Active Pursuits

Beaches

Although Old Silver Beach, Surf Drive Beach, and Menauhant Beach will sell a 1-day pass, most other Falmouth public beaches require a parking sticker. Day passes to Old Silver are $20 and day passes to Surf Drive and Menauhant are $10. Renters can obtain temporary beach parking stickers, for $50 per week or $80 per month, at Falmouth Town Hall, 59 Town Hall Sq. (tel. 508/548-7611), or at the Surf Drive Beach Bathhouse in season (tel. 508/548-8623). The town beaches for which a parking fee is charged all have lifeguards, restrooms, and concession stands. Some of Falmouth's more notable public shores are as follows:

• Falmouth Heights Beach, off Grand Avenue in Falmouth Heights: Once a rowdy spot, this is primarily a family beach these days. Parking is sticker-only and some local inns will provide stickers to guests. This neighborhood supported the Cape's first summer colony; the grand Victorian mansions still overlook the beach. The beach has lifeguards and bathroom facilities.
• Grew's Pond, in Goodwill Park off Palmer Avenue in Falmouth: This freshwater pond in a large town forest stays fairly uncrowded, even in the middle of summer. While everyone else is experiencing beach rage, trying to find parking at Falmouth's popular saltwater beaches, here you park for free and can wander shady paths around the pond. Here you'll find picnic tables, a playground, barbecue grills, a lifeguard, and restrooms.
• Menauhant Beach, off Central Avenue in East Falmouth: A bit off the beaten track, Menauhant is a little less mobbed than Falmouth Heights Beach and better protected from the winds. There are lifeguards, bathroom facilities, and a bathhouse. A 1-day parking pass costs $10.
• Old Silver Beach, off Route 28A in North Falmouth: Western-facing (great for sunsets) and relatively calm, this warm Buzzards Bay beach is a popular, often crowded, choice. This is the chosen spot for the college crowd and other rowdy young folk. Mothers and their charges cluster on the opposite side of the street where a shallow pool formed by a sandbar is perfect for toddlers. The beach boasts several amenities, including a bathhouse with showers and bathrooms, food concessions, and lifeguards. Windsurfers are available to rent in season. A 1-day parking pass costs $20.
• Surf Drive Beach, off Shore Street in Falmouth: About a half-mile from downtown, and appealing to families, this is an easy-to-get-to choice (it's a 10-min. walk from Main St.) but with limited parking. The area between the jetties is a shallow, calm area called "the kiddie pool." You'll find an outdoor shower, bathrooms, a food concession, and lifeguards. A 1-day parking pass costs $10.

Bicycling

The Shining Sea Bikeway (tel. 508/548-8500) is a 4-mile beauty skirting Vineyard Sound from Falmouth to Woods Hole; it connects with a 23-mile scenic-road loop through pretty Sippewissett. This is one of the Cape's most scenic bike paths and one of the few that travels alongside the shoreline. There is free parking at the trailhead on Locust Street, on Depot Avenue, and in numerous parking lots behind Main Street. The Falmouth Chamber of Commerce offers a map and brochure about the Shining Sea Bikeway. Biking along this former railroad track that follows prehistoric Wampanoag Indian trails, the bike path passes 21 acres of woodlands, marsh, swamp, salt ponds, and seascape.

Construction is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2009 on an 8-mile extension of the Shining Sea Bikeway, all the way to North Falmouth. That will make the bikeway a total of about 12 miles from North Falmouth to Woods Hole.

The path's name is a nod to Falmouth's own Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote the lyrics to "America the Beautiful" with its verse, "And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!"

The closest bike shop -- convenient to the main cluster of B&Bs, some of which offer "loaners" -- is Corner Cycle at Palmer Avenue and North Main Street (tel. 508/540-4195). A half-day bike rental is $17 ($12 for children), a 24-hour rental $26 ($15 for children). For a broad selection of vehicles -- from six-speed cruisers to six-passenger "surreys" -- and good advice on routes, visit Holiday Cycles at 465 Grand Ave. in Falmouth Heights (tel. 508/540-3549), where a half-day bike rental is $20, a 24-hour rental $25, a week rental $65. The surreys rent for $20 to $30 an hour. Holiday Cycles does not accept credit cards.

