Scargo Pottery

30 Dr Lord’s Rd S, Dennis, MA

Scargo Pottery (website) is the brain trust of the legendary and much emulated ceramist Harry Holl, who during his life helped transform the Cape into a Mecca for potters. Harry Holl is no longer alive, Scargo Pottery lives on, and it’s well worth a side trip, whether you’re a pottery buff or just like cool things.

(Everybody with a home they want to make look nice and a need for vessels to eat or drink out of is a “pottery buff” to some degree.)

One can appreciate Scargo Pottery on two totally separate planes – first as shopping/gift-shopping/acquisition – you’ll find no shortage of beautiful pieces you can use in your home/life, at very reasonable prices (they’re not in it for the money, but you are paying for world-class craftsmanship) – second as museum/destination. Similar to Japanese gardens or the Storm King Art Center, Scargo Pottery is vast, and painstaking arranged to incorporate ceramic pieces into the surroundings, both indoor and out (borrowing the Japanese concept of no wall separating interior and exterior).

As such it’s probably best to go on a sunny day, though it’s certainly not a wasted trip even if the weather turns bad. The interior spaces are equally impressive, a mix of the practical and the fanciful.

Scargo Pottery won’t take you a whole day, but is a good addition to any Dennis/Brewster day trip that might also incorporate Cold Storage Beach, a leisurely drive along Route 6A, and a meal at Sesuit Harbor Cafe.