Cape Cod Old Kings Highway Self Guided Scenic Audio Driving Tour

Photograph the red-and-white Nauset Light, one of Cape Cod’s most recognizable landmarks, before walking to the nearby Three Sisters. The three small wooden towers were built to create a distinctive navigational pattern that sailors could recognize from the sea.

This free, family-friendly museum explains the history, engineering, and daily operation of the Cape Cod Canal. Visitors can explore exhibits and watch boats travel through the protected waterway that helped ships avoid the dangerous waters around the Cape.

mes, museums, locally owned shops, cafés, and historic landmarks. Downtown Sandwich is an ideal introduction to the villages and stories found along the Old King’s Highway.

the grave of legendary naval officer Captain John “Mad Jack” Percival. Look for classic New England gravestone carvings featuring winged skulls, cherubs, urns, and willow trees.

Visitors can also follow a boardwalk toward Black Flats Marsh for peaceful views of Cape Cod Bay.

Discover artwork inspired by Cape Cod’s villages, beaches, people, and distinctive coastal light. The museum features generations of regional artists, while the outdoor sculpture garden can be explored without entering the museum.

Climb this 30-foot cobblestone observation tower for one of the widest panoramic views on Cape Cod. Built in 1901, the tower overlooks Scargo Lake, Cape Cod Bay, and the surrounding villages and woodlands.

Explore exhibits about Cape Cod’s wildlife, marine environments, geology, and coastal ecosystems. Nature trails lead from the museum through woodlands, salt marshes, and tidal landscapes.

This nearly 2,000-acre park contains pine forests, campgrounds, bicycle trails, and eight clear, spring-fed kettle ponds. It is one of the best stops on the route for swimming, hiking, biking, picnicking, and family recreation.

lds, woodlands, and historic Indigenous sites. Nearby, the Captain Penniman House preserves the grand home of a successful 19th-century whaling captain.

Visit the oldest working windmill on Cape Cod, originally built in 1680 and carefully preserved as one of the region's most iconic historic landmarks. For centuries, the windmill ground corn into meal for local families, and today visitors can admire its traditional wooden construction, learn about early colonial life, and explore one of the Cape's most photographed pieces of living history. It's also located just minutes from First Encounter Beach, where the Pilgrims first encountered the Wampanoag people.

Frequently ranked among America’s most beautiful beaches, Coast Guard Beach features expansive sand, Atlantic surf, dunes, and dramatic ocean views. The area is also connected to Cape Cod’s courageous surfmen and shipwreck-rescue history.

Commissioned by President George Washington in 1797, Highland Light was Cape Cod’s first lighthouse. Visitors can explore the grounds, enjoy Atlantic views, and take a seasonal guided climb to the top of the historic tower.

Climb the 252-foot granite tower commemorating the Pilgrims’ first landing in Provincetown and the signing of the Mayflower Compact. The museum presents Provincetown’s maritime, Indigenous, artistic, and Pilgrim history, with panoramic views from the monument’s summit.

Pilgrims' First Landing Park marks the approximate spot where the Mayflower passengers first came ashore in New England on November 11, 1620, before eventually sailing on to Plymouth. Today, visitors can stroll along the waterfront, read the historic monument, enjoy views across Provincetown Harbor toward Long Point Lighthouse, and stand where one of America's most significant colonial stories began.

Travel the historic Old Kings Highway and learn the stories along the drive.