From Wikitravel

Bourne [1] is in Massachusetts on Cape Cod. The Cape Cod Canal runs through it. Bourne includes seven villages: Bournedale, Buzzards Bay, Cataumet, Monument Beach, Pocasset, Sagamore and Sagamore Beach. Bourne, settled in 1637, was incorporated in 1884 (before that it was part of Sandwich). The Bourne village of Buzzards Bay is home to Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

[edit] Get in

Bourne is about 1 hour from Boston and 1.25 hours from Providence, RI by highway.

[edit] Get around

Bicycling is possible, a car is preferred.

• All American Taxi, +1 508-759-4281.

[edit][add listing] See

• Aptucxet Trading Post Museum, 24 Aptucxet Rd., +1 508-759-9487[2]. The trading post building dates back to at least 1621. A number of historical exhibits and herb and wildflower gardens.
• National Marine Life Center, 120 Main St., +1 508-759-8722. Displays and exhibits about marine life. Free.
• Jonathan Bourne Historical Center, 30 Keene St., +1 508-759-8167[3]. M,Tu 9AM-2:30PM, W 6:30PM-8:30PM.
• Bourne Society Historic House, 22 Sandwich Rd., +1 508-759-6120
• Pairpoint Glass Company, Rt. 6A (Just north of the Sagamore Bridge), Sagamore +1 508-888-2344. 8:30AM-4:30PM. Watch glass blowers at their trade. Gift Shop.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Adventure Isle Amusement Park, 160 MacArthur Blvd (Route 28), 1-800-535-2787, [4]. Go karts, inline skating, bumper cars, lazer tag, and more.

• Walk, bike or rollerblade along the Cape Cod Canal, [5].

• Fish the canal or just watch the ships and boats pass through.

• Watch the Bourne Braves play in Cape Cod Baseball League action. Upper Cape Regional Technical School -- Over Bourne Bridge. At the rotary, go three-quarters of the way around and bear right onto Sandwich Road. The school is ahead atop a hill to the right.

• 'Remember 'Chocolate House Fudge', copper-kettle fresh at Chocolatte',11 Cranberry Highway, Sagamore (next to the Christmas Tree Store), 508 888-7065, [6].

[edit] About The Cape Cod Canal

• U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Center,Ed Moffitt Dr., Sandwich (Directions: Over Sagamore Bridge onto Cape Cod, Route 6, take Exit 1, RIGHT at light onto Rt. 6A, after entering Sandwich, LEFT onto Tupper Rd, LEFT onto Freezer Rd. at Aqua, RIGHT onto Moffitt Dr, follow signs) +1 508-833-9678. Free. All about the Canal, including how it is watched and run. Well worth the trip.

• 2006 Hours: 10AM-5PM.
• May 11-Jun. 24 Open Th-Su;
• Jun. 25-Aug. 31 Open daily;
• Sep. 1-Oct. 15 Open Wed-Su.

The Cape Cod Canal and its bridges are the most striking features of Bourne and hosts a variety of recreational activities. The primary purpose of the Canal is to provide a safe navigation channel for vessels. Because of the treacherous seas along the outer beaches of Cape Cod, the idea of the canal was considered as early as the 1620s. Finally it was constructed between 1909 and 1914. The Canal saves about 135 miles of open sea travel on average. Since 1928 the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has operated the waterway toll free to adequately powered vessels. The Corps of engineers maintains the three bridges that span the canal and also manages the Canal for public recreational use.

• Cape Cod Recreation Hotline: +1 508-759-5991.

Some of the recreational uses and facilities are:

• Canal Access Points

Convenient Canal access points have been developed and equipped with parking lots, picnic areas and rest rooms.

• Bicycling and walking

Two service roads which parallel both sides of the Canal are available for bicycling, rollerblading, jogging and walking. Each service Road is about 7 mi (11 km) long. Locals use these year round.

• Ship Watching

The Canal provides a close-up view of ocean going ships and tugs underway as they go between Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod Bay. All manner of ships go through including cruise ships, cargo ships, tankers and jumbo car carriers.

• Fishing

Salt water fishing is permitted from the Canal banks in all areas except the Canal Administration and Massachusetts Maritime Academy area. Fishing is also available from the Scusset Beach fishing pier. Fishing and lobstering is subject to state regulations and licensing. Taking of herring is subject to Town of Bourne regulations and quotas.

• Interpretive Services

Exhibits and information about the Canal are available at the Herring Run Visitor Center in Bournedale on Scenic Highway and also at the Administration Building. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Park Rangers offer a variety of guided walks, bike hikes and other educational programs along the Cape Cod Canal throughout the Summer and Fall.

• Boating

If adequately powered, recreational vehicles are permitted to use the canal. Sailing is prohibited; sailboats must use auxiliary power. Vessels must stay to the right and give way to larger vessels.

