Mashpee has more than five miles of sandy beaches on Gulf Stream-warmed Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds, extensive waterfront on Waquoit and Popponesset Bays, and four of the largest freshwater ponds on Cape Cod all for boating, bathing and fishing. Our hub location gives access to twenty or more golf courses within a fifteen-minute drive, including Mashpee's three world-class championship golf courses. Mashpee is home to nationally recognized Mashpee Commons, a community shopping center noted for its traditional New England-style architecture.
Activities — Cape Cod & The Islands
Internationally acclaimed beaches - and the Cape Cod National Seashore. Local whale watching is the finest in the world. Cape Cod has it all: rich Pilgrim and Presidential history, incredible natural beauty, maritime history and cultural significance, working windmills, kettle ponds, hiking trails and cranberry bogs.
The Cape and Islands' mild yet interesting climate provide a paradise for golfers, naturalists and birdwatchers. The region has long been recognized for its artistic significance and its historic towns are still a heaven for artists, fine theater and museums.
About Mashpee
Mashpee (pop. 14,006), unlike any other Cape Cod town, remains firmly rooted in its Native American Heritage. A large population of Wampanoag people still call Mashpee their home.
In addition to Wampanoag culture and history, Mashpee is probably best known for its shopping, restaurants, golfing. Mashpee includes the villages of New Seabury and
Popponesset.
History
Thousands of years before English settlers arrived, Nauset Indians, called Mashpee their home. They were Wampanoag, which means "People of the First Light ( or Dawn )".
In 1660, a seemingly civic-minded citizen, Richard Bourne, bought a tract of land and promptly set it aside for Native Americans. Known as the Mashpee Plantation, this was the first reservation in the United States.
It was Bourne's intent that this land be set aside for Native Americans to be their home "forever". What a short time forever is. The settlers decided that the Native Americans needed to learn about their god and become "civilized" and so on May 28, 1870, Mashpee was founded as a town.
Wampanoag history and culture continues to thrive in Mashpee today.
Beaches
South Cape Beach: end of Great Oak Rd., from great Neck Rd.,
off the rotary Mashpee/Wakeby Pond: Lave Ave. (fresh water)
John's Pond: Hooppole Road (fresh water)
Hiking & Biking
If you enjoy the outdoors, you'll love Mashpee!
Mashpee is home to some wonderful hiking trails including the
Mashpee River Woodlands, Lowell Holly Reservation and
South Cape Beach State Park.
Golf
Get your clubs out, golfers! Mashpee is home to three impressive golf course:
Quashnet Valley Country Club (18-hole, 72-par), Willowbend Country Club (27
holes) and New Seabury Country Club (36 holes, waterfront golf).
Culture
Wampanoag culture permeates the fabric of Mashpee. While in town,
don't miss several historic Native American sites including the
Old Indian Meeting House and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Museum.
Each year, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe hosts an annual powwow
featuring cultural activities, music, dance, food and more at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds in East Falmouth.
Aside from Native American culture, Mashpee is probably best known for its shopping and restaurants. Mashpee Commons and South Cape Village are two of the largest shopping centers on Cape Cod. Both, along with the Mashpee Chamber of Commerce, host several events throughout the year including a holiday celebration and Christmas parade and an Oktoberfest.
Parents won't want to miss the Cape Cod Children's Museum, also located in Mashpee.
Activities — Cape Cod & The Islands
Internationally acclaimed beaches - and the Cape Cod National Seashore. Local whale watching is the finest in the world. Cape Cod has it all: rich Pilgrim and Presidential history, incredible natural beauty, maritime history and cultural significance, working windmills, kettle ponds, hiking trails and cranberry bogs.
The Cape and Islands' mild yet interesting climate provide a paradise for golfers, naturalists and birdwatchers. The region has long been recognized for its artistic significance and its historic towns are still a heaven for artists, fine theater and museums.
About Mashpee
Mashpee (pop. 14,006), unlike any other Cape Cod town, remains firmly rooted in its Native American Heritage. A large population of Wampanoag people still call Mashpee their home.
In addition to Wampanoag culture and history, Mashpee is probably best known for its shopping, restaurants, golfing. Mashpee includes the villages of New Seabury and
Popponesset.
History
Thousands of years before English settlers arrived, Nauset Indians, called Mashpee their home. They were Wampanoag, which means "People of the First Light ( or Dawn )".
In 1660, a seemingly civic-minded citizen, Richard Bourne, bought a tract of land and promptly set it aside for Native Americans. Known as the Mashpee Plantation, this was the first reservation in the United States.
It was Bourne's intent that this land be set aside for Native Americans to be their home "forever". What a short time forever is. The settlers decided that the Native Americans needed to learn about their god and become "civilized" and so on May 28, 1870, Mashpee was founded as a town.
Wampanoag history and culture continues to thrive in Mashpee today.
Beaches
South Cape Beach: end of Great Oak Rd., from great Neck Rd.,
off the rotary Mashpee/Wakeby Pond: Lave Ave. (fresh water)
John's Pond: Hooppole Road (fresh water)
Hiking & Biking
If you enjoy the outdoors, you'll love Mashpee!
Mashpee is home to some wonderful hiking trails including the
Mashpee River Woodlands, Lowell Holly Reservation and
South Cape Beach State Park.
Golf
Get your clubs out, golfers! Mashpee is home to three impressive golf course:
Quashnet Valley Country Club (18-hole, 72-par), Willowbend Country Club (27
holes) and New Seabury Country Club (36 holes, waterfront golf).
Culture
Wampanoag culture permeates the fabric of Mashpee. While in town,
don't miss several historic Native American sites including the
Old Indian Meeting House and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Museum.
Each year, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe hosts an annual powwow
featuring cultural activities, music, dance, food and more at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds in East Falmouth.
Aside from Native American culture, Mashpee is probably best known for its shopping and restaurants. Mashpee Commons and South Cape Village are two of the largest shopping centers on Cape Cod. Both, along with the Mashpee Chamber of Commerce, host several events throughout the year including a holiday celebration and Christmas parade and an Oktoberfest.
Parents won't want to miss the Cape Cod Children's Museum, also located in Mashpee.
