Hyannis, MA Summary

Cape Cod’s Hyannis is a summer resort with the largest beaches on the cape and 14,120 permanent residents. It was settled in 1666 and named for a local Native American leader. It became a center of business after the railroad arrived in 1854.

Today Hyannis is one of the city of Barnstable’s seven unincorporated villages, all with historic homes, beautiful beaches, and other vacation amenities. It is also a distribution point for fish and cranberries.

America’s best substitute for royalty, the Kennedy clan, made Hyannis and nearby Hyannis Port on Nantucket Sound famous as the site of the Kennedy family home. A wonderful memorial to President John F. Kennedy stands on Ocean Street. The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum, in the old downtown Town Hall Building on Main Street, has exhibits depicting the Kennedy family’s time on Cape Cod during the years 1934 to 1963. In addition, the museum has opened an exhibit about the slain president’s son, the late John Kennedy Jr., who died in a tragic plane crash.

The Cape Cod Central Railroad’s first-class parlor cars, elegant dining cars, and restored coaches make regular scenic excursions from Hyannis to Cape Cod Canal, via Sandwich. Hyannis Harbor Tours, from Pier 1 at the Ocean Street dock, offers a one-hour tour of Hyannis Harbor, a view of the Kennedy family’s summer homes, and round-trip daily cruises to nearby Nantucket Island and Martha’s Vineyard.

Hyannis is south of Barnstable, about 3 miles south of US-6 on the southern side of Cape Cod. Air service is available at the Hyannis- Barnstable Municipal Airport.

Ferries run between Hyannis, Nantucket Island, and Martha’s Vineyard (note that the schedules change seasonally).