• Swimming and scuba diving are prohibited in the canal due to the often swift current.
• Hiking trails

• The Bournedale Hills Trail extends 1.4 mi (2.25 km) along the north side of the Canal from Bourne Scenic park to the Herring Run. The trail includes a .8 mi (1.25 km) self guided loop which interprets the Canal's historic and natural features.
• In Scusset Beach State Reservation the .7 mi (1.1 km) trail to Sagamore Hill provides access to an area that was once a Native American Indian meeting ground and later the site of a World War II coastal fortification with an excellent view of Cape Cod Bay.

• Marina Services

The East Boat Basin on the south side of the Canal in Sandwich has slips for recreational and commercial vessels. On a fee basis, boaters may use the marina's slips or boat ramp. On the west end of the Canal the Buttermilk Bay channel provides boaters access to the Taylor point Marina operated by the Town of Bourne.

• Camping

The Corps of Engineers leases land to the Bourne Recreation Authority for Bourne Scenic Park campground and to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for Scusset Beach State Reservation where recreational vehicles may use camp sites.

• About the Bridges

The traffic bridges that span the canal were built simultaneously in the early 1930s to replace the cantilevered spans before them. The Sagamore Bridge and Bourne Bridge are four lanes wide, have a span of 616 ft (187.75 m) and leave a vertical clearance of 135 ft (41 m) above high water. Over 35,000,000 car trips cross the bridges each year.

The unusual "vertical lift" railroad bridge, also built in the early 1930s, has a 544 ft (166 m) horizontal span with 271 ft (83 m) high towers. The bridge is normally kept in the raised position 135 ft (41 m) above mean high water. Train trips used to be very important, but now the railroad bridge is used mainly for trash removal trains.

[edit][add listing] Buy

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Bourne Scallop Festival, Buzzards Bay. -- Annually in early September.

• Beachmoor Inn & Restaurant, 11 Buttermilk Way, Buzzards Bay, +1 508-759-7522, [7]. Fine dining. Great bay views with sunsets. Tucked down near Mass. Maritime Academy.
• Sunset Grille at Brookside Club, 1 Brigadoon Rd, +1 508-743-0705, [8]. Lunch, dinner with outdoor seating available overlooking the golf course with bay views and sunsets.
• ChocoLatte', formerly 'The Chocolate House', 11 Cranbery Highway, Sagamore (next to the Christmas Tree Store) a contemporary updating of the classic Cape Cod Fudge and Chocolate Shop. +1 508 888-7065, [9]. Open Mon-Sat days a week, 7AM-5PM. Watch fudge being made, sample their chocolate covered cranberry Bog Beans, enjoy a hand-crafted latte, espresso, fresh roasted coffee, croissant, scone or choose from dozens of fresh fine chocolates by the pound.
• The Chart Room, 1 Shipyard Lane, Cataumet, +1 508-563-5350. Seasonal mid May-mid Oct. Hours: Mid June-early Sept daily 11:30AM-10PM; Shoulder season Su changes to 11:30AM-3PM only. One of Bourne's better places. Great harbor sunsets. Piano bar. Reserve. $12-$25.
• Krua Thai, 100 Main St., Buzzards Bay, +1 508-759-9662. Take out.
• Leo's Seafood Restaurant, 249 Main St., Buzzards Bay, +1 508-759-7557.
• Lobster Pot, 3155 Cranberry Hwy., Buzzards Bay, +1 508-759-3876.
• The Lobster Trap, 290 Shore Road, +1 508-759-7600. In the summer, try this for a truly authentic experience.
• Stir Crazy, 626 Route 28, Pocasset, +1 508-564-6464. Dinner Tu-Su, Lunch F only. Popular Oriental cooking, fresh from scratch. Inexpensive.
• International House of Pancakes, 2 Bourne Rotary, (508) 759-1161.

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Hotels and motels

• Best Western Bridge-Bourne Hotel, 100 Trowbridge Rd., +1 508-759-0800,[10].
• Bourndale Village Inn, 834 Scenic Hwy., +1 508-888-2796.
• Cape Cod Canalside Bed & Breakfast, 7 Coastal Way, +1 508-759-6564, [11]. One suite, and two rooms. View of the Canal.
• Jaspers Too Motel, 101 Maple St., Buzzards Bay, +1 508-759-3003.
• Scenic View Motel, 871 Scenic Hwy., +1 508-888-3331 - Right across from the Canal at the Herring Run Recreation Area.

[edit] Campgrounds

• Bourne Scenic Park Campground, Bourne Scenic Hwy., +1 508-759-7873,[12]. 456 sites. Right on the Cape Cod Canal. Loved by people in nearby towns.

• Bay View Campgrounds, 260 MacArthur Blvd., +1 508-759-7610, [13]. 425 sites.

[edit] Get out

Day trips to other areas of Cape Cod or to Plymouth or Boston are good choices.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!