Commercial Street in Provincetown, Massachusetts, was crowded with shoppers the mid-June morning I arrived, by way of the American Glory, American Cruise Lines’ newest ship and among its fleet of Coastal Cats. These ships, offering luxury experiences and carrying a mere 100 guests, are designed for inland exploration along the East Coast—and boy, do they deliver, docking within walking distance of charming and often historic downtowns like Provincetown, an artists’ enclave hugging Cape Cod’s northern tip.

A few blocks after turning onto Commercial Street, I spotted a flower-covered arbor framing a pathway. I ducked beneath it and crossed a shaded wooden bridge—the fairy tale setting suggesting a troll or a few goats might appear at any moment—and found myself at Tim’s Used Bookstore, tucked in a little white cottage and filled to the rafters with antiquarian treasures.

Tim’s wasn’t the only independent bookstore in this colorful community bustling with boutiques, restaurants, art galleries and bed and breakfast inns. Across the street, the Provincetown Bookshop beckoned shoppers with a beguiling display of new books—and I made a beeline for it, picking up the latest Lucy Foley mystery.

Making enchanting discoveries—both onboard and in port—is what an American Cruise Lines experience is all about. On this Cape Codder-themed excursion, sailing roundtrip from Boston, the American Glory brought us to the charms of Massachusetts seaside towns and villages including Provincetown; Plymouth—home of the most famous rock in America; picturesque Buzzards Bay; New Bedford, known as “The Whaling City;” and Martha’s Vineyard with its gingerbread cottages; and, in Rhode Island, the grand gilded age mansions of Newport.

Three favorite discoveries on ACL’s Cape Codder itinerary

Three museums, each located in a different port city on American Glory’s itinerary, surprised and wowed me. In Plymouth, Massachusetts, the Pilgram Hall Museum—the oldest continuously operating museum in the country—is a treasure, with beautifully filmed and narrated multimedia presentations about the English families who settled Plymouth in 1620 and the Indigenous peoples whose lives were affected by their arrival.

Personal and household items that sailed with the families aboard the Mayflower, including furniture, swords, a Trooper’s or doglock pistol, a tin-glazed earthenware teapot and wassail cup, help paint a picture of these early 1600s settlers. Vignettes of costumed mannequins compare the conjuring of popular culture with more realistic paintings of how the pilgrims actually dressed.

Everyone is invited to touch the small piece of Plymouth Rock on display, blackened with the fingerprints of generations of visitors. No thank you. Seeing the bigger chunk of Plymouth Rock that resides beneath glass not far away in Pilgrim Memorial State Park on the shore of Plymouth Harbor was enough for me.

In Buzzards Bay, the Sandwich Glass Museum was a marvel of jewel-colored, lacy, engraved, blown, threaded and decorated glassware, displayed along a timeline beginning in 1825 when the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company began blowing glass at its new factory. It continues through the early 1920s with a display of cut glass.

Arriving in time to watch the glassblower draw molten glass from the furnace, I watched as he blew and pressed it into a whale tail. (Glassblowing demonstration are offered every hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during museum hours.) The "Art of the Glassmaker" diorama caught my eye, so intricate in its detailing of early glassmaking practices in miniature. The gift shop, filled with delicate, handcrafted glassworks, including the museum’s very popular Witch Balls, drew everyone like a magnet. Legend has it that these hollow glass orbs, typically hung in windows, would trap any evil spirits that touched them.

The quiet waterfront town of New Bedford captivates with historic buildings and cobblestone streets. I wandered into the New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park Visitor Center and spent some time studying the ship model anchoring the gift shop. In the courtyard, I found two women in period dress discussing the local whaling industry in New Bedford’s early years, never breaking character as they answered questions, crocheted and gossiped with each other.

The visitor center is a good first stop before heading to the New Bedford Whaling Museum with its behemoth whale skeletons, a half-scale model of the Lagoda, a 19th-century whaling vessel, and its collection of scrimshaw, the shipboard art called scrimshandering by the whalers who created these decorative curiosities.

Three favorite discoveries onboard ACL’s American Glory

American-inspired menus fine-tuned to the region were at the top of my list of wonderful discoveries—each meal served in the restaurant consistently full-flavored and beautifully plated, from breakfast quiches to lunchtime lobster rolls to dinner entrées like apple cider and Vermont maple-glazed free-range chicken breast and Chesapeake Bay blue crab crusted Faroe Island salmon.

The casual Lookout Café on Deck 3 serves breakfast sandwiches, wraps, salads, burgers and more for dining al fresco or in the Sky Lounge. The cruise line’s signature cheeseburger, piled with fixin's including shaved red onion, topped with a dallop of roasted garlic mayo and served on a toasted brioche bun is not to be missed.

Menus take full advantage of the region and season and show off locally grown, sustainable ingredients, including foods brought aboard from farms and vineyards visited along the way. Dishes tasted fresh and authentic—the salads with their colorful mix of greens, seeds and local fruits and topped with house-made dressing especially zesty.

American Glory’s daily cocktail party, served in the Chesapeake Lounge, is a smorgasbord of hot and cold, sweet and savory small bites, each day presenting an ever-changing lineup of tasty morsels—egg rolls, assorted cheeses and crackers, berries and apple slices, different meats, shrimp and cocktail sauce, mini quiches, fried green beans with a deliciously piquant dip, deviled eggs and more.

Another discovery: A cabin larger than I expected, with plenty of room between the beds, sitting area and writing desk, plus spacious and well-organized bathroom and ample and seamless storage. Large floor-to-ceiling glass doors led to the balcony, a comfortable nook for reading, daydreaming and watching the New England landscape.

Halfway through the cruise I stumbled across the study, hidden away on Deck 2 at ship’s stern. What a find—the perfect spot for quiet time and getting a little work done. Except for a few passengers wandering in to avail themselves of the complimentary computer station, I generally had the place to myself.

American Cruise Lines offers all-inclusive river cruises, including in the fare tips, gratuities, port charges, at least one complimentary shore excursion in each port and all meals and snacks. (In fact, you’re free to help yourself throughout the day to assorted sweet and salty snacks set up in the Sky Lounge.) But I loved discovering other much appreciated freebies like the WiFi and alcoholic beverages—included and available 24/7.

As with snacks, you can help yourself, flipping open the cooler in the Sky Lounge, pulling out a cold one or a chilled bottle of white wine and pouring your own. The red wines are lined up beguilingly on the counter near the cookies and other snacks for guests to fill their own glass. Another freebie: the guest laundry, along with containers of detergent and dryer sheets available for guests.

Find the perfect ship and itinerary with American Cruise Line and get ready to make some unforgettable discoveries.

For more information about American Cruise Lines—the largest small ship and river cruise operator in the country—its award-winning ships and itineraries, including new and exclusive ones, visit www.americancruiselines.com or call 800-460-4518.