Old King's Highway
Old King's Highway is a National Scenic Byway in Massachusetts. Within Massachusetts it covers roughly 35 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Old King's Highway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Route 6A traces the north shore of Cape Cod through a string of well-preserved Colonial villages — Sandwich, Barnstable, Yarmouth Port, Dennis, Brewster — making up one of the largest historic districts in the country. The road is lined with sea captains' homes, antique shops, saltboxes, and old churches, with marshes and the bay never far off. It's a quieter, more historic alternative to the Cape's beach highways.
- historic Cape Cod villages
- sea captains' homes
- Route 6A
- antiques & saltboxes
- Cape Cod Bay
Designated for its historic qualities
Plan a drive on Old King's Highway → Drive this route in Road SortiesTurn-by-turn on iPhone · App Store
Places to stop along Old King's Highway
Cape Cod Canal Bike Path
Paved service roads along both banks of the canal, flat and scenic, with ships passing close by.
Heritage Museums and Gardens
Sandwich gardens famous for rhododendrons, plus an antique car collection in a round barn and a working 1908 carousel.
WebsiteSandwich Glass Museum
Glass from the town's 19th-century factory, plus live glassblowing demonstrations, in the Cape's oldest town.
WebsiteCape Cod Museum of Art
A Dennis museum of work by artists with Cape Cod connections, on the grounds of the Cape Playhouse.
WebsiteNickerson State Park
Kettle ponds, pine woods, and campgrounds in Brewster, linked to the Cape Cod Rail Trail.
Jonathan Young Windmill
An early-1700s windmill in Orleans with its original wooden machinery, open for tours in summer.
Where to Stay along Old King's Highway
3 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Old King's Highway.
Campsite and lodging links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.