xenole

Popping over to Boston at the end of October and then driving to Cape Cod for a bit of running.

Had never heard of Hyannis until yesterday and seems a nice enough touristy place.

Was looking at spending a day in Hyannis and then a couple of days in Falmouth and maybe pop over to Martha's Vineyard if time / weather permitting.

Is it easy enough to drive the 20 miles between the two places?
Running early on the Saturday and Sunday mornings was considering arriving in Hyannis on Friday morning, staying overnight, driving to Falmouth early on Saturday and then either heading back to Hyannis to shower/check-out the hotel etc or just remaining in Falmouth and staying the Sat/Sun nights.

Is Hyannis a sort of San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf sort of place where everything is catered for tourists rather than locals?

TWA884

Have you heard of the Kennedys?

Out of my Element

"Easy" depends on when in the year you're going. Weekends during summer there's no such thing as "Easy" driving pretty much anywhere on the Cape. Route 28 is the main road between Hyannis (stress on the "Ann") and Falmouth (pronounced as if it was Fal-muth, not "mouth", now you won't look like a tourist). In best conditions you can do it in 30 minutes or so, but it can easily take an hour.

Hyannis has a cute downtown, and a few good restaurants (I'd suggest Chowhound's "Southern New England Board" for best recommendations), but I'd suggest the beach or a lake for tourists. It's the biggest city on the Cape and has malls and fast food joints and a bunch of other wastes of time. Falmouth is smaller and has a higher ratio of "cute" to "why are we looking at this". The Vineyard is better than both of those in terms of natural beauty and a high ratio of "oh my" to "ugh".

I've never heard of Hyannis compared to San Francisco before. There's no tourist waterfront, no Haight Ashbury, not much other than Main Street, which has some nice shops and galleries (mostly just off the East end of Main Street) intermingled with shops selling junk.

The further out on the Cape you go (Chatham, Eastham, Truro, etc), the more interesting and less touristy it gets.

halfcape

If I were coming to the Cape, I wouldn't waste any or much time in Hyannis. Of course there are things to see there but there is so much more to see on the Cape than Hyannis. Route 6A through Barnstable, Yarmouth Port, Dennis, Brewster is a beautiful ride. South side, great swimming in Harwich Port, Chatham can be interesting. Wellfleet, Truro, Provincetown are all great places to visit. Woods Hole, next to Falmouth is nice town to visit, especially if you are interested in oceanography. Hyannis - not my idea of what the Cape is.

Dm84

In October the drive should be easy. However a lot of the businesses on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard are seasonal, and October is not when they make their money.

youreadyfreddie

You might want to try a lobster roll for lunch while you're there. My Aunt Millie passed away several years ago, so I can't send you to her house in Marston's Mills for the best lobster roll in the world, but I've had pretty good luck with lobster rolls wherever I've tried them on the Cape and Martha's Vineyard. I've never tried one from a fast-food place like McDonald's and wouldn't recommend them although friends tell me they're pretty good, but it's still the fast-food/mass-produced version of a lobster roll.

Here's a link to an article in Forbes that might be of use to you--written by a Cape Cod native who is a upscale resort concierge.

As is posted upthread, the further away you get from the crowds, the nicer the Cape can be. Wander around. And if it rains while you're there, be advised that everyone takes their kids to the bowling alley. Have a great time.

mareh

As already stated, many businesses close by late October, but I don't think it will hamper you too much. I'd still try to stay somewhere other than Hyannis, even though more will be open there than on the outer Cape. To me, the only major selling point to Hyannis would be if you needed to use hotel points, as they have a Holiday Inn, a Doubletree, and a Courtyard there.

nigos

Hyannis is the kind of town where you buy gas but there is little more to see in that part of the cape. The National Sea Shore - especially Marconni - and Chatham on the Cape are well worth driving the extra distance. Provincetown is amusing and if you go to the National Sea Shore, you may as well take in Provincetown. Woods Hole is special because it is a quintessential NewEngland Town and it provides a convenient gateway to the Islands. Hop the Ferry over to Oak Bluffs and visit the Camp Grounds. Jump on the bus and visit Edgartown. Another idea is to rent a bike and hit Edgartown, Edgartown and/or Vinyard Haven. There is lots to see on the Islands and October is not too late. The drive from Hyannis to Falmouth is more realistically 45 minutes but very early in the morning you can do it in 30.

Jimmie76

ACK is the same and starts to close sometime after Labour Day from experience.