$1500 Cape Cod Challenge: Ten things we didn't get around to doing

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As an overplanning nut, I had many more potential activites to do with my kids that we didn't have the time or budget to fit in. I guess I'll just have to plan another trip to Cape Cod to finish them!

Here's a list of additional activities you might try with your children:

1. Cape Cod Baseball (www.capecodbaseball.org). There are free games all summer long at various locations around the Cape. If you think your kids are too young to sit through a whole ballgame (mine would be), you might give them a taste of Cape Cod baseball by having them participate in one of the baseball clinics for kids ages 6 and up that run throughout the summer. Most programs go for 5 days (M-F), a few hours a day. The Brewster Whitecaps (www.brewsterwhitecaps.com) offer single day baseball clinics for families who don't want to devote their whole vacation to baseball.

2. Family Fishing Trips. There are plenty of fishing charters advertised on the Cape, but Captain Danny's Clamneck Charters caught my eye (www.clamneckcharters.com). Most other fishing charters are half day trips. Captain Danny's is only 1 1/2 hours long which would make it a perfect first experience for young children.

3. Nantucket. The ferry ride is a little longer because Nantucket is 30 miles off the coast of the Cape (Martha's Vineyard was only 7 miles away). The regular (slow) ferry takes 2 1/2 hours to get there. If you're going on a day trip, I'd spring for the high speed ferry which costs a little more.

4. Bike Rentals. I can't reccommend any companies because I didn't research this. We'll wait until my youngest is old enough to ride a two wheeler. I did see lots of families biking while we were there, so this is a pretty popular activity.

5. Wellfleet Drive In. If you don't have a drive in theater where you live this would be a really charming way to spend an evening. My city actually has a couple of operating drive-ins left and we've taken the kids a few times, so we skipped it on vacation.

5. Water Wizz Water Park. I'm hesitant to reccommend this one. My friend from work took her family here and they said it was looking warn around the edges. I have to wonder, do you really want to spend time at a run down water park when the beach is so close? Here's the website if your answer's yes: www.waterwizz.com

6. Zooquarium. (www.zooquariumcapecod.net) Is it a zoo? Is it an aquarium? I don't know and I didn't get to find out because this attraction didn't make the cut this year. If we come back again I'll definitely check it out.

7. Ocean Quest Discovery Cruise. (www.oceanquestonline.org) We would have definitely done this one if I hadn't already planned so many boat trips this week. On the discovery cruise, the kids get to handle sea life like crabs and starfish. It looks educational and fun.

10. Wood's Hole Aquarium (http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsc/aquarium/) This is a free activity and on our list of things to do, but we were so exhausted after our Martha's Vineyard trip that we didn't get to go. They have short operating hours if I remember correctly, but if you happen to be in Wood's Hole waiting for the ferry or getting off the ferry, you might check it out.

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