Scituate, MA: Beautifully Situated, South of Boston

Article and Photo by Eric H., at VisitingNewEngland.com

Sometimes when we don't feel like making the long trek to Cape Cod -- and the Sagamore and Bourne Bridge traffic headaches -- Scituate, MA, will do just fine.

Some contrarians will say that Scituate is where Cape Cod begins, but this relaxing coastal community 25 miles south of Boston is more of a suburb to us -- albeit a very quiet one with a great location. Cape Cod, we believe, begins once you cross the bridges.

Scituate feels like a Cape Cod town, however, with its myriad Cape style homes, beachfront shacks and elegant estates by the sea, leisurely small downtown with a nice harbor, the scenic Scituate Lighthouse, views of the ocean, and many fine seafood restaurants.

When traveling to Scituate, we make the Mill Wharf restaurant our special destination. With fine panoramic views of the harbor from any seat, this cozy restaurant with cathedral ceiling and nice woodwork, delivers the type of high quality seafood entrees that you'd expect in a coastal New England town. Open for lunch, but better at dinner, we highly recommend the top-of-the-line New England clam chowder, lobster stew, baked lazy man's lobster with panko crumbs and butter, the delicious orange-glazed salmon, and the saffron scented vegetable shrimp rissotto.

After dinner, take a peaceful stroll downtown, do a little window shopping and make your way back to the harbor for pleasant views and a true taste of what an element of Cape Cod looks like -- without being in Cape Cod!