In the summer especially I feel like the Cape comes to life and shows off all that New England has to offer. I highly recommend walking main street in either Harwich or Chatham in the early morning the sights are so beautiful and you can stop to get a coffee along your way. It is one of my favorite traditions to do when we go to the Cape.

Below I listed out some of our favorite places to shops, eat and see when we are there!

Harwich Shopping:

Sativa

Murphy’s General Store

Solis

Snow Goose

Buoys on Main

Favorite Restaurant Spots Harwich:

The Port

J Bar

Ember

Perks Coffee Shop & Beer Garden

Buca’s Tuscan Roadhouse

The Mayflower Chatham

Chatham Shopping:

Chatham Candy Manor

Mermaids on Main

Tale of the Cod

Yankee Ingenuity

Puritan Cape Cod

Goodies Cape Cod

Favorite Restaurant Spots Chatham:

Chatham Squire

Captain’s Table

Bluefins Sushi & Sake Bar

The Corner Store

Del Mar Bar & Bistro

Chatham Bars Inn

Places to visit in both locations:

Chatham Fish Pier

Cape Cod Rail Trail

Red River Beach

Bank Street Beach

Cape Cod National Seashore

I hope you enjoy:)

Flying with Rory for the first time was definitely interesting but we made it. I feel brave and empowered that I even did it with a ten month old to be honest haha. Delta was amazing with accommodating him and they let me walk him up and down the aisles when I could and gave him water and snacks to keep him occupied. If we were to do it again I would absolutely pay to have his carseat on the plane and suck it up by paying for an additional seat. It is kind of comical when airlines label any child under 2 an “infant on lap” because that is far from the reality of what it was for us. Although he didn’t cry much he wanted to get out of the seat, crawl, and play with the hair of the person in the seat in front of us.

Sofia and Andy did Disney & Universal a ton while we were in Florida and they LOVED it. They are huge Marvel, Star Wars, so they were locked in. They did roller coasters, ate at Epcot, enjoyed butter beer (which is basically a sugary butterscotch non alcoholic drink at Harry Potter (Universal), and didn’t get home each night until the parks closed. Safe to say we absolutely got our money’s worth. One thing about Orlando is anything to do with the parks is pricey. If you are looking to book a Disney vacation keep in mind everything related to the park MUST be booked online ahead of time. Here is the link to do so. I also recommend you talk to one of the Disney reps for help how to book a vacation with them because their are a lot of moving parts and I know I was feeling a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out how to do everything.

We are rookies with Disney and didn’t know anything about this until one of my friends (thank GOD) informed us. Otherwise we would have been staying in Massachusetts for spring break. Neither of us had been since childhood. They did the park hopper option which enables you to go to more than one park throughout Disney. You are able to get into the other parks after 2PM each day. So if you start in Epcot after 2PM with the park hopper you can go on over to Hollywood Studios after.

We rented a car while in Orlando and then Andy and Sofia ubered to the park during the day time. Peak hours and surge pricing with Uber definitely add up so keep an eye out for that.

Villa’s we stayed in:

While those two played at the parks Rory and I were living it up at the splash pad poolside. We stayed at the Sheraton Vistana in Orlando, Florida.

IT IS PERFECT for young families, and couples even without kids. Their are so many activities, it is such a GREAT set up and we had such a nice time! I loved being able to have our villa right across from the pool. What is awesome about the Villa’s is their was a kitchen, living area, balcony, and two bedrooms and bathrooms. Plenty of room for all of us to sleep:)

Helpful baby vaca items:

Below are the MUST HAVE items I had for Rory on this trip. I didn’t want to go crazy with baby items so I really did think practically and realistically but these I had a feeling were going to be non negotiables and I am so happy I brought them

Slumber Pod: THIS thing is unbelievable. Believe me I was VERY skeptical at first and was like NO way is this actually going to do the job. Well I am here to tell you it did the job and then some. Rory slept SO SO good in this and I am telling you it is such a lifesaver when you are traveling. Very easy to set up and it is essentially a tent for them to sleep in. How it works is you place it over a pack and play which in our case we traveled with the one we had. Then their is a zipper on it that opens up to get them in and out. It is completely black out once they are inside with a pocket at the top of the tent that has space for a baby cam. I don’t believe it works if you put it over a crib.

Portable Sound Machine: This sound machine from Amazon was so CLUTCH and for $23 such a great buy. I clipped it on the slumber pod each night and it worked so well and had a very good volume on it too

Rubber Duck for pool: We found a cute rubber duck on Amazon that was so small and simple but kept him so busy in the splash pad and pool.

