South Cape

South Cape Beach on Nantucket Sound is a great, unspoiled place to enjoy sand, sea, and sun. It offers not-too-distant views of Martha's Vineyard. The beach is operated by both the town, which has a parking lot and requires a resident sticker, and by the state Department of Environmental Management, which has a large public parking lot and charges nonresidents of Mashpee a fee per day. Lifeguards are on duty, and toilet facilities are available.

How to get there: About 3½ miles from the Mashpee Rotary at the end of Great Neck Road South