Active Pursuits

Beaches

Yarmouth boasts 11 saltwater and 2 pond beaches open to the public. The body-per-square-yard ratio can be pretty intense along the sound, but so is the social scene, so no one seems to mind. The beachside parking lots charge $12 to $15 a day and sell weeklong stickers ($50).

• Bass River Beach, off South Shore Drive in Bass River (South Yarmouth): Located at the mouth of the largest tidal river on the eastern seaboard, this sound beach offers restroom facilities and a snack bar, plus a wheelchair-accessible fishing pier. The beaches along the south shore (Nantucket Sound) tend to be clean and sandy with comfortable water temps (kids will want to stay in all day), but they can also be crowded during peak times. You'll need a beach sticker or a day pass to park here.

• Gray's Beach, off Center Street in Yarmouth Port: This isn't much of a beach, but tame waters make this tiny spit of dark sand good for young children; it adjoins the Callery-Darling Conservation Area. The Bass Hole boardwalk offers one of the Mid Cape's most scenic walks. Parking is free here, and there's a picnic area with grills.

• Parker's River Beach, off South Shore Drive in Bass River: The usual amenities are available, like restrooms and a snack bar, plus a 20-foot gazebo for the sun-shy. A beach sticker or day pass is required.

• Seagull Beach, off South Sea Avenue in West Yarmouth: Rolling dunes, a boardwalk, and all the necessary facilities, like restrooms and a snack bar, attract a young crowd. Bring bug spray, though: Greenhead flies get the munchies in July. You'll need a beach sticker or day pass to park here.

Bicycling

The Cape Cod Rail Trail (tel. 508/896-3491) is a few miles away on Route 134 (near the entrance to Rte. 6) in South Dennis. Rent a bike at the trail head, and if you are feeling Olympian, bike all the way to Wellfleet (25 miles).

Boating

You can rent a canoe or kayak at Cape Cod Waterways, 16 Rte. 28, Dennisport (tel. 508/398-0080), and paddle along the Bass River, which flows between South Yarmouth and West Dennis on the south side of the Cape. Canoe or kayak rental for 1 1/2 hours costs $24 to $32.

Fishing

Of the five fishing ponds in the Yarmouth area, Long Pond near South Yarmouth is known for its largemouth bass and pickerel; for details and a license (shellfishing is another option), visit Town Hall at 1146 Rte. 28 in South Yarmouth (tel. 508/398-2231), or Riverview Bait and Tackle at 1273 Rte. 28 in South Yarmouth (tel. 508/394-1036). Full-season licenses for Massachusetts residents cost $28; for out-of-staters, $38. You can cast for striped bass and bluefish off the pier at Bass River Beach.

Fitness

The Mid-Cape Racquet Club doubles as a fitness center.

Golf

The township maintains two 18-hole courses: the seasonal Bayberry Hills, off West Yarmouth Road in West Yarmouth (tel. 508/394-5597), and the Bass River Golf Course, off High Bank Road in South Yarmouth (tel. 508/398-9079), founded in 1900 and open year-round. A round at Bayberry costs $85; at Bass River it costs $58. Prices are reduced in the afternoon. Another 18-holer open to the public is the par-54 Blue Rock Golf Course off High Bank Road in South Yarmouth (tel. 508/398-9295), open year-round, where a round costs $49.

Nature & Wildlife Areas

For a pleasant stroll, follow the 2 miles of trails maintained by the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth on 53 acres. Park behind the post office and check in at the gatehouse, whose herb garden displays a "Wheel of Thyme." The in-season trail fee (50¢ adults, 25¢ children) includes a keyed trail guide: Look for -- but do not pick -- the endangered pink lady slipper, a local orchid. Your path will cross the transplanted 1873 Kelley Chapel, said to have been built by a Quaker grandfather to comfort his daughter after the death of her child.

In Yarmouth Port, follow Centre Street about a mile north and bear northeast on Homers Dock Road; from here a 2.5-mile trail through the Callery-Darling Conservation Area leads to Gray's Beach, where you can continue across the Bass Hole Boardwalk for a lovely view of the marsh.

Tennis

There are four public courts at Flax Pond, off North Main Street in South Yarmouth; four more at Sandy Pond, on Buck Island Road off Higgins Crowell Road; plus 10 at Dennis-Yarmouth High School at Station Avenue in South Yarmouth. For details, contact the Yarmouth Recreation Department (tel. 508/398-2231). The Mid-Cape Racquet Club, 193 Whites Path, South Yarmouth (tel. 508/394-3511), has nine indoor courts ($22 per person, per hr.), plus racquetball and squash courts (one each, $15 per person) and health-club facilities ($15 per day).

Kid Stuff

Children tend to crave the "junk" we adults condemn, so they're likely to be enthralled by the rainy-day enticements of Route 28, which include trampolines, batting cages, pitch and putt, and bumper cars. Among the more enduringly appealing miniature-golf courses clamoring for attention is Pirate's Cove, at 728 Main St./Rte. 28, South Yarmouth (tel. 508/394-6200; open daily 10am-10pm in season; closed Nov to mid-Apr), where the trap decor is strong on macabre humor and there are two 18-hole courses. A round is $7.95 for those aged 13 years and older, $6.95 for children aged 12 and under.