North Truro, Mass., 2014.

It only takes an hour (without traffic or pee breaks, of course) to drive the entirety of Cape Cod. If you’re not in some Cannonball Run-style race to the end of the penninsula, you’ll probably want to take in a few lighthouses, vista views and fried clam shacks. Right, Captain Chaos?

Here’s a cool little piece of history that’s sort of near the tippy-tip outside of Provincetown: it’s a little collection of identical and adorable white cottages with green shutters sitting on some seriously prime beach real estate.

These are Days’ Cottages and they’ve been Cape Cod icons since 1931. The 22 darling dwellings (and the matching general store across the street) were created by Joseph Days, a dude with a dream to live on the beach and some extra money lying around.

It’s hard to believe now, but Joseph’s Provincetown neighbors thought he was nuts to buy a strip of sand. It didn’t matter; he was a man with a plan. Joe also just happened to own his own construction company, and in the wake of the famed stock-market crash in the ’20s and the resulting Depression, Joseph put his team to work constructing tiny cabins on the property.

Each featured two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room with a fireplace and—most importantly—a deck with a sweet ocean view. The original nine cabins opened to travelers in 1931. Cost to rent: $5 a day or $50 a week during the summer and $3 for a day, $15 for a week in the off-season.

Despite the economic atmosphere, the cabins were a big hit and another 13 were soon added to the collection. Joseph’s wife Amelia came up with the idea to make them even cuter by naming each cabin after a flower. Beachgoers could now choose to relax in the Zinnia, Peony, Wisteria or Violet (to name a few).

He may not have known it then, but Joseph was getting in on the ground floor before the Cape became a real hot spot for vacationers (right place, right time and all that). The cabins survived two major hurricanes, beach erosion issues and highway construction to become fast favorites of the Cod crowd.

By the time Joseph retired in the ’70s and handed the reigns over to his son Bernard, the little bungalows had become tourist attractions themselves. After another bad storm swept away the sea wall protecting the cabins, Bernard’s first order of business was to install a better, stronger wall—and it still stands today.

In the ’80s, the cottages became bonafide celebs, starring in Camero ad, appearing as a backdrop in a Vogue photoshoot and making a guest appearance on “The Price is Right!” (No word on if the contestant playing for a trip to Cape Cod won or, more importantly, which pricing game was played. I hope it was Plinko.)

In 1990, Bernard sadly passed away and the torch was passed to another generation of Days—and the tradition continued. Today, the little cabins look exactly the same as they did when they were built (save for a few add-ons, new siding and fresh paint) and you can rent them for your fabulous Cape Cod vacation for… well, slightly more than in 1931.

Actually, not only can you rent a Days’ Cottage, you could have the chance to own one! The cabins have gone up for sale one by one over the years for upwards of $400,000 each (how’s that for a return on investment?). Buyers must agree to one important condition: they can’t change the look, colors or names of their cabins.

Don’t worry: they’re still rentable! If you’d like to stay in your own little slice of paradise for a week, be sure to get your reservation in early—they fill up fast. And even if you don’t stay, the cabins are a great photo op with a can’t-beat-it view of Cape Cod Bay and Provincetown. Just stay on Route 6 and you’ll find them.

Have a nice DAY! (Sorry, couldn’t help myself.)

Main source: Days’ Cottages website. Read the full history and get rental info there, too.