Beaches & Local Tours
Beaches in Falmouth, MA
The quaint village of Falmouth has a mind-blowing 68 miles of coastline, the longest of any municipality on Cape Cod! With an average summer water temperature of 70 degrees (the warmest on the Cape) and over 12 miles of public beaches, there’s something for everyone. Surf Drive Beach is closest to our Falmouth, MA B&B and many of our guests walk there for a refreshing swim! Falmouth Heights Beach has restaurants and Old Silver Beach has the warmest water and finest sand (go early though….parking fills up fast.)
Night Photography Tours
Explore the area’s best lighthouses and beaches after dark with a Night Photography Tour from Cape Cod Photography! Learn from an expert while enjoying a truly unique experience on the Cape. This once-in-a-lifetime experience is perfect for photographers, astronomy enthusiasts, and anyone looking for a bit of adventure.
Advance reservation is required.
Golf
The Cape Club
125 Falmouth Woods Road, East Falmouth
The former Ballymeade Country Club was sold and underwent a major revitalization in 2016, and has earned solid high reviews since. 18 manicured and challenging holes and wonderful scenery have earned it the following accolade: “No doubt, The Cape Club is one of the best public courses not only on the Cape, but also in New England” – Golf Advisor
Falmouth Country Club
630 Carriage Shop Road, Falmouth
Two golf courses in one! A public course containing 27 challenging holes, owned by the town of Falmouth! Walk or ride the championship 18 hole, par 72 course, or enjoy the 9 hole, par 37 “Talon” course. Flat terrain, lush fairways and our immaculate greens will bring out the best in your game.
Cape Cod Country Club
48 Theatre Drive, East Falmouth
A scenic, public championship 18 hole course on the shores of Coonamesset Pond. Rolling terrain and beautifully groomed fairways have earned this mildly challenging course consistently high reviews from travelers.
Paul Harney Golf Club
74 Club Valley Drive, East Falmouth
An 18 hole executive length par 60 course, with mildly challenging holes and great after hours rates.
Fishing
Fishing is permitted from our many docks and bridges. Enjoy the excitement of surf casting from any of our beaches. No license is required for salt water recreational fishing in Massachusetts. Freshwater fishing licenses are required and can be purchased at local tackle shops. If a child is under 15 he/she can fish in fresh water without a license.
Deep-sea fishing is offered by variety of boat operators out of Falmouth Harbor. We will be happy to assist in pairing you up with a boat captain whose specialization is well-matched to your needs.
Biking & Outdoor Activities
Shining Sea Bikeway
Just 2 ½ blocks from Palmer House Inn is the bikeway, 10.7 miles of nearly level, easy bike riding, rollerblading or running. The path extends from North Falmouth to Woods Hole and offers breathtaking views of the coastline. Access points at Elm Road, Oyster Pond Road and Surf Drive. Parking at entrance on Locust Street, Falmouth. Palmer House Inn regretfully is no longer able to carry bicycles for its guests due to insurance restrictions. However, Corner Cycles is two doors away and has a substantial selection of rental bikes from which to choose.
Cape Cod Canal
Scenic 13 mile (round trip) level trail runs along the Cape Cod Canal from Bourne to Sandwich on the Cape side with access to the Buzzards Bay Recreation Area west of the Bourne Bridge.
Sailing
Palmer House Inn has a partner relationship with the owners of a magnificent sixty-foot sailing yacht, which can be chartered for day or sunset cruises and trips to Martha’s Vineyard and even to Nantucket. For the truly adventurous, all night cruises can be arranged.
Kayaking/Windsurfing
- Rideaway Adventures
259 Shore Drive, Mashpee, MA
rents kayaks, paddle boards and bicycles and offers lessons and guided tours. Allow 30 to 40 minutes by car to get there. - Cape Cod Windsurfing
20 MacArthur Boulevard, Bourne, MA
rents kayaks and paddleboards as well as windsurfers, offers lessons and has a delivery service! Allow 20 minutes from Palmer House Inn to get there (by the Bourne Bridge Traffic Circle.)
Spohr Gardens
45 Fells Road, Falmouth
A magnificently beautiful 6 acre garden located on Oyster Pond in Falmouth. In early spring, thousands of daffodils explode into color and are soon followed by equally riotous rhododendrons and daylilies.
Salt Pond Areas Bird Sanctuaries
Falmouth
Four amazing areas to bird watch!
- Bourne Farm – 6 North Falmouth Highway, North Falmouth
New England the way you only saw it in movies! 49 acres of drop-dead gorgeous countryside presided over by a stately pre-revolutionary 1775 Colonial Farmhouse. This romantic spot is also a popular wedding venue. - The Knob – Quissett Harbor Road, Falmouth
This dream-like fragile treasure is a world unto its own on the shore of Buzzards Bay, and offers bird watchers, hikers and bathers alike an escape from touristy crowds. Parking is limited. Dogs are allowed but must be on a leash. - Peachtree Circle Farm – 881 Palmer Avenue, Falmouth
Another slice of New England heaven. Organic farming produces fresh fruits and vegetables that are sold at the Falmouth Farmer’s Market in season. - Salt Pond Trails – Falmouth
Right off the Shining Sea Bike Path, where it intersects Surf Drive on the shore of Salt Pond is a network of trails that appear to be expressly imagined for the serious bird watcher. Ospreys and swans are among the dozens of species you may find here.
Ashumet Holly & Wildlife Sanctuary
Ashumet Road, East Falmouth
Have you ever imagined yourself wandering through a whole forest of holly trees? How about a forest of 1,000 holly trees of 65 different varieties? The Ashumet Holly & Wildlife Sanctuary is administered by the Massachusetts Audubon Society and contains 45 acres, including an eight acre coastal plain pond, nature trails, guided nature walks, bird watching. See over 30 species of dragonflies and rare pondshore wildflowers.
Coonamessett Farm
277 Hatchville Road, East Falmouth
Aside from being a twenty-acre working farming and research facility, Coonamessett Farm offers a cafe and general store and fun events, for instance its weekly J-Night, Jamaican food with steel drum music every Wednesday night (in season). Other activities are pick-your-own veggies and fruit and scheduled events, such as Mother’s and Father’s Day brunches, Halloween Pumpkin Decorating and so on.
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
131 Waquoit Highway, East Falmouth
Located on the south shore of Cape Cod, and straddling the border of Falmouth and Mashpee the reserve is a vast estuary of nearly 3,000 acres of open waters, barrier beaches, marshlands and uplands. Bird watchers, swimmers, hikers and fishermen alike will find uncrowded conditions and breathtaking scenery!