Dennis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

The Mid Cape Cod town of Dennis (pop. 13,734) includes Dennisport, East, West & South Dennis
Dennis vacation homes range in price from $650 to $6,000 per week, while you can find a vacation villa here between $60 a night and $925 per week.
Dennis Golf: year round
- Dennis Highlands GC: 18holes, public, par 71
- Dennis Pines GC: 18 holes, par 72, public

Points of Interest
Cape Playhouse, Cape Museum of Fine Arts, Scargo Hill & Tower, Josiah House Museum & Schoolhouse, Jericho House Museum, Discovery Days Children's Museum, Hockum Rocks, Bay & Sound Beaches, Bass River, Cape Cod Rail Trail.
Museums
- 1736 Josiah Dennis Manse, Nobscusset Road & Whig Street
- 1801 Jericho House & Barn Museum, Old Main Street & Trotting Park Road
- Cape Museum of Fine Arts, on the grounds of Cape Playhouse, Route 6A
Libraries
- Dennis Memorial Library: 508-385-2255
- Jacob Sears Memorial Library: 508-385-8151
- South Dennis Free Public Library: 508-394-8954
Historic Dennis along Rte. 6A offers antiques and many of Cape Cod's nicer gift shops. There is a diversity of dining in Dennis, with everything from family-style Ye Olde Seafood-type restaurants to upscale cuisine. Dennis also has some of the best public golf courses on the Cape, and several fishing charters in Sesuit Harbor. It's an all-around versatile town for both first-time and experienced Cape Cod vacationers.
History
One of the few bi-coastal towns on the Cape, Dennis was incorporated in 1793. The town is named for the area's first appointed minister, Rev. Josiah Dennis. In 1816 town resident Henry Hall found that sand which had blown onto his cranberry vines made for a sturdier and larger fruit. It was this discovery that was the catalyst for cranberry farming to become a big business on Cape Cod.
Beaches
- Chapin Memorial: Dr. Bottero Road from New Boston Road off Route 6A
- Cold Storage: Cold Storage Road from School Street, off Route 6A
- Corporation: Corporation Road off Route 6A
- Harborview: Sesuit Neck and Harbor Road off Bridge Street, from Route 6A
- Howes Street: Howes Street from Seaside Avenue, off Route 6A
- Mayflower: Dunes Road off Bayview Road, off Route 6A
- Scargo: Dr. Lord Road off Route 6A
- Sea Street: Sea Street off South Street, off Route 6A
- Princess: off Scargo Hill Road, off 6A
- Depot Street: Depot Street off Lower County Road
- Glendon Street: Old Wharf Road off Lower County Road
- Haigis: Old Wharf Road off Lower County Road
- Inman Road: Inman Road off Lower County Road
- Raycroft: off Old Wharf Road, off Lower County Road
- South Village: South Village Road off Lower County Road
The Legend Of Scargo Lake
While the Sound and Bay views are breathtaking, when you're at the top of the tower, look below to Scargo Lake. Like most of the lakes and ponds on Cape Cod, Scargo Lake was formed by glacier activity eons ago. Yet, facts are never as interesting as folklore, so share this tale with your companions. Once, the beautiful Princess Scargo, lived along the Dennis shores. She was part of the Bobuset tribe, lead by her father Sagem. One day, a brave young runner from a faraway tribe happened to espy the Princess. At once, the two fell madly in love. To show his devotion, the brave gave the Princess a beautifully carved pumpkin, which he had hollowed out and filled with water. Four small silvery fish were inside. He promised to return to the Princess before the fish had fully grown.
The Princess adored her gift. She hollowed out a small pond in a clearing and returned every day. As the fish grew, the time apart from her beloved diminished. The summer was long and dry, though. One morning, when she arrived at the pond, she found it dry. Three of the fish were dead. As she wept uncontrollably, her tears kept the one remaining fish alive. Her grief greatly distressed her father.
Sagem called a meeting at which it was decided a lake was needed for Princesses' fish. The strongest and most skilled brave was instructed to shoot an arrow. When it fell, the spot was marked. The brave shot 3 more arrows to mark the remaining boundaries for the lake. Then, squaws, using clamshells as shovels, dug a hole within the boundaries, which was then filled by fall rains.
The fish thrived in the lake and Princess Scargo resumed her wait for her lover. As promised, he returned before the fish had matured, and they were married soon after. They continued to live along the shore of Scargo Lake, where the descendants of the silvery fish-a token of love-still swim.