Sandwich Boardwalk

Picture this: it’s the middle of the winter. The air is cold, the sun is gone, and leaving the house involves about 20 layers of clothing. The last place that you’d ever want to go to is the beach, right?

Wrong.

The Sandwich Boardwalk is a hidden gem even in the summer, but winter or fall are actually the best seasons to go. In the summer, you could go to the beach--along with the hundreds of other people that have the same idea. But in the winter, there are no tourists, leaving the beach wide open. Even though it's not sunbathing season, Town Neck Beach is a great place to take photos or just take a walk. The best part? Parking in the winter is free.

Over 1350 feet in length, the Sandwich Boardwalk stretches over gorgeous marshlands and leads straight to Town Neck Beach. The boardwalk itself is made up of thousands of wooden planks, all inscribed with a name or a quote. The planks were inscribed as a fundraiser to restore the bridge after it was destroyed by Hurricane Bob. If the boardwalk is empty enough, stop to find some of the best planks. Even though most just have a name and a date on them, there are some that are a little more creative.

It’s not just Hurricane Bob that broke the boardwalk. In fact, the bridge has nearly been destroyed by hurricanes, blizzards, and strong gales. But each time it has bounced back, better than ever. It’s perfectly safe to go to and walk across under normal weather conditions, although this is one location I’d avoid during the next Nor’easter.

When you arrive, you’ll find a parking lot right next to the boardwalk. The majority of the boardwalk doesn’t have any railings, so make sure you’re paying attention when you walk across it. Luckily, it’s wide enough for people to pass each other without having to worry that one of them is going to fall off the edge. If you want to take a picture without bothering any other beachgoers, the boardwalk has small outcroppings designed for visitors to stop and enjoy the view.

The views around the boardwalk are some of the best in the Cape. It’s the best of both worlds: great ocean views surrounded by the bright reds and greens of the marshlands. This is one place where you definitely want to bring your camera.

If you’re visiting during or after the Christmas season, see if you can spot the Christmas tree that rests on top of the boardwalk. And if you walk just a little further, you'll see poinsettias placed along the beach. Even though it was a few weeks past Christmas when I visited, there were still plenty of people snapping photos in front of the mini trees.

Once you reach the end of the boardwalk, you’ll come right to the beach. The beach itself is gorgeous. It is the epitome of a Cape Cod beach: lapping water, picturesque houses, and a few too many rocks. It was a bit of a cloudy day when I went, but I was still able to take a few pictures of the sunsets over the water. Even though it may be a bit chilly outside, the beach is perfect for taking a scenic walk.

If you travel all the way to the left of the beach you’ll see a row of houses. In front of them are what looks like dozens of massive sandbags and wooden planks. They’re actually there to help prevent the erosion of sand from the beach. When you travel alongside the beach, you'll notice that instead of the sand gently plateauing off, it rises upwards into a steep hill. That’s a tell-tale sign that waves have eroded too much of the sand.

The problems with Town Neck Beach aren’t all natural. Due to the Cape Cod Canal, the beach is rapidly losing sand, leading to erosion much greater than what you’d see along other Cape Cod beaches. If you want to learn more, check out this link for an interesting article about some of the problems facing Cape Cod's beaches. https://www.capeandislands.org/post/cape-cods-biggest-ever-beach-nourishment-project-could-be-coming-sandwich#stream/0

There’s one thing on every traveler's mind nowadays--what are the Covid precautions? I would say that the Sandwich Boardwalk is very safe. It’s not overly crowded--I went on New Year’s Day and people were still pretty spread out. It also is completely outside and everyone that I saw had their mask on. All in all, Sandwich Boardwalk is perfect if you want a taste of the Cape while still staying safe.

And if after all of that walking and sightseeing you’re hungry, there’s another hidden gem just about a mile down the road. Sweet Tomatoes Pizza is a staple among my family. They have a few restaurants throughout The Cape, but the Sandwich location is the best. They’re known for the fresh tomatoes they use on all of their pizzas. The best part is that they now have a drive-through window. If you order ahead, you don't even have to get out of your car before a fresh, hand-made pizza is delivered right into your awaiting hands. Even though my family wasn't quite as organized to call ahead for a pizza, we still only waited a short time in the parking before we could pick up fresh, warm pizzas. The perfect end to a pretty perfect day.

So next time you feel cooped up, kept inside by Covid or the cold, take a walk along the beach. Whether it’s 80 or 8 degrees, it definitely will be worth it.