Bird-Watching

The Shining Sea Bikeway is a great spot to bird-watch, especially near Oyster Pond where there's an osprey nest. Keep an eye out for yellow-breasted chats and orange-crowned warblers, as well as waterfowl like mallards and buffleheads. You may also see herons and egrets.

Boating

Patriot Party Boats, 227 Clinton Ave. (at Scranton Ave. on the harbor), Falmouth (tel. 800/734-0088 or 508/548-2626; www.patriotpartyboats.com or www.theliberte.com), offers one-stop shopping for would-be boaters. The Patriot fleet includes a poky fishing vessel, the Patriot Too; and a 74-foot, three-masted schooner, the Liberte (2-hr. sails; $20-$30 adults, $15-$20 children 11 and under). On the Liberte, Chris Tieje hauls up the sails and regales passengers about his custom-made schooner, while the impressive vessel cruises the sound. The most expensive trip and the most popular is the sunset sail at 6:30pm. Other trips leave at 10:30am and 2pm.

Cape Cod Kayak (tel. 508/563-9377; www.capecodkayak.com) rents kayaks (free delivery) by the day or week, and offers lessons and ecotours on local waterways. Canoe and kayak rentals are $35 to $60 for 8 hours. Lessons are $49 per hour. Four-hour trips are $45 to $65.

If you want to explore on your own, a great area for exploring is Waquoit Bay. Washburn Island, a protected reserve with wooded trails and pristine beaches, is about a 45-minute paddle from the town boat ramp near Edward's Boat Yard on Route 28 in East Falmouth.

Fishing

Falmouth has six fishable ponds. A complimentary fishing map and guide are available from the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce. Freshwater fishing and shellfishing licenses can be obtained at Falmouth Town Hall, 59 Town Hall Sq. (tel. 508/548-7611, ext. 219). Freshwater fishing licenses can also be obtained at Eastman's Sport & Tackle, 150 Main St. (tel. 508/548-6900).

Surf Drive Beach is a great spot for surf casting, once the crowds have dispersed. Other good locations are the jetties off Nobska Point in Woods Hole and Bristol Beach on Menauhant Road in East Falmouth.

To go after bigger prey, head out with a group on one of the Patriot Party Boats based in Falmouth's Inner Harbor (tel. 800/734-0088 or 508/548-2626). Boats leave twice daily, at 8am and 1pm, in season. The Patriot Too, with an enclosed deck, is ideal for family-style "bottom fishing" (4-hr. trips $40 adults, $25 children 11 and under; sportfishing trips $70 adults, $40 children; equipment and instruction provided).

For deep-sea fishing enthusiasts, there are about a half-dozen sportfishing outfits that operate out of Falmouth Inner Harbor, cruising around Nantucket Sound, Vineyard Sound, and the Elizabeth Islands for bass, blues, tuna, and shark. Trips cost about $500 for a half-day, $700 for a full day. Call the chamber (tel. 508/548-8500) for info.

Fitness

If you're jonesing for time in the gym, the Falmouth Sports Center at 33 Highfield Dr. (tel. 508/548-7433) offers weight-training facilities for $9 per day. Racquetball costs an extra $12 per person per hour. Tennis is $26 per person per hour.

Golf

Falmouth abounds in golf courses -- six public ones at last count. Among the more notable is the challenging 18-hole championship course at Ballymeade Country Club, 125 Falmouth Woods Rd. (tel. 508/540-4005). Greens fees are $71 (weekdays) and $81 (weekends) and include carts.

Ice-Skating

Public skating ($4 per person) is offered year-round at the Falmouth Ice Arena, 9 Skating Lane off Palmer Avenue (tel. 508/548-7080; www.falmouthicearena.com), the home rink of Colleen Coyne, who was part of the gold-medal 1998 Olympic hockey team; call for information and hours.

