Rolling Through Time: The Story of Art’s Dune Tours

If you’ve ever stood on the edge of Provincetown’s windswept dunes, you know the landscape feels like another planet—golden hills undulating under vast skies, dotted with lonely shacks and bent pines clinging to life in the sand. It’s raw, surreal, and hauntingly beautiful. And for nearly 80 years, one local company has been guiding visitors into this wild heart of the Cape: Art’s Dune Tours.

The story begins in 1946, when Provincetown native Arthur “Art” Costa converted a Ford into a dune buggy and began escorting curious travelers across the sandy landscape. There were no roads, no maps—just instinct, charm, and a deep love of the land. Art’s tours weren’t just about the views; they were stories in motion. Along the way, guests learned about the dune shacks—ramshackle shelters that housed writers like Eugene O’Neill and Jack Kerouac—and the fragile ecosystem that held the shifting sands in place.

In the early years, getting into the dunes was no easy feat. The terrain was unforgiving and unmarked, and few locals dared navigate it. But Art knew the dunes like the back of his hand. His tours quickly became a Provincetown essential—part naturalist walk, part history lesson, and part adventure ride.

When the Cape Cod National Seashore was established in the 1960s, it protected the dunes from development but also limited public access. Art’s Dune Tours received one of the rare permits to continue operating commercially within the protected area. That legacy continues today under the care of Art’s son, Rob Costa.

Rob, like his father, has a knack for storytelling and a passion for preserving the land. Under his leadership, the business has grown while staying true to its roots. Tour offerings have expanded to include sunset rides, clambake dinners, photography outings, and special events. And in a nod to Provincetown’s deep connection to the sea, Art’s now offers harbor tours aboard their boat, Dune Good, giving guests a sweeping perspective of the town from the water.

Despite the updates, the magic remains. Riding through the dunes with Art’s feels timeless. The wind shapes the sand in ever-changing patterns, and the light—especially at dusk—is otherworldly. Guides talk about beach grass like it’s sacred, point out fox tracks, and share tales of artists who once found solitude in the shacks still standing quietly in the distance.

Art’s Dune Tours isn’t just a ride through a protected landscape—it’s a ride through Provincetown’s soul. In an age of fast travel and digital experiences, there’s something grounding about bumping along a sandy trail in an old-school SUV, windows down, salt air in your lungs, learning about a place from someone who’s known it all their life.

After all these years, Art’s is still doing what it set out to do: helping people fall in love with the dunes—one ride, and now one harbor cruise, at a time.

Click here to check out all of our Provincetown History!