Beaches -- Bourne has only one public beach: Monument Beach, off Shore Road. Half the parking lot is free (this fills up fast), and the other half requires a sticker from Bourne Town Hall at 24 Perry Ave. in Buzzards Bay (tel. 508/759-0623). Though the beach is small and pebbly, it's picturesque. Full public-beach facilities accompany the relatively warm waters of Buzzards Bay.
Bicycling -- See "Bicycling," under "Sandwich," earlier in this chapter. The Cape Cod Canal bike path, 14 miles on both sides of the Canal, is one of the best on the Cape. On the mainland side of the Canal, on Main Street in Buzzards Bay, access is at the far end of Buzzards Bay Park. On the Cape side of the Canal, access is at the Bourne Recreation Area, just north of the Bourne Bridge, along Canal Road.
Boating -- If you have your own canoe or kayak or want to rent one in Falmouth, you'll enjoy exploring Back River and Phinney's Harbor at Monument Beach. Cape Cod Kayak (tel. 508/563-9377; www.capecodkayak.com) rents kayaks (free delivery) by the day or week and offers lessons and eco-tours on local waterways. Canoe and kayak rentals are $25 to $35 for a half-day, $35 to $40 for a full day. Lessons are $45 per hour. Two- or 3-hour trips are $45 to $65.
Fishing -- So plentiful are the herring making their spring migration up the Bournedale Herring Run (Army Corps of Engineers tel. 508/759-5991; Rte. 6 in Bournedale, about 1 mile southwest of the Sagamore Bridge rotary) that you can net them once they've reached their destination, Great Herring Pond. You can obtain a shellfish permit from Bourne Town Hall at 24 Perry Ave., Buzzards Bay (tel. 508/759-0613). Also plentiful here are pickerel, white perch, walleye, and bass. For freshwater fishing at Flax Pond and Red Brook Pond in Pocasset, you'll need a license from the Bourne Town Hall . You can also obtain a freshwater fishing license at Red Top Sporting Goods at 265 Main St. in Buzzards Bay (tel. 508/759-3371). Surf casting along the Cape Cod Canal requires no permit.
Ice-Skating -- The John Gallo Ice Arena, 231 Sandwich Rd. in Bourne (tel. 508/759-8904; www.galloarena.com), is open to the public daily from September to March with reduced hours in the summer. Rates are $2 for adults, $1 for children.
Nature & Wildlife Areas -- The Bourne Conservation Trust has managed to get hold of a handful of small plots; for information, contact the town Conservation Commission (tel. 508/759-0625). The largest tract is the Four Ponds Conservation Area/Town Forest, which consists of 280 acres off Barlows Landing Road in Pocasset. The 40-acre Nivling-Alexander Reserve (off Shore Rd. at Thaxter Rd.) has three walking trails and flanks Red Brook Pond, where fishing is permitted ; it offers a half-mile wooded walk past several cranberry bogs. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (tel. 508/759-5991), which is in charge of the Cape Cod Canal, gives free naturalist-guided nature walks and slide shows about the Canal. Visit the Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center, 60 Ed Moffitt Dr. (at the northeast corner of the canal; take Rte. 130 to Tupper Rd. to Town Neck Rd. to Coast Guard Rd.), Sandwich (tel. 508/833-9678), for more details about this interesting waterway. There are several exhibits, as well as free public programs and canal guide booklets. Open daily 10am to 5pm in season.
Tennis -- In the Bourne area, public courts are located near the old schoolhouse on County Road in Cataumet, and in Chester Park, opposite the railroad station in Monument Beach. For information, call the Bourne Memorial Community Center on Main Street in Buzzards Bay (tel. 508/759-0650), which also has courts.
