Wellfleet

Located some seventy-five miles out into the Atlantic Ocean on the outer end of Cape Cod, the Town of Wellfleet offers an abundance of quaint rural seaside character and charm and spectacular natural resources. Bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and the west by Cape Cod Bay, 61% of the land area of Wellfleet is in the Cape Cod National Seashore Park. Wellfleet has a total upland area of approximately 13,100 acres (20.47 square miles). Of this total, about 8,000 acres (12.5 square miles) are within the Seashore boundaries, leaving 5,100 acres (8 square miles) outside.

During the summer, the population swells from 3,500 year-round residents to an estimated 17,000 persons enjoying the Town’s miles of ocean and bay-side beaches; numerous beautiful, clear, spring-fed, ponds; many fine art galleries, shops and restaurants; and the magnificent Wellfleet Harbor offering a constantly changing panorama of sail boats, motor yachts, sport fishing boats and trawlers.

An extremely diverse community with an intriguing history of an extraordinary nautical atmosphere, the friendly charm of the Central Village provides the pedestrian with a vast array of browsing, dining, picture-taking and sightseeing opportunities within a relatively short walk. The Central Village is also the focus of Wellfleet’s year-round civic life and commercial activity.

The town is home of the Cape Cod National Seashore Headquarters as well as the 1,000 acre Massachusetts Audubon Society Wildlife Sanctuary. Some of Cape Cod’s finest ocean surfcasting, fresh water pond and Cape Cod Bay boat fishing possibilities are found in Wellfleet, and the town is well known for its plentiful supply of shellfish, including the famous “Wellfleet Oysters”.

The fresh water ponds are a particular delight in Wellfleet. Their tranquil surfaces shimmer in early sunlight, and their small sandy beaches echo with happiness in late afternoon as the shadows from the surrounding pines darken the water. The combination of a day on a stimulating and expansive backshore beach, and a leisurely swim in the warm water of one of the kettle ponds is a special luxury that Wellfleet offers.