Encompassing a mere 16 square miles of high ground and surrounded on three sides by water, Chatham has a beauty that is unsurpassed. The town is a decidedly maritime place of pristine beaches, wild barrier islands, tidal shoals, fleeting sandbars, circular coves and miles of saltwater inlets.
Incorporated in 1712, Chatham remains remarkably old-fashioned, despite a well-deserved reputation for shopping. Chic boutiques reside in quaint storefronts along its winding Main Street lined with historic inns, whitesteepled churches, trendy eateries and art galleries. 
Positioned at Cape Cod’s bent “elbow,” Chatham, Massachusetts, has become an upscale seaside resort without losing any of its true-blue New England village charm. Sandy beaches, a lively Main Street scene, and lovely seaside lodging make Chatham both a convenient anchor for a wide-ranging Cape Cod vacation and a perfect place to hunker down to get away from it all. Since 1885, top college players have shown their mettle every summer in the 10-team Cape Cod League — and in Chatham, local fans cheer on the Anglers. Ballplayers join the community, working part-time, and living with local families. Admission to regular-season games (each team plays 44 games) – at ballfields from Wareham to Orleans – is by donation. That’s a small price to watch tomorrow’s Major Leaguers play. Named a 2013 Yankee Editors’ Pick for “Best Pure Baseball.”
Chatham Lighthouse...This history of lighthouse-keeping in Chatham goes back nearly two centuries, to when President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the first keeper of a lard-burning structure to monitor the safety of ships as they passed through the region’s rough waters. The current lighthouse was erected in 1877 and still serves as an active U.S Coast Guard Station.
There are a number of ocean beaches in Chatham, including Chatham Light Beach, where seals lounge on the rocky shore, and Hardings Beach, where shorebirds often nest. There is excellent ocean and creek swimming where the Bucks Creek Marshes meet Cockle Cove at Ridgevale Beach. This beach offers plenty of open waters for strong swimmers to explore, as well as brackish shallows for young children to splash around in.