In addition to honoring the Pilgrims, the illuminated monument is literally glaring proof that while the tourist season may have wound down, Provincetown certainly hasn't closed down. In fact, a lot of locals think this is when P'town really comes into its own, becoming again the funky, slow-paced fishing village and art colony that attracted so many artists, writers and assorted free spirits in the first place. Swimming is an option only for Polar Bear Club members, but off-season temperatures are usually 10 or more degrees warmer than in Boston and comfortable enough most days for beach walking, hiking in surrounding sand dunes and biking the trails of Cape Cod National Seashore. Provincetown has a resident population of less than 4,000, but on a midsummer weekend, as many as 70,000 people pack into the town, clogging the narrow streets with traffic, carpeting beaches with bodies, filling restaurants and hotels to capacity, and driving up prices. After Labor Day, however, the tourist tide recedes and another less frenetic Provincetown emerges.
Prices are visitor-friendly, too.
Room prices now are about half what they are in summer. The wining and dining options this time of year aren't what they are in midsummer, but some of Provincetown's most popular restaurants are still open, sustained by a loyal, local clientele. The monument illumination also kicks off what amounts to a pre-Christmas shopping festival. A dozen or so art galleries along Commercial Street, the main drag, will be open, as will crafts shops and boutiques. Newly renovated after a disastrous fire two years ago is Whalers Wharf, a harborside atrium mall with about two dozen shops and services.