Every August, my extended family packs up entirely too much stuff and heads to Cape Cod for one of my favorite weeks of the year.
We’ve been taking this trip for years, and while so much stays the same—the beaches, the seafood, the sandy cars, and the chaos of getting a very large family out the door—every year somehow feels different.
Our Cape Cod family vacation in 2026 was one I’ll always remember.
There were 22 of us this year. Lots of cousin time, beautiful beach days, nights spent laughing on the deck, and, most importantly, my Dad joined us for the first time since 2019.
I’ve already shared what having him there meant to me in Living Where My Feet Are Planted, so I won’t retell that story here.
Instead, this post is about everything else: the fun, the chaos, the places we went, the things we ate, and all the little moments that made our week on Cape Cod so special.
Cape Cod Beach Days Are the Best Days
It wouldn’t be a Reynolds family trip to Cape Cod without planning our days around the beach—and, more specifically, the tides. We LOVE low tide. As the water goes out, the beach turns into a giant playground for the kids. They search for shells and tiny sea creatures, walk through the tidal pools, play games, and somehow stay entertained for hours.
We bounced around to a few of our favorite beaches throughout the week, including Nauset Light, Coast Guard (with the “shovel bus”), Red Trolley, and Mayflower. Every Cape Cod beach has its own personality, which is part of why we never stick to just one. Some are better for swimming, some for exploring at low tide, and some are simply tied to years of family memories.
No matter where we ended up, our beach days followed the same general routine: entirely too much gear, snacks for an army, games in the sand, long walks, and somehow staying much later than we originally planned.
Mayflower Beach and the Funeral of Dunefat
Mayflower Beach was a family favorite for the second year in a row—even though we made the mistake of arriving a few hours before high tide.
With 22 people, entirely too much beach gear, and a rapidly shrinking patch of sand, the “big kids” (and by kids I mean my siblings and me) quickly established an emergency evacuation plan in case the ocean reached our blankets.
Thankfully, we learned that high tide at Mayflower isn’t nearly as disastrous as we imagined. The kids spent HOURS in the water, and we discovered that the snack bar may have the best beach chicken tenders and fries on Cape Cod.
But the most memorable part of Mayflower had absolutely nothing to do with the beach itself.
Our kids found a deceased horseshoe crab, named him Dunefat, and—with a few new beach friends—held a full funeral. They decorated his grave, took turns leaving offerings and saying a few words, and then sang his chosen funeral song:
Happy Birthday.
I have no idea why.
But I can confidently say we will never forget Dunefat.
All the Family Time
One of the biggest reasons this trip means so much to me has nothing to do with Cape Cod itself. It’s having everyone together. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, all the cousins – and two girlfriends – made for a full party of 22.
Our kids get an entire week with their extended family—waking up in the same house, going to the beach together, playing games, eating meals, staying up later than they should, and making the kind of memories I hope they’ll talk about when they’re adults.
There is obviously a lot of chaos that comes with putting 22 people under one roof. Especially when it comes to cooking dinner for a family of 22. But there is also a lot of laughter.
Morning Coffee with My Siblings
Some of my favorite moments happened before we even left the house. Morning coffee with my brother and sister became a quiet (but giggly) hour of recapping the night before, teasing our Mom, and roasting whatever lame movie the kids put on until they shushed us for being too loud.
My brother is 12 years older than me and 15 years older than my sister, so we didn’t really grow up together in the traditional sense. My brother did A LOT of babysitting his younger sisters.
It’s moments like these when I imagine this is what it would’ve been like if we were closer in age—laughing together and getting ourselves into trouble.
Music Bingo at the Chatham Squire
My nephew and his girlfriend offered to babysit all the kids one night so the big kids could go out and play. We were so excited to bring my brother and sister-in-law to happy hour at the Chatham Squire—until it unexpectedly turned into a few wild rounds of Music Bingo.
