Fourth of July or Tax Day cruises. Cape Cod Life's 2010 Gold winner for Best Kids' Activity, the Critter Cruise invites wee ones to pull up lobster pots and bottom dredges from the waters and safely inspect and handle the findings— such as blue fish, sea turtles, or humpback whales—alongside an expert naturalist. The Princess is wide enough to facilitate groups dancing to the sounds of the ship’s overhead stereo or to the tunes of local musicians during live-music cruises.
Dennis and Provincetown Parasail and Jet Ski sends its clientele as high as 1,000 feet above Cape Cod Bay in colorful parasails, making it the highest parasail ride offered in New England. Towed along by speedboat, solo fliers and couples choose their preferred height and ride style, such as the Wet 'n' Wild flight, where riders are dunked into the water repeatedly, and the Elevator Gone Mad flight, where the chute quickly rises and drops as though a caffeinated child hit the buttons to every floor. The shop also cares for a stable of 17 Yamaha VX 1100 jet skis, whose four-stroke engines allow them to cut through calm bay waterways at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour.
The ferry etches white waves into the rippling, blue expanse of Cape Cod Bay as it speeds away from Plymouth. From his cabin on the top deck, the captain––a licensed skipper armed with more than 20 years of seafaring experience––slides his sunglasses over his eyes to shield them from the morning sun that gilds the waters in its glittering beams. From their seats on one the ferry’s two open decks or inside the 100-foot enclosed cabin, passengers gaze at historic sites as they listen to a narrated history of Plymouth Harbor.
Champions of introducing visitors to the area’s storied past, Waterfront Enterprises’ crew members shepherd guests back and forth between Plymouth and Provincetown during daily three-hour roundtrips throughout the summer months. The U.S. Coast Guard-inspected ferry sidles up to Provincetown’s Fisherman’s Wharf for a five-hour stopover, granting visitors a window in which to explore the community’s abundant sights. Guests can peruse local art galleries before stopping for lunch at a restaurant or hitting the Cape Cod National Seashore to comb the beach for shells capable of broadcasting the soothing sounds of the sea or Enya. After an afternoon of wandering, sightseers hop back on the carpeted, climate-controlled vessel to return to Plymouth as evening draws near.
Most physical confrontations involve a level of personal risk, but at Cartland of Cape Cod, fun-loving competitors let robotic Boxerjocks do the swinging. Safely tucked away in a cage of steel, operators trigger sidesteps with the thrust of a joystick and jabs with the punch of a button. The unusual attraction is just a taste of what the epicenter of family fun has to offer, from vintage Indy-style go-karts to colorful bumper boats and water-balloon slingshots. Visitors who want to keep dry can head to the 20-hole mini-golf course, batting cages, and the area of classic coin-operated kiddie rides, and can still escape the heat with a scoop of ice cream rather than laboring to befriend an iceberg.
