City: Barnstable Village, MA

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (508) 362-6618, (800) 609-6618

Address: 2839 Rte. 6A

Description: This Queen Anne–style home has been fully and authentically restored, hearkening back to an era of grace and elegance. Guests from around the world delight in the sprawling lawn, the 10-foot privet hedge, and century-old beech trees that lent the inn its name. The inn also features a wraparound veranda with comfortable rockers, and extravagant antiques in the six inviting guest rooms, three of which have working fireplaces. The rich tones of natural wood throughout the inn are set off beautifully by Oriental rugs, armoires, and antique furnishings. Built in 1853, this Victorian home has fireplaces in the dining room and in the parlor, where afternoon tea, coffee, and sweets are served in cooler months. All rooms have wireless Internet access, refrigerators, air-conditioning, and private baths. Innkeepers Ken and Debra Traugot serve a candlelit, three-course gourmet breakfast that draws rave reviews for dishes like raspberry bread, baked pears, and apple harvest pancakes. The Beechwood, which is just down the road from Barnstable Village, its harbor, and area beaches, is open year-round. The inn welcomes children age 12 and older.

City: Barnstable Village, MA

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (508) 432-6909

Address: 449 Braggs Lane

Description: Often referred to as a college all-star league, the Cape Cod Baseball League delivers a quality of baseball that will satisfy the most demanding fan. Among the major league players who have graced our fields are Mo Vaughn, who played for the Wareham Gatemen; Jeff Bagwell, who was voted Most Valuable in the National League in 1994 and once played for the Chatham A’s; Frank “the Big Hurt” Thomas, who played for the Orleans Cardinals (now the Firebirds after a dustup with Major League Baseball officials over naming rights); and Nomar Garciaparra, who also played for the Cardinals and lit up local baseball diamonds before heading up to Boston. Like much else on the Cape, the Cape Cod Baseball League is historic. The first game was played about 100 years ago between Barnstable and Sandwich. True baseball purists will appreciate the fact that the league only allows use of wooden bats. Imagine the late-afternoon summer sunlight filtering across the ball field, casting players’ shadows upon the grass of the outfield. Here spectators fill wooden benches or throw down blankets on the side of a hill. You can buy a jumbo hot dog with heaps of mustard for the price a hot dog should be. You see future big leaguers play the game with the same enthusiasm, not to mention salary, of little leaguers. The quality of baseball is as good as you will find in many professional ballparks. In fact, on any given night, there probably is a professional scout in the crowd looking to spot the next superstar. Some 300 ballplayers from colleges and universities across the country are recruited each year to play on the 10 teams of the Cape league. They are hosted by local families, who often enjoy following the career of a young player who ate breakfast at their house for the summer and then made it into the major leagues. It’s not all play for the players though. Being able to play in the Cape Cod League does carry some additional responsibilities. Each June, before our public schools let out for the summer, players visit classrooms to talk to the kids and build team support, in some cases creating bonds that will never be forgotten. The Cape Cod Baseball League also sponsors baseball clinics each summer for aspiring youngsters. The Cape League season runs from mid-June to mid-August. Each team plays a 44-game schedule or 220 games across the Cape each summer. An all-star game is held in mid- to late July, and playoffs are held around the second week of August. You’ll find games at Clem Spillane Field in Wareham, Upper Cape Tech Field in Bourne, Guv Fuller Field in Falmouth, Lowell Park in Cotuit, McKeon Field in Hyannis, Red Wilson Field at the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School in South Yarmouth, Stony Brook School in Brewster, Whitehouse Field at Harwich High School, Veterans Field in Chatham, and Eldredge Park in Orleans. Games are typically held at 1, 5, and 7 p.m. Printed schedules are available in many local stores and newspapers. The Bourne Braves and Brewster Whitecaps joined the league in 1988. At that time it was decided to split the 10 teams into two divisions, East and West, thus setting the stage for playoffs at the end of the season. The top two teams in each division face off, with the winners going to the dramatic best-of-three championship series. Many of the fields, if not all, offer concession stands, but no one will complain if you pack a meal and make a picnic out of it. Because the league’s 10 fields are within a 50-mile radius of each other, it is possible to visit all of them throughout a summer. Admission is far more in keeping with the spirit of the sport than at pro ballparks: Donations are accepted, and a hat is passed during the game. So find a seat on the hillside, and let the cool summer evening settle in around you. As you watch a Cape Cod Baseball League game, you will remember something you had perhaps forgotten: pure sport.