Nature & Wildlife Areas

Ashumet Holly and Wildlife Sanctuary, operated by the Massachusetts Audubon Society at 186 Ashumet Rd., off Route 151 (tel. 508/362-1426), is an intriguing 49-acre collection of more than 1,000 holly trees spanning 65 species and culled worldwide. Preserved by the state's first commissioner of agriculture, who was concerned that commercial harvesting might wipe out native species, they flourish here, along with over 130 species of birds and a carpet of Oriental lotus blossoms, which covers a kettle pond come summer. The trail fee is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and children 15 and under.

Close to the center of Falmouth (just follow Depot Rd. to the end) is the 650-acre Beebe Woods, a treasure for hikers and dog walkers. From here, you can wend your way to the Peterson Farm (entrance off Woods Hole Rd.; take a right at the Quissett farm stand), purchased by the town of Falmouth in 1997. The 90-acre farm has paths through woods and fields, as well as a flock of sheep grazing in a meadow near historic farm buildings. Bluebird boxes (special birdhouses for bluebirds) line the path on the way to a quiet pond. There is no charge to walk in Beebe Woods.

Tiny but dazzling, the privately owned Spohr Gardens on Fells Road, off Oyster Pond Road in Woods Hole, invites visitors to explore 6 magical acres beside Oyster Pond. In the spring, thousands of daffodils bloom, followed by rhododendrons and day lilies. Paths wind past a collection of nautical treasures, like huge anchors and millstones. Remarkably, this private garden is free and open to the public. Donations for garden maintenance are accepted.

Named for its round shape that sticks out into the harbor, The Knob, 13 acres of trails at Quissett Harbor at the end of Quissett Road, provides a perfect short walk and lovely views of Buzzards Bay. There's very limited parking at this small, secluded harbor, so try it early or late in the day. The Knob is owned by the nonprofit group Salt Pond Areas Bird Sanctuaries and is free and open to the public.

The 2,250-acre Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR), at 149 Waquoit Hwy. in East Falmouth (tel. 508/457-0495; www.waquoitbayreserve.org), maintains a 1-mile, self-guided nature trail. The reserve also offers a number of walks and interpretive programs, including the popular "Evenings on the Bluff" on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm that is geared toward families. The visitor center is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm. You'll find several interesting exhibits especially appropriate for children. On Saturday in season WBNERR hosts a free 20-minute cruise over to Washburn Island. Once on the island visitors can explore its wooded trails or relax on its pristine beaches. The 12-passenger motorboat leaves at 9am and returns by 12:30pm. The reserve also manages 11 primitive campsites on Washburn Island. Permits cost a mere $10 a night. Advance reservations for the cruise and camping are required and can be made by calling tel. 877/422-6762. (The campsites book up 6 months in advance for summer weekends, but you'll have better luck with a late spring or early fall booking.)

Tennis

Among the courts open to the public are those at the Falmouth High School, 874 Gifford Rd., Falmouth Recreation Department; and at the Lawrence School on Lakeview Avenue, a few blocks from the center of town. Call the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce (tel. 508/548-8500) for information. Both are first-come, first-served. Among the commercial enterprises offering outdoor courts -- clay, Har-Tru, and hard -- are Ballymeade Country Club and the Falmouth Sports Center, which has six indoor courts in addition to three outside. Rates are $52 an hour for singles.

Watersports

Falmouth is something of a sailboarding mecca, prized for its unflagging southwesterly winds. Although Old Silver Beach in North Falmouth is the most popular spot for windsurfing, the sport is allowed there only prior to 9am and after 5pm. The Trunk River area on the west end of Falmouth's Surf Drive Beach and a portion of Chapoquoit Beach are the only public beaches where windsurfers are allowed during the day. Concessions rent windsurfing equipment at Surf Drive Beach. Windsurfing races are held at Trunk River Beach, about a mile west from Surf Drive Beach, Saturday mornings in the summer.