Active Pursuits

Bicycling

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (recreation hot line: tel. 508/759-5991) maintains a flat, 14-mile loop along the Cape Cod Canal, equally suited to bicyclists, skaters, runners, and strollers. The most convenient place to park (free) is at the Bourne Recreation Area, north of the Bourne Bridge, on the Cape side. You can also park at the Sandcatcher Recreation Area at the end of Freezer Road in Sandwich.

Boating

If you want to explore under power of your own paddle, you can rent canoes and kayaks in Falmouth and float around Old Sandwich Harbor, out to Sandy Neck, or through the salt-marsh maze of Scorton Creek, which leads out to Talbot Point, a wooded spit of conservation land.

Fishing

Sandwich has eight fishable ponds; for details and a license, inquire at Town Hall in the center of town (tel. 508/888-0340). Permits cost nonresidents $39 for the season, $25 for a 3-day pass. Children, seniors, and Massachusetts residents receive discounts. No permit is required to fish from the banks of the Cape Cod Canal. Here your catch might include striped bass, bluefish, cod, pollock, flounder, or fluke. Call the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (tel. 508/759-5991) for Canal tide and fishing information.

Fitness

The local fitness center is the Sportsite Health Club at 315 Cotuit Rd. in Sandwich (tel. 508/888-7900). It offers 15,000 square feet of Nautilus and other fitness equipment, along with steam baths, saunas, racquetball, classes, and free child care. A 1-day pass costs $12.

Golf

The Sandwich Hollows Golf Club, on Service Road in East Sandwich (tel. 508/888-3384), is a 6,200-yard, par-71 town-owned course. In season, a round costs $30 to $60, depending on the day and time. The 18-hole, par-3 Holly Ridge Golf Course, on Country Club Road in South Sandwich (tel. 508/428-5577), is, at 2,900 yards, shorter and easier. A round costs $32 in season, with discounts for afternoon play.

Nature & Wildlfie Areas

The Shawme-Crowell State Forest, off Route 130 in Sandwich (tel. 508/888-0351), offers 298 campsites and 742 acres to roam. Entrance is free; parking costs $2. Camping costs $12 for Massachusetts residents, $14 for nonresidents.

The Sandwich Boardwalk, which the community rebuilt in 1991 after Hurricane Bob blew away the 1874 original, links the town and Town Neck Beach by way of salt marshes that attract many birds, including great blue herons.

As if to signify how oddly enchanted this little corner of the world is, there's a sweet little (57-acre) nature center here -- and within it is an even sweeter kitchen, where local ladies have been cooking up jams and jellies since 1903. The Green Briar Nature Center & Jam Kitchen is at 6 Discovery Hill (off Rte. 6A, about 1 1/2 miles east of town center; tel. 508/888-6870); once you've caught a whiff of the jam, you'll want to take some home. (Try the local delicacy, beach-plum jelly.) Jam-making workshops are offered for adults and children in the summer and fall. Prices are $38 per person for adult classes (members of the Thornton Burgess Society pay $28); the same price covers one adult and one child for family workshops. Children will be intrigued by the expansive kitchen, as well as some old-fashioned nature exhibits on such animals as rabbits, turtles, iguanas, and snakes. The center is open mid-April to December, Monday through Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 1 to 4pm; January to mid-April Tuesday through Saturday 10am to 4pm. Admission is by donation; the suggested donation is $1 per child and $5 for families. Summer story time is at 10:30am on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, costing $2 per person.

Tennis

Sandwich has public courts at the Wing School, Oak Ridge School, Forestdale School, and Sandwich High School. Contact the Sandwich Recreation Department (tel. 508/888-4361) for details.

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Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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				Frommer's Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard 2008 Author: Laura M. Reckford Pub Date: January 29, 2008 Price: $17.99				Related Titles: Boston For Dummies, 4th Edition Frommer's Boston 2009 Frommer's Boston Day by Day, 1st Edition