Come visit Woods Hole this season, a fantastic place to spend the day with your family. Check out our top ten reasons to come below! Curious about our restaurants, hotels or how to park here, please use this free guide to plan your visit to scenic Woods Hole, MA.
Explore the docks.
There are many docks in Woods Hole, some along the Eel Pond, some on Little Harbor and some a walk from the center of town on Great Harbor. Our favorites are on Eel Pond, but there are a lot of great dinghies along Bar Neck Road too.
Watch the drawbridge go up and down
This is a classic summertime activities for all ages. The bridge goes up about every hour (on the half hour in summer), stopping car traffic on both sides, to allow taller boats in and out of the Eel Pond.
If you are on the Water Street Kitchen side of the bridge you get a better view of the boats and, as an added bonus, you can read the graffiti on the bottom of the steel bridge.
Hunt for Starfish and Hermit Crabs.
Grab a net and start exploring the rocks on the edge of Stoney Beach where you will find scads of starfish and hermit crabs. Build a fort in the sand to collect your specimens.
Walk out in the shallows, the beach is sandy and shallow for a long way making it perfect for kids, and add to your collection. Just be sure to toss them all back in before you head home!
Get your Hands on Science.
The Village of Wood Hole is an epicenter of scientific research. Stop by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Exhibit Center and learn about the tools and vehicles used to explore the world’s oceans. Take a dive in the full-scale mock-up of the submarine that explored the Titanic.
Don’t miss the MBL Pierce Center where you can peer at life through a child-friendly microscope and view Cape Cod marine life in tanks. Before you leave town, visit the touch tanks at the Coalition for Buzzards Bay.
Walk to Nobska Beach
Nobska Beach is a fifteen-minute walk from the middle of Woods Hole and worth every step for its great swimming and views of both Vineyard Sound and the Nobska Lighthouse.
Watch the ferries cross the Sound with the crowds headed to the Vineyard and congratulate yourself on finding one of the hidden jewels of Cape Cod. Take Church Street off Woods Hole Road – you can’t miss it.
Climb a Tree
Grab a latte in the village and stroll out past Eel Pond on School Street, left on Millfield and right on Bell Tower Lane to the public ball park. Parents can sit in the shade while the kids climb trees, toss sand over the see-saw and explore the play structure that resembles an old pirate ship.
Ride the Shining Sea Bikeway
Far from the road, on the former railroad tracks, this bike path brings people from all over the globe to enjoy its leafy quiet and splendid views. As you leave Woods Hole, you pass through dense woods with peek-a-boo views of waterfront homes before opening up to amazing beach views. Bring a bathing suit – your bike will wait while you cool off.
Enjoy the Fourth of July Parade
Do not miss this family-friendly small town extravaganza, unlike any parade you have ever seen before! The summer students in all of the marine facilities pour out of their labs in costumes like single-cell ameoba and crustaceans.
Enjoy free lemonade, cookies and a great view of the parade on a first-come first-served basis from the porch of the Woods Hole Inn.
Visit the Aquarium
The oldest aquarium in the United States, this place was designed for kids. There is also a great exhibit on Alvin, the submersible that first explored the Titanic.
Visit Candy Go Nuts
The number one reason kids love to visit Woods Hole (we took a survey and believe me the results were overwhelming!) is this wonderful old-fashioned candy shop on Luscombe Avenue. Fill your bag and pay by the pound, or get a local ice-cream cone from the sweetest spot in town. Save this for last– it’s worth the trip!