We’re not sure if this is an official rule or anything, but we’re pretty certain Memorial Day weekend officially marks the beginning of goofing off all summer. It’s a little early, of course, and not that warm out yet, but we feel firm on doing nothing but fun things for our weekends until September. With that in mind, we’ve gathered a special list of things you can do in one of our favorite vacation spots, Cape Cod, both for the holiday weekend, and throughout the summer. THEATER
‘Failure: a Love Story’
Through June 7
Cape Rep Indoor Theater
3299 Rt. 6A, Brewster
$28, 508-896-1888
Cape Rep Theater presents this musical play by Phillip Dawkins, in which the actors, according to the synopsis, play “all of the people, the animals, the music and most of the inanimate objects.” It relates the mysterious fates of the Fail sisters, Nelly, Jenny June and Gerty, who work at their parents’ clock repair shop — at least for now. ‘Lonely Planet’
Tuesday through June 7
The Provincetown Theater
238 Bradford St., Provincetown
$25-$30, 508-487-7487
Provincetown Theater presents a play by Steven Dietz, which centers on friends Jody and Carl, both gay men struggling to keep their heads screwed on in the height of the AIDS crisis of the 1980’s. Dietz wrote the play not in retrospect but during that very crisis, when the bewilderment and shock of it was still distressingly fresh. MUSEUMS
The Heritage Collection
Ongoing
Heritage Museums and Gardens
67 Grove St., Sandwich
$18, 508-888-3300
www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org
The Heritage Museums and Gardens celebrates the return of its permanent collection in a new space this season. The collection, with more than 12,000 items in all, runs the gamut from paintings to rare books to coinage, firearms, military miniatures and a classic carousel from 1908. Also this week is the Rhododendron Festival, surrounding visitors with thousands of glorious flowers. ART
Emerging Within: Abstract Photography by Julie DeMello
Through June 14
Woodruff’s Art Center
1 N. Market St., Mashpee Commons
Free, 508-477-5767
This exhibition features new works by Falmouth-based photographer Julie DeMello, who draws continual inspiration from the ponds and streams of the Cape, in which she finds a natural form of abstract art. Her images look almost computer-generated, but DeMello uses virtually no processing or effects, instead just capturing the way the running water plays with the sunlight streaming down through it. TOURS
Barnstable Village’s Ghost Hunter’s Tour
Ongoing
U.S. Coast Guard Heritage Museum/Old Jail
3353 Main St., Barnstable
$20, 508-241-1151
The Cape may be known for fun in the sun, but it also has its bumps in the night, and this tour might show you a few. Your guide will take you through some reputedly haunted Barnstable spots over the course of three hours, and you’ll get to try out some authentic ghost hunter equipment. You’re encouraged to bring a camera. OUTDOORS
Wings over Wellfleet
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
291 State Highway, South Wellfleet
$11, 508-349-2615
Bird lovers won’t want to miss this morning and afternoon of avian activies at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, including bird walks and kayak trips, special presentations on bird banding (the means by which scientists track birds) and the subtleties of bird beaks, a tutorial on how to learn bird calls via iPhone app and more kid-oriented activities. MUSIC
Camela Widad
Monday, 7:30 p.m.
Cotuit Center for the Arts
4404 Falmouth Rd., Cotuit
$5, 508-428-0669
Singer-songwriter Camela Widad is this week’s featured artist at Cotuit Center for the Arts’ Trespass Music Monday. Her strongly melodic songs have a mix of pop, folk and country elements, with an upbeat sensibility that’s hard to dislike. Her passionate, warm voice conveys her tales of love so fully she almost doesn’t need lyrics — but she writes ‘em anyway, ‘cause you gotta. Rossano Sportiello and Frank Tate
Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Woods Hole Community Hall
68 Water St., Woods Hole
$20, 508-495-0738
Italian jazz pianist Rossano Sportello came to prominence with the Milano Jazz Gang, but he’s also released 25 solo albums and performed with a laundry list of modern jazz luminaries. Bassist Frank Tate has his own laundry list to boast of, with a bit of a history on the Cape, but mostly in New York and Washington, DC. SHOPPING
Dennis Village Memorial Day Craft Show
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Carleton Hall
1006 Old Bass River Rd.
Free, 508-364-5417
You’re on vacation: go ahead and buy something! It’s the American way. This annual crafts fair at Dennis’ historic Carleton Hall is full of handmade items — some edible, some wearable, some art, some functional, some both — created and sold by local artisans. Sure, you could just get some silly fridge magnet or t-shirt. But wouldn’t that watercolor look great over the mantle?
Ready to escape to the Cape? Here’s what you can do there.
istock
