An East Coast Road Trip Through LGBTQ+ History and Cape Cod Charm

A road trip from Boston to Provincetown, Massachusetts, offers a journey through queer history and coastal beauty, with summer as the ideal season. Massachusetts was the first state to elect an openly gay state legislator in 1974 and the first to legalize same-sex marriage three decades later. Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod, is a top LGBTQ+ destination with more same-sex couple households per capita than any other U.S. municipality or ZIP code.

The 115-mile drive along U.S. Route 6 connects the two cities, passing windswept beaches, lavender fields, and lobster rolls. Stops include Plymouth's famous rock, a lavender farm in Harwich, a shark research expedition off Chatham, oyster harvesting in Wellfleet, and a vineyard in Truro. In Provincetown, visitors can ride dunes with Art's Dune Tours, join a whale watch, attend the legendary Boatslip Tea Dance, and catch drag shows at the Crown & Anchor or Post Office Café.

Dining highlights include Aegean cuisine at Kaia in Boston, farm-to-table dishes at Love Farms in Dennis, and the James Beard-nominated Lune. In Provincetown, Sal's Place has served Italian classics since 1962, while the Portuguese Bakery and The Canteen offer local favorites. Accommodations range from Boston's inclusive luxury hotels like Raffles Boston and The Liberty Hotel to Provincetown's Gifford House and Sleep at Sal's, a waterfront retreat with nightly dinners and beach access.