Kaplan
 
1980 Nauset Road, North Eastham
 

The Kaplan cottage is a rustic 19th Century farmhouse that retains the look of another era while its interior blends modern convenience with original charm. This property abuts the fenced-off border of the regional high school campus. Outdoors, there is a “shore shower” for rinsing off after the beach. The large yard provides plenty of space for outdoor play, while a grove of locust trees provides shade and a sense of seclusion for relaxing or outdoor eating. The first floor has a large living room with working fireplace, dining area, kitchen, double-bedded bedroom, and bath. The living room walls, with exposed support beams and cross-pieces, make “shelves” for paperbacks and sea shells. Surrounded by windows, the western end of the living room is a sun room with built-in window seats for reading or dozing off. Everything from the rather steep and narrow stairway up is the original farmhouse, with its nearly 200- year-old walls, windows, and pine floors. The three upstairs bedrooms are furnished with single beds and vintage bureaus. They open almost directly into the stairwell, so parents should consider bringing a child-gate. If more sleeping space on the first floor is preferred, the sun room end of the living room can sleep two on the bunk-bed sized window seats. There is parking for several cars, and a shed off the kitchen provides storage for bikes and beach equipment. This cottage is only a short walk to the high school where the Cape Cod Institute seminars are held. The Kaplan cottage is just a mile to Nauset Light Beach.