We almost left because the bar was INSANELY loud, but thankfully we stuck it out for Billy Joel, Tom Petty, and Fleetwood Mac. When they started with ABBA we knew it was time to go. (P.S. ABBA is a no for me. Why do they have so many songs?) A highlight: my sister in law and I snuck away from the table to leave our mark on the Squire.
We walked in during daylight and walked out at night, laughing and silly. Then we went home to more silliness. It was one of those completely unplanned vacation nights that ends up being one of the best.
Our Annual Trip to Provincetown
No Cape Cod trip feels complete without our annual day in Provincetown. Somehow it always winds up being a blur—it’s crowded, hot, and rushed—but we go back year after year. Despite the stress, it’s still one of my favorite places to visit while we’re on the Cape.
We shop for souvenirs—unique finds from Marine Specialties, sweatshirts at the place near The Lobster Pot, and candy (so much candy). We usually end up eating lunch at the same restaurant, J.D.’s, which somehow seems to change owners every year. One time we climbed the Pilgrim Monument and I’d love to do it again – when it’s off season.
It’s chaotic and usually involves trying to keep track of entirely too many people walking down Commercial Street, but at this point, it wouldn’t feel like our Cape Cod vacation without it.
The Little Things I’ll Remember
It’s funny how the moments I think about most after a vacation aren’t always the big ones.
I’ll remember the day we went shopping in Chatham, had a weird lunch in the back room, but then came home to sunbathe together on the deck.
I’ll remember the mornings I saw the sunrise. Brandon and I learned first where to look for the bright orange ball in the sky (over the steeple!). Then the day we all got up while it was still dark—my Dad and sleep-loving sister-in-law included—to swat away the flies while watching the incredible sun rise over the water.
I’ll remember the nights when everyone ended up outside on the deck after dinner, turning my brother-in-law into an AI wrestler or arguing over what we were going to do the next day. There were sneaky double cocktails, writing our names on the bathroom wall, and getting lost driving home from the Squire.
I’ll remember my Dad pitching softball with the kids and the moment he shocked us all by taking off his glasses to swim in the rough waves. I’ll never forget my Dad staying up the latest with Brandon and still waking up early. Our walk on Mayflower, pointing out clouds that looked like Disney’s Pluto and wondering how the seagulls ended up with their own private beach.
I’ll remember the kids turning an ordinary dead horseshoe crab into Dunefat and giving him a better funeral than most people receive. I’ll remember the throne built for Fantasy (the Barbie) and how she bravely stood in the path of the crashing surf.
I’ll remember walking Mollie with my sister-in-law in the middle of the night and making my brother hold up a spotlight so we didn’t get lost. I would still love to see the neighborhood’s Ring camera footage. I can’t forget Mollie, who thinks she is a human, laying on top of my Dad on the couch.
I’ll remember the slowest washing machine and dryer of all time. My special bag of bug spray that went missing the first night but was finally found on the last day. The kayaks we didn’t think to use until my nephew watched the sunset over the ocean.
I’ll remember struggling to make beach sandwiches for a house full of people and somehow still having a week’s worth of deli meat left over.
Everyone talking at once—which I didn’t necessarily love and was mostly overstimulated by—but let’s never forget it.
My littlest nephew’s crush. The mysterious Joker figurine.
And all of the laughing.
More than anything, I’ll remember how good it felt to have so many of the people I love in one place.
Why Our Annual Cape Cod Family Vacation Means So Much
Every year when our Cape Cod week ends, I’m exhausted and ready for my own bed.
And then almost immediately, I miss it.
I miss the chaos. I miss waking up knowing we’re all together. I miss the beach. I miss watching the cousins make memories. I miss everyone sitting around with nowhere else we need to be except… with each other.
This year’s trip reminded me more than ever that these weeks aren’t something I want to rush through.
The kids are getting older. Our parents are getting older. Life changes whether we’re ready for it or not.
I can’t know exactly what our Cape Cod trip will look like next summer.
But Cape Cod 2026?
It was a really good one.
And I’m very grateful we were all there for it.
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