Most of this historic town lines either side of Main Street, from North Main to Shore Street. Here, visitors will find shops, restaurants, pubs, and a wide selection of bed and breakfast establishments, all with plenty of New England charm and character.
Falmouth Sights
The Inn on the Square at Falmouth on North Main offers an excellent base for exploring, and offers free wi-fi and continental breakfast. On Main, The Black Dog carries just about everything on which one could put a silhouette of a Labrador, and there are a number of t-shirt shops, a toy store, candy store, hardware store, and art galleries. The Quarterdeck Restaurant, 164 Main,serves classic New England Clam Chowder, steamers, oysters, a variety of fish, and crab cakes, at hefty wooden tables under old ship beams and a salvaged stained glass window. The stately Falmouth Public Library faces a large green; memorials to Falmouth's fallen soldiers in all of America's wars line the walk.
Bicycle Path
Rent a bicycle at Corner Cycle (complete with helmet and lock), just across the from the Inn on the Square, to take advantage of the Shining Sea Bikeway, a rails to trails project that connects Falmouth to communities to the north, and Woods Hole to the south. The bikeway cuts through scenic woods, close to several ponds, and along the beach, terminating at the Steamship Authority parking lot in Woods Hole. Because this was railroad, the grade is gentle all the way.
Woods Hole Attractions
In the harbor town of Woods Hole, visit the Exhibit Center of the famed Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, a private, non-profit research and education organization conducting cutting-edge research in applied ocean physics and engineering, biology, geology and geophysics, marine chemistry and geochemistry, and physical oceanography. Some or all of WHOI's three research ships may be docked here in between research voyages around the world. The Exhibit Center houses a gift shop as well.
Fans of good coffee will want to stop in at Coffee Obsession Too (the other location is across the street from Inn on the Square in Falmouth), which has free wi fi and laundry facilities. Pie in the Sky, 10 Water St., serves fresh-roasted, organic coffee along with hand made breads, soups, sandwiches, salads, and, of course, pie. Both coffee shops also sell the work of local artists, including pottery. Waterfront dining can be enjoyed at The Landfall Restaurant (worth a visit for the eclectic collection of marine-related items hanging on its walls and ceilings), The Captain Kidd, and Fish Monger.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Woods Hole Science Aquarium, 166 Water St, open to the public Monday through Friday, houses non-releasable seals, marine animals of the North Atlantic, touch tanks, and exhibits on the marine environment. Ferries to Martha's Vineyard depart from the Steamship Authority daily, and bikes can be taken on the ferry.
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