Stroller: We did bring our UppaBaby but honestly after it got so damaged en route I would probably consider looking into renting one upon arrival next time to avoid having anything broken again

Loveys & Books: Bringing their favorite stuffed animal and some books for the airplane and hotel rooms are easy entertainment so bringing some of their favs they are use to from home are very helpful and keep them busy

**This post may contain Amazon affiliate links for which commission is made when clicking the links above*

Where to stay: We stayed in Teton Village which is about 15 minutes from Jackson Hole. I highly recommend staying in this area because their SO much to do. You could also book your stay in downtown Jackson Hole as well. We used airbnb to coordinate all of our lodging for this trip. Shopping, restaurants, hiking, water sports and site seeing galore are to name some of the few activities available to do on this vacation. Teton Village is a quaint little village that many people actually stay at during the peak ski season in Jackson Hole because the village actually sits at the bottom of the Tetons mountains. This is where thousands of people ski during the winter months. What is beautiful about this location is that you can see where the ski trails are from the bottom of the mountain where everyone stays and it is absolutely beautiful to see how vast they really are. The summer months in my opinion are equally as beautiful.

The great thing about this area of Wyoming is that it is NOT commercialized at all. Other than the main areas where the resorts, condos, and restaurants are commercialization is pretty much non-existent. Their are vast open plains wherever you look. What does exist though are beautiful, breathtaking sights and sounds wherever you look. Within Teton Village their are several restaurants, horse trail riding opportunities, gondola rides along with stunning mountain views and hiking.

Activities: The activities in the area that we stayed were honestly endless. If you stay in Jackson Hole or Teton Village you are basically in the mecca of where all of the events and activities you can do take place. We actually wanted to do more while we were vacationing but by the end of the 8 days we felt fulfilled with all that we DID accomplish in our time there. We did horseback riding, bike riding, hiking, swimming, basketball to name some of the few options you have! Next time we go we would love to go whitewater rafting! Another great thing about Teton Village is you can rent bikes and begin a lot of the activities at this spot. We did a two hour horse back riding adventure through Teton Village Trail Rides. HIGHLY recommend them if you want to horseback ride! Fun fact Scarlett Johansson actually did this same tour with the Rockefeller family our tour guide told us:) It really was such a beautiful way to take in more of the landscape and sites and sounds around this beautiful area.

Yellowstone National Park: Andy had been describing Yellowstone to Sofia and I for a long time and we both I don’t think fully grasped the beauty of how it really was until we actually physically were there in person. It is hard for me to really describe it to you in detail without you going to see it for yourself:) Another reason you should make this a bucket list trip! A few things to keep in mind with Yellowstone National Park is that their is a lot of driving so bring plenty of sandwiches, snacks, and water. I also recommend leaving EARLY so you can see the animals at dawn especially because you will get a lot of the driving out of the way to the park before the rest of the tourists begin piling in. Here are the different sites we visited while we were in Yellowstone. Where we stayed brought us to the south entrance of Yellowstone, so in order to get to Yellowstone you have to drive through Teton National Park which was another beauty but not as many landmarks to see at this one. Still so pretty to drive through though!

Lewis Lake: This is right at the entrance of Yellowstone park and to be honest I think it is one of the most underrated parts of the park because it is SO picturesque and beautiful! The waterfall running into the lake is gorgeous and it is not too large so you can go and explore. You certainly can jump on the rocks at the base of the fall and enjoy the water below.

Hayden Valley: This was one of our favorite parts of the park because of the amount of wildlife here. Buffalo are everywhere simply everywhere so MUCH that you are like where do I look? They are so adorable, they make funny sounds and as you see below they are on their own time and DO NOT care about crossing in front of traffic which is hilarious. We LOVED it! At dusk though their was NO buffalo here when we drove through on a different day so I would say the best time to come is during the daytime so you are able to see all of the buffalo! You may get lucky and see other wildlife as well:)

Old Faithful: We all thought Old Faithful was beautiful it is just VERY touristy and crowded. We actually hiked almost 2 miles to the top of one of the mountains to see this go off from afar. I highly recommend doing this because to us it was actually a lot better of a view and it was not as crowded to look at from above here. If you go I would make this site one to do maybe toward the end of your trip because to me their was other beautiful sites to see besides this one.

West Thumb: This was beautiful. So many hot springs at this part of the park and this site overlooks Yellowstone Lake so the sites and sounds are just so peaceful and serene.

Mammoth Hot Springs: This beauty is at the north side of the park and I highly recommend checking it out because this part of the park also has a general store, lodging and restaurants to eat at. It is so crazy how different parts of the park are really so different from one another.

Where we ate in Teton Village:

*Mangy Moose Restaurant & Saloon: Great great breakfast, cappuccinos, smoothies etc. YOU name it they have it and they serve breakfast until 11 AM. They also have dinner as well and we ate their one night for dinner. Really good food and drinks:)

*Jackson Hole General Store: This is such an adorable little general store right in Teton Village. They also have smoothies, sandwiches, and other snacks to choose from. They also have cute gifts around the store!

*Four Seasons- The Handle Bar: Ever since my trip to San Diego in June I have become overly obsessed with spicey margartias and The Handle Bar has amazing spicey margs. This was a great place to go after we would bike ride all day or we were done with our adventure through Yellowstone National Park.

*Four Seasons- Westbank Grill: We treated ourselves one night and ate dinner here and it was amazing. The food, the atmosphere, and our server were all so sweet and very accommodating. We actually all got steak and it was delicious. Sofia even got a smore for dessert and loved it. They have smores that you can actually buy and eat on the patio outdoor with your family around the fire pits.

