Teen Tested Vacation Spots

Cape Cod, Mass.

My son and I spend part of every summer on Cape Cod. Many people think of the Cape and sandy strands immediately come to mind. We do love the beaches and dunes, but when we visit the Cape, we do so for baseball.

Cape Cod is home to the Cape Cod Baseball League, made up of the country’s best college players during the summer. The games are at night, and during the day these players work at the League’s baseball camps. Practically every town on the Cape sponsors a camp, and my son has participated for several summers. He has made life-long friends at the camps and has fun cheering-on many of the players who go on to the Majors (and most do).

My son and I have stayed at many resorts and hotels on the Cape. We’ve checked into the Ocean Edge Resort & Club in Brewster several times, including last summer. The Ocean EdgeVenture children’s program is geared for kids 5 to 12, but there’s plenty for teens to do at this sprawling resort. Alex’s favorite activities here include:

• hitting the gym,
• swimming in all of the pools (there are six, two are indoor, and they’re great places for teens to meet other teens),
• hanging out at the private beach (a boardwalk leads down to the beach and it’s especially popular for teens at night),
• hitting the driving range,
• playing pool in the pub,
• and walking to the ice cream shop located next door to the resort, teen central once the sun sets.

The resort also sponsors a teen night every week during the summer, which usually involves an outdoor movie by the pool, and there are tons of family activities to participate in, such as whiffle-ball tournaments, ultimate Frisbee games and bike tours.

• An aerial view of Veteran's Field, home to Chatham Athletics, one of eight teams in the Cape Cod Baseball League, established in 1923.
• woodleywonderworks

Ocean Edge Resort & Club on Cape Cod, 2907 Main Street, Route 6A, Brewster, Massachusetts 02631, 508-896-9000, www.oceanedge.com. Rooms start at $195/night in June for a family of three.

We also spent a night at the family-and-budget-friendly Cape Codder Resort & Spa in Hyannis. Teen girls will especially appreciate the Beach Plum Spa which offers a Kids’ Spa and Teen’s Corner. Kids can indulge in the chocolate milkshake pedicure (sip cocoa while feet are exfoliated with a chocolate scrub, $45), teen facials and teen makeup application lessons. A parent and child massage is also available (kids 16 and under must have an adult present during the massage).

Alex, of course, opted instead to sink his toes into the 8,200-square-foot indoor water complex, which features a fountain, several water slides and a wave pool. At night he met and hung out with other teens in the hotel’s courtyard where a bonfire is stoked each evening (S'mores included) and an outdoor movie is shown; there’s also an outdoor volleyball court.

Cape Codder Resort & Spa, 1225 Iyanough Rd., Route 132 & Bearse’s Way, Hyannis, Mass. 02601, tel. 888-297-2200, www.capecodderresort.com. Rooms start at $199/night in June.