Five miles of trails on the sanctuary’s 1,100 acres offer a variety of habitats to explore—that is, if you can get your kids out of the nature center, which has two 700-gallon aquariums with displays revealing the underwater worlds of the salt marsh and the tidal flats, plus animal and plant exhibits, puzzles, and books about the Cape. You can also learn about green architecture, as the LEED-certified building features composting toilets, solar panels, and sustainable materials, all documented on display boards. An excellent gift shop offers books and fun nature items such as observation jars and hand lenses.

Outside are five main trails and a butterfly garden. Take Goose Pond Trail (part of which is wheelchair accessible) on foot or on snowshoes through pine and oak woodlands, by two ponds, past a coastal heath (low-growing shrubs and plants), and along the edges of a salt marsh. To get to the sandy beach, take Boardwalk Trail across the salt marsh to see what’s going on at the tidal flats. Kids will enjoy watching hundreds of fiddler crabs crawling about the flats near the boardwalk. An amazing 260-plus species of birds have been recorded at the sanctuary, so chances are good you’ll encounter some on your walk. Five species of turtles live here, so keep an eye out in the marsh and pond.

If you’ve been a Mass Audubon Society member for more than a year, you can camp at one of twenty sites (tents only, no fires) the sanctuary maintains from Memorial Day to Columbus Day, but be sure to book well in advance.

Remember: Every Tuesday at 10 a.m., you can join naturalists and birders at the nature center for coffee and pastries to view birds at the feeding station and learn more about the many birds that visit the sanctuary. Check out the recent sightings board where animals that have been seen are listed to help you decide which trail to take. A number of naturalist programs are offered for younger children.

The Cape Cod National Seashore, farther east on US 6, offers many trails, beaches, and historic lighthouses to visit. The refuge is a short drive from the Wellfleet trailhead of the Cape Cod Rail Trail (Trip 71).

Lobster shacks and other eateries are along US 6.