The Ivy Handbook: THE JET PREP'S GUIDE: INSIDER SECRETS OF CHATHAM ON THE CAPE

You might have noticed that we at Chatham Ivy have a bit of a bias when it comes to vacation destinations, because, really why go anywhere else in the summer when you can go to Chatham, Massachusetts? Chatham has it all from gorgeous homes to an incredibly charming Main Street to spectacular beaches to old New England traditions. We've been summering in Chatham for years and it just gets better every year. If you go to the Cape and you skip Chatham that's like ordering an ice cream cone at Buffy's and only eating the cone. You've almost entirely missed the point of being on the Cape. As I said, we're a little biased. Anyway, here are my top 10 things to do if and when you do visit Chatham, because sooner or later, you just have to.

1. Have a Cape Cod margarita on the deck overlooking the bay at the beautiful Chatham Bars Inn. There are two places for cocktails - one is on the deck that is part of the Inn called The Veranda and the other is closer to the water at The Beach House. You can't go wrong with either location.

2. Tour the quaint shops and galleries on Main Street in Chatham. Don't miss out on ice cream at Buffy's, fudge at the Chatham Candy Manor, and our favorite antique store, Kahn Fine Antiques.

3. Have a lobster roll dinner at the First United Methodist Church of Chatham any Friday night in the summer from 5:00 - 7:00pm. Located at 16 Cross Street in Chatham, First United is the perfect place to dine before heading to the Chatham Band Concert. If lobster rolls aren't your thing, St. Christopher's Episcopal Church at 625 Main Sreet in Chatham, serves hot dogs, burgers and brats on the lawn before the Band Concerts on Fridays in the summer.

4. Head to the Chatham Band Concert by the bandshell in the park on Main Street at 8:00 pm any Friday night in the summer. These free concerts, featuring the Chatham Band, have been happening in Chatham since 1945. They are pure Americana with festive classic American music, hundreds of families, balloons, picnics, and lawn chairs. Make sure to stay until the end so you can do the Bunny Hop with your kids and the rest of the crowd.

5. Nothing says summer in America more than watching baseball and Chatham is the perfect place to do that. The Chatham A's are a collegiate summer baseball team who play in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Chatham A's games are fun, festive and just plain great baseball. Their schedule is on their website.

6. For the nature lover, Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge is a must see. You can walk for miles along a gorgeous beach, collect seashells, get your toes wet and possibly even see a seal or two. This is one of the most beautiful places to walk in Chatham.

7. Even the most intrepid urbanite will love going on a seal tour around Monomoy Island. You are guaranteed to see hundreds of adorable harbor seals and you get a wonderful and scenic boat tour of Chatham's varied coastline and stunning architecture. There are several different options for seal tours located near Chatham that are worth exploring.

8. The best place to watch the sunset in Chatham is Harding's Beach. After 5:00 pm you don't need a beach sticker and you can either sit on the beach watching the sun set as the waves lap the shore or you can take the scenic walk to the lighthouse. Quintessential Cape Cod natural beauty at its finest.

9. Your inner surfer will love any of the national seashore beaches close to Chatham. Our favorite is Coastguard Beach because you can always find parking, the beach shuttle is a fun experience and it has great waves, but other people like Nauset Beach and Nauset Light Beach just as well. Don't ask us why there are two beaches within miles of each other bearing nearly identical names. It's a New England thing.

10. For family fun, you can't beat either Oyster Pond near downtown Chatham or Schoolhouse Pond. Oyster Pond is actually part of the bay and is teeming with children having a blast swimming out to the docks and jumping off or searching for crabs. Schoolhouse Pond is a lovely freshwater pond with a lifeguard that is more serene but still very family friendly (added bonus, no crabs!).

11. I just had to add a number 11, because no trip to Chatham is complete without a drive down Shore Road past the gorgeous homes such as the famous Hydrangea Walk House then on to the Chatham Light. You can take a beautiful walk along the beach and use the public binoculars to spot seals and maybe even one of Chatham's newest residents, the Great White Shark. After that, head back down Shore Road and stop by the Chatham Pier FIsh Market to watch the fishing boats bring in the catch of the day. You won't find fish any fresher than that!

There are so many more things to see and do in Chatham, we hate to limit it to just 10 (okay, 11 and we didn't even mention Chatham on July 4th!). If you've been there before and checked a lot of these off the list, email us and we'll give you some more of our insider tips. For more gorgeous original photos of Chatham visit us on Pinterest. When you plan your next trip to the Cape, don't forget to pack our Entering Cape Cod t-shirt which says everything anyone needs to know about the magic of a perfect New England summer.