Falmouth Webcam – Woods Hole Ferry Terminal on Cape Cod

The Falmouth Webcam looks over the Steamship Authority ferry terminal in Woods Hole, the village at the southwestern tip of Cape Cod where the boats leave for Martha’s Vineyard. The main camera, run by Go Martha’s Vineyard (GOMV), points across the terminal plaza to the ferry slips, with the low, wooded shore of Nonamesset Island across the water. Big white ferries tie up in the slips to load cars, trucks and foot passengers, and the Steamship Authority’s shuttle buses pull up in front of the glass-fronted terminal building. Two more cameras sit in the tabs: a second GOMV view from the Woods Hole Inn, higher up and closer to the slips, and the Marine Biological Laboratory’s camera on Eel Pond, the village’s inner harbor. GOMV streams the main camera around the clock.

About Falmouth and Woods Hole

Falmouth is the Cape Cod town that holds Woods Hole as one of its villages. The town was incorporated in 1686, covers 141 square kilometers (54.4 square miles) and had 32,517 residents at the 2020 census, while Woods Hole itself counted only 834. The village sits on the Woods Hole strait, the narrow passage that separates Cape Cod from the Elizabeth Islands, and Nonamesset and Uncatena are the two islands on the far side.

The terminal is the mainland end of the Steamship Authority’s Martha’s Vineyard route. Sailing time is about 45 minutes to Vineyard Haven, which is served all year, and to Oak Bluffs, which is served from the third week of May to the third week of October. The passenger and car ferries on the route include the Island Home, the Martha’s Vineyard and the Woods Hole, while freight boats such as the Sankaty carry trucks across. The stone building in the middle of the frame, with WOODS HOLE TERMINAL lettered across its front, stands where the old terminal was razed in 2018.

Science is the other half of the village. The Marine Biological Laboratory was founded here in 1888 and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1930, and the federal fisheries laboratory that started the scientific community dates back to 1871.

Weather and Climate in Falmouth

Woods Hole averages about 11°C (52°F) across the year, according to NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals. January is the coldest month, with highs near 4°C (39°F) and lows around -4°C (25°F), and on winter days the boats run to Vineyard Haven only. Spring arrives slowly on this stretch of coast: April highs in Falmouth average 12°C (54°F) and May highs 17°C (63°F), and the Oak Bluffs sailings start again in late May.

Summer is the busiest season on camera. July highs in Woods Hole average 26°C (79°F) with lows near 18°C (64°F), and the Oak Bluffs boats add to the Vineyard Haven sailings. Autumn stays mild into September, when Falmouth highs average 22°C (72°F), before October lows drop to 7°C (45°F) and November lows to 2°C (36°F). The light goes early in late fall: in early November the sun sets around 4:30 PM, and the terminal and slip lights come on soon after.

Things to Do Near Falmouth

The Shining Sea Bikeway starts at the ferry terminal, from its trailhead on Cowdry Road, and runs 17.2 kilometers (10.7 miles) to County Road in North Falmouth along the bed of the Old Colony Railroad’s Woods Hole branch, built in 1872. The path takes its name from America the Beautiful, written by Katharine Lee Bates, who was born in Falmouth. A short walk from the slips, Eel Pond holds the village’s small boats behind a bascule drawbridge that opens on a schedule posted on the bridge, with the Marine Biological Laboratory on its shore. Nobska Light stands on Nobska Point just outside the village: the light station dates from 1828, and the current iron tower, lined with brick, from 1876. GOMV’s stream credits Pie in the Sky Bakery & Cafe in Woods Hole, which it suggests for coffee and pastries while you wait for a ferry or a bus.

Farther into town, Falmouth’s beaches include Surf Drive Beach, Falmouth Heights Beach and New Silver Beach. Inland, Highfield Hall is a historic house that is now a museum, and Beebe Woods has walking trails. The boats in frame land at Vineyard Haven and, in season, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown’s harbor is a short drive on from there.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

These cameras pick up where the ferry leaves off, on Martha’s Vineyard and back in Woods Hole.

• Edgartown Webcam
• Oak Bluffs Webcam
• Eel Pond Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Falmouth Webcam located?

The camera is in Woods Hole, a village of Falmouth at the southwestern tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It looks over the Steamship Authority ferry terminal, the mainland departure point for the boats to Martha’s Vineyard.

What can you see on the Falmouth Webcam?

The main camera shows the Woods Hole terminal building, the plaza where shuttle buses and cars turn, and the ferry slips on the right, usually with one or two ferries tied up. Behind them is the water of the Woods Hole strait and the wooded shore of Nonamesset Island. The Woods Hole Inn tab gives a higher view over the slips and the harbor, and the Eel Pond tab shows small boats in the village’s inner harbor.

Is this the Falmouth webcam in Cornwall, England?

No. This camera is in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod in the United States. It shows no part of Falmouth in Cornwall, the English harbor town that many searches for a Falmouth harbor or town center webcam are looking for.

How long is the Woods Hole ferry to Martha’s Vineyard?

The Steamship Authority crossing takes about 45 minutes to Vineyard Haven, which has boats all year, and to Oak Bluffs, which is served from the third week of May to the third week of October.

Does the Woods Hole ferry go to Nantucket?

No. Steamship Authority boats from Woods Hole sail to Martha’s Vineyard. The Nantucket boats leave from Hyannis, farther east on Cape Cod.

Where do you park for the Woods Hole ferry?

GOMV’s description of the camera says that drivers without a car reservation on the boat can leave the car at the Palmer Avenue lot in Falmouth and take the free shuttle bus, the white Steamship Authority buses that turn in front of the terminal on the main camera. Plymouth & Brockton and Peter Pan coaches also drop passengers next to the ferry.

Is there a Woods Hole Inn webcam?

Yes. GOMV’s second Woods Hole camera streams from the Woods Hole Inn and sits in the tabs on this page. GOMV says it overlooks the ferry terminal toward Martha’s Vineyard, Woods Hole harbor, the Naushon ferry dock, Nonamesset Island and the Oceanographic Institution’s boats.

What is the weather like in Falmouth?

Woods Hole averages highs near 4°C (39°F) in January and 26°C (79°F) in July. In early November the sun sets around 4:30 PM, so the terminal is under its lights by late afternoon.

Source: Go Martha’s Vineyard (GOMV) and Marine Biological Laboratory