City: Cataumet, MA

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (508) 564-6404

Address: 1050 County Rd.

Description: If you are a nature lover, especially a birder, looking for a serenely private getaway, this is the place for you. The Wood Duck Inn Bed and Breakfast is located in Cataumet, a seaside hamlet and one of the “villages” of Bourne. It offers a country setting on a peaceful rural road that meanders past fields and cranberry bogs. From the spacious, well-manicured lawn, you’ll have a bird’s-eye view of a 17-acre working cranberry bog that connects with miles of wooded conservation land; if you walk farther out, you’ll come to Red Brook Pond; beyond that you’ll find Red Brook Harbor on Buzzards Bay. If you do walk through the grounds, or farther, you’ll find the birding is great. But you don’t necessarily have to go on a hike to spot wildlife. You might see foxes, coyotes, ospreys, or blