Eastham Travel Guide

Welcome to Eastham!

Known as the gateway to the Cape Cod National Seashore, this serene coastal resort town stretches between the Atlantic Ocean to the east and Cape Cod Bay to the west, with the town of Wellfleet on its northern border and Orleans to its south. Eastham offers a more relaxed pace than many other Cape Cod towns with vast conservation areas protecting the community's natural environment and heritage.

Originally home to the Nauset First Nations, Eastham was incorporated in 1651 by a handful of settlers from Plymouth who engaged in fishing, whaling, salt making and agriculture. The town became popular as a summer resort destination as early as 1830 with the establishment of a Methodist Church summer camp. Eastham's past is preserved at sites such as the Nauset Light, which was originally constructed in 1877 in Chatham; the Captain Penniman House, built by a wealthy mid-19th-century whaling captain; and the Eastham Windmill, Cape Cod's oldest windmill at well over 300 years of age.

Once inspiration to writers Henry David Thoreau and Henry Beston, Eastham continues to impress visitors with its countryside trails, salt marshes, ponds, forests, beaches, historic sites and charming galleries. However, it is perhaps best known for its stunning coastlines; the town boasts dramatic National Seashore beaches on the Atlantic side—such as Coast Guard with its mountainous dunes—and tranquil bay beaches on the west side, including First Encounter, where the pilgrims and local First Nations first encountered each other in 1620.

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