Road Trip Bourne

Doran Park, the final stop on our Bourne Road Trip

For this season’s second road trip, we grabbed some recommendations, a gps, and headed down Route 3 to Buzzards Bay and Sandwich to check out some of the things to do before and after a game in Bourne.  Bourne’s Doran Park is the quickest Cape Cod Baseball League ballpark to get to from Boston if the traffic cooperates.  Heading down Route 3 at the end of the long Fourth of July weekend meant very little traffic, and the Sagamore Bridge came into view about an hour after leaving Boston.

Betty Ann's Clam Cakes

Instead of crossing at the Sagamore Bridge, we swung down Route 6 West past the Bourne Bridge to Buzzards Bay.  Betty Ann’s Dairy Freeze (225 Main Street, Buzzards Bay) is a small roadside stop a few hundred yards below the rotary to the Bourne Bridge.    One blog reader suggested that we sample the clam cakes and the vanilla soft serve.  We opted to sample the six piece clam cakes (only $4.00).  These deep fried balls of clam and dough were served piping hot with a side of tartar sauce.  Fried to a golden brown and not overpowering in their clam flavor, these tasty treats should please even those rare Cape visitors who shy away from seafood.

Along the Cape Cod Canal

Back on the road, we crossed over the Sagamore Bridge, caught Route 6A, and headed toward Sandwich and  the Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center(60 Ed Moffitt Drive, Sandwich).  The Visitor Center is a good resource for finding information on things to do around the Bourne area as well as a nice way to pass time during a Cape Cod afternoon.  Inside, guests can explore small exhibits discussing the creation and operation of the Cape Cod Canal or climb aboard a small Coast Guard patrol boat.  Outside, a path leads along the canal from the building to Sandwich’s Town Neck Beach.  We took a stroll down to the water before sitting down along the side of the canal to enjoy the warm weather.

Across the street from the visitor center is Seafood Sam’s (6 Coast Guard Road, Sandwich, MA).  Seafood Sam’s is fairly well known on the Cape with locations in Sandwich, Falmouth, and Yarmouth.  The restaurant serves good seafood at a reasonable price.  Our personal favorite is Sam’s Baked Seafood Mac ‘n Cheese Platter, a plate of cheesy elbow noodles with shrimp, scallops, and a Ritz cracker topping.

Twin Acres Ice Cream Shoppe, Sandwich

A nice day on Cape Cod often ends with a sundae, and Twin Acres Ice Cream Shoppe (21 Route 6A, Sandwich) is conveniently located between Sandwich and Doran Park.  It is easy to be intimidated by the sheer number of flavors at Twin Acres, but if you have a general idea what you like, the friendly staff can offer a few recommendations.  The ginger ice cream is filled with small chunks of candy ginger and is a great choice for those people who want to try something a little different.

From Twin Acres, we made a right onto Route 6A and kept driving until the signs for Upper Cape Tech and Doran Park appeared on the left.  Doran Park is tucked behind the school.  Even though the smell of the grill normally entices us to grab one of the delicious Doran Park dogs, we passed and settled down along the first-base line to watch the game.

Do you have any recommendations for things to do or places to eat around Bourne?