The Town of Bourne is a medium-sized rural community at the gateway to Cape Cod. The Cape Cod Canal bisects the community, with both the Bourne and the Sagamore bridges, and the lift railroad bridge all located in Bourne. The canal is well known for its superb sports fishing, and for carrying ships flying the flags of all nations. The Bourne Scenic Park campground is located beneath the Bourne Bridge and is a perfect vacation location for those seeking to enjoy the canal.
Bourne has numerous quiet harbors and inlets for boating and bathing, and the shellfishing in the area is particularly enticing. Bourne is a quiet community without the summer tourist crush experienced by some of the other Cape communities. The annual Bourne Scallop Festival, which is held in early September each year, brings visitors from across the nation.
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Bourne Beach Information:
Bourne is home to a number of fine saltwater beaches stretching across its more than 50 miles of coastline along Buzzards Bay. The town also has about 2 miles of frontage on Cape Cod Bay to the north as well as a couple of ponds available for freshwater swimming. Like many Cape towns, Bourne holds a tight guard on parking at its beaches. The only beach with public parking is Monument Beach, near the southern mouth of the Cape Cod Canal. There is also the state-owned Scusset Beach, which straddles the Bourne-Sandwich line to the north. You can park here for $2 a day. To park at any other beach in Bourne you need a sticker, given only to residents or those who can prove they are staying in Bourne, such as those staying at a campground or renting property. Beach parking stickers are required if you want to park at a town beach and can be picked up for $20 at the Natural Resources Office in the Bourne Town Hall 24 Perry Avenue, Buzzards Bay, (508) 759-0623. Bourne does not have a daily parking fee.
Electric Avenue Beach on Buzzards Bay rests at the entrance to Buttermilk Bay near the Buzzards Bay rotary at the west end of the Cape Cod Canal. Lifeguards are on duty at this beach.
Monument Beach along Shore and Emmons roads has public parking and looks out upon the Bourne entrance to the Cape Cod Canal and the Monument Beach Marina. Situated at a small harbor, it is a pleasant place to spend the day in the sun and water. Lifeguards are on duty and there is a concession stand and bathhouse on site.
To the southwest of the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal you will find Gray Gables Beach in the village of Gray Gables. It is here that President Grover Cleveland spent his summer vacations when he was President during the 1880s and 1890s. Gray Gables has lifeguards and portable toilets, but there are no concessions.
A popular north side option is Scusset Beach on Cape Cod Bay. This large, clean state-run beach is predominantly in the town of Sandwich, yet you approach it by taking Meetinghouse Road off the Sagamore Rotary just before the Sagamore Bridge. From Meetinghouse, take Scusset Beach Road into Sandwich to the beach parking area where you'll pay a $2 fee (or $15 for a season pass). This beach has a snack bar and bathhouse available.
Sagamore Beach at the Sagamore Highlands is really three interconnected beaches on the mainland side of the Cape Cod Canal. These north side beaches can be found off Samoset Road. Though there are no concession stands at these beaches, there are lifeguards on duty and portable toilets available.
Off Barlows Landing Road in Pocasset is the appropriately named Barlows Landing Beach. Overlooking beautiful Pocasset Harbor, this beach has lifeguards and portable toilets but no concession stands.
Hen Cove Beach, also known as Pocasset Town Beach, is on Hen Cove in Pocasset, which empties into Red Brook Harbor. The beach is well protected by both the cove and harbor, making it a nice place for the kids. There are lifeguards on duty and portable toilets but no concession stands.
Another well-protected beach is Squeteague Beach at Cataumet's Squeteague Harbor. There are no lifeguards or concessions at this beach, though there is one portable toilet.
Freshwater swimming can be found at Queen Sewell Pond in Buzzards Bay, just south of Little Buttermilk Bay. There are lifeguards and portable toilets at this beach.
Another freshwater pond open to swimmers is Picture Lake, located off Williams Avenue between County Road and Mass. Rt. 28 in Pocasset. This beach has lifeguards but no bathroom facilities.