Cape Cod - Bourne MA

Bourne Cape Cod Massachusetts

Known as the gateway to Cape Cod, Bourne Massachusetts is the first town one will reach as you pass over the Cape Cod Canal from the mainland to the peninsula. There are three bridges that cross the canal from the mainland (the Sagamore and Bourne bridges for cars and a railroad bridge for trains), and they all lead to the Upper Cape town of Bourne. One can’t mention Bourne without mentioning the Cape Cod Canal, a 7-mile-long waterway which was completed in 1916 as a means of creating a quicker and safer route between New York and Boston. The canal, which cuts the Cape Cod peninsula off from the mainland, has since been widened and deepened.

There are biking/walking/skating paths that run along the canal, which are also popular fishing locations, or just for watching boats and ships pass by. Bourne Scenic Park is a family-oriented park and campground located along the canal. The park offers tent and RV camping as well as swimming pools and activities for kids. A replica of the Aptucxet Trading Post, originally constructed in 1627, is located in Bourne. The post was established in Bourne by the pilgrims to trade with each other as well as Native Americans and the Dutch colonists from the Hudson Bay Area. Bourne is also home to the National Marine Life Center, a rehabilitation hospital for seals and sea turtles, which will soon expand to also rescue dolphins, porpoises, manatees, and whales. With its summer concerts in the park, traditional 4th of July parade, and September scallop festival, you might want to pause or stay a while in this Upper Cape town that many simply pass by on their way to the outer parts of the Cape.