Restaurants in Jackson Hole:

*The Merry Piglets: This restaurant has unreal Mexican food and if you know me you know I LOVE Mexican food. The spicey marg here was insane. Celebrities have even been seen eating here according to our lovely server.

*Jackson Drug: AMAZING ice cream. This location is right in downtown Jackson Hole and has a a cute quaint area inside for everyone to enjoy. I will warm you though the service is pretty slow so keep that in mind before you come but I PROMISE it is well worth it!

*Bin 22: This was surely a family favorite for all of us. Bin 22 has amazing Tapas. Unreal. Anything you order of the menu I guarantee will not disappoint. Sofia LOVED the lemonade here too:) She is still talking about it today!

*Teton Village Pizza: This pizza was amazing. REALLY good! We all enjoyed it and it was a quick and easy place to go after being in Yellowstone all day.

Shopping:

The shopping in downtown Jackson Hole is great they have a lot of general stores as well as home decorating shops (which I loved) We actually bought a beautiful rug and had it sent straight to our home so I will share that with you when we get it. They really have a wide range of everything from candy stores, to cute boutiques, and shoe stores. I would say a majority of the shopping though is in Jackson Hole. Teton Village only has a few places to shop. Look how adorable this restaurant is!

https://www.pinterest.com/jordanllong/athomewithjordan/

I hope you all had a great fourth of July! We were at the Cape for part of the week, and it was gorgeous.

Today, I am sharing with you all things Chatham, Cape Cod. I have been going to the Cape for four summers now so in my travels over the years I have been to a lot of the great restaurants, shops, and done a lot of the fun activities that are around to do. Not to mention the views of the ocean, the stunning colorful hydrangeas, and the smell of the ocean always lingering around you.

Just to give you an idea of the pretty sights and sounds:) Can you handle the amount of character on each of these houses below?

Let’s begin with where to stay when you are on the Cape. Luckily, my future in-laws have a home about 10 mins from the center of Chatham so it is very close to all of the main attractions, and restaurants. For those of you looking for somewhere to stay their are so many options. I do suggest you book well in advance if you are looking to stay for a week plus, only because rooms and vacancies book very quick.

Below, are a list of places to stay while you are visiting. The great thing about Chatham and East Harwich is that they are both located mid Cape, so the beaches are great and the food is delicious.

• Chatham Motel ($Inexpensive, and centralized location)
• Pleasant Bay Village ($$Mid Range)
• Captain’s House Inn ($$$Mid Range)
• Chatham Bars Inn ($$$$Pricier side)

Let’s move on to my personal favorites eating/drinking & shopping. I compiled a list of some of the stores I like to frequent each time I visit. Some of my personal favorites I have starred for you. All of them truly are worth checking out. The great thing about Cape Cod is it has such quaint charm, timeless beauty, and character.

Restaurants:

Impudent Oyster: This restaurant is great, the food is delicious and the menu selection has quite the variety. The neat thing about this restaurant is it was a former church! The menu is on the higher side, but I promise it is worth every bite.

Chatham Squire: If you are looking for a fun bar to hang out with friends, this is the place to be. From the different license plates on the ceiling, and walls, to the game room they have toward the back this is the place for you. They have a full menu and they also have a bar side as well as a restaurant side to choose from, this surely is where all of the local Chatham peeps hang:)

Blue Fins Sushi & Sake Bar: Sushi is great here and so is the atmosphere. They also, have a great drink selection to choose from!

Chatham Raw Bar (Bistro on Main): Andy and I LOVE it here! From the amazing wait staff, to the to DIE for oysters you have to check it out here. The oysters they have are so fresh, and they get them fresh each day locally. They have a wide variety of seafood, and other selections to choose from on the menu. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Captains Table: This restaurant is so yummy. It is small and quaint with an outdoor patio, but the food is so darn good. They have awesome sandwiches, and I am obsessed with the tuna melt:)

Buffy’s Icecream: Amazing ice cream & smoothies for all! Also, the door is painted hot pink so you can’t miss it.

Chatham Bars Inn: Want a stunning view of the ocean paired with a delicious cocktail and a yummy bite to eat? THIS is the place to be my friends! Stunning views of the ocean, in a gorgeous setting.

Shopping: Plenty of parking, and pictured upper right is tourist center to get information for what to do in town.

                                             (This is Fatface, the UK clothing store, really cute things for both men & women)

Below are a few of the coffee shops, and stores I LOVE going to while I am on the Cape:

Mayflower Shop, Soft as a Grape, Mahi Gold, Jack Wills, Fatface, Mahigold, Chatham Candy Manor, Chatham Clothing Bar, Jackies, Bella of Cape Cod Monomoy Coffee.

I hope you all enjoyed this blog as much as I did writing it! Cape Cod is truly a beauty and whether you are going for a day trip or a week I promise it will not dissapoint!

Have a blast this weekend, summer in the sun is the best time of year!

xx,
J