Chatham fishing wharf Brewster house
Jonathan Young Windmill
On the Outer Cape in the summer, the towns of Orleans, Brewster, and Chatham provide a full range of food, lodging, and other services and facilities for vacationers. Some facilities remain open year round.
The National Seashore’s authorized boundaries encompass parts of Orleans and Chatham, primarily on the relatively remote Nauset Beach sandspit.
Orleans
The town is named for Louis-Philippe de Bourbon, Duke of Orleans, who later was the King of France; he supposedly visited this area while exiled during the French Revolution. In the War of 1812 residents claimed to have driven off attacking British ships.
Major industries in the late 1800s were commercial fishing, shipbuilding, and saltmaking. Today, Orleans offers a variety of restaurants, lodging facilities, shops, and travel-related services with ready access to the National Seashore.
The Nauset (Orleans) Beach is within the National Seashore but is town-owned and operated; fees are charged in spring and summer. A surfing area is provided.
Boating opportunities abound with 20 town landings providing access to Cape Cod Bay and to Pleasant Bay, which in turn leads to the Atlantic and Nantucket Sound. Several boatyards offer boat and equipment rentals.
Other places of interest: Orleans Historical Society, French Cable Station Museum, Jonathan Young Windmill.