Take a Family Bike Tour of Cape Cod

Cape Cod seems designed for family bicycling; its relatively flat terrain encompasses miles of sand beaches, piney forests, gently rolling meadows and tidy villages. Lighthouses, gardens and kid-friendly attractions provide diversions, and a paved rail trail stretches across 25 miles of the central cape.

Cape Cod Rail Trail extends from South Dennis to Wellfleet, connecting the towns of Yarmouth, Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet through a variety of scenery and natural landscapes.

Along its course are places to get off the trail for a beach stop or food and water, and bike rentals are available at bike shops directly on the trail in Yarmouth, Dennis, Brewster, Orleans and Wellfleet.

Kids won’t want to miss stopping at Whydah Pirate Museum in Yarmouth for a chance to see and touch real pirate treasure. The fully rigged galley ship Whydah, filled with pirated treasure, sank in a storm in 1717. The interactive museum tells the story of the ship and its recovery in 1984 off the coast of Wellfleet, and displays the treasure found with it.

Also in Yarmouth, older kids with a taste for the Gothic and macabre will like The Edward Gorey House, home of the 20^th-century artist known for his creepy pen-and-ink illustrations and stories. His house reflects both his art and his distinctive personality.

You might also stop to go inside 1791 Judah Baker Windmill, authentically restored at South Yarmouth. Free tours of the six-sided mill reveal the original mechanisms for grinding grains.

You’ll find more than a dozen beaches off Route 6A and Lower County Road in Dennis. The most popular is West Dennis Beach on Davis Beach Road, with more than a mile of beach and shoreline. There’s a children’s playground, and kids love collecting shells brought up by the surf.

In Brewster, Cape Cod Museum of Natural History sits among 80 acres of woods and saltwater marsh with a network of nature trails. In its exhibits and aquarium, you and your kids can learn about whales, birds, fish, shellfish, frogs and turtles, as well as the cape’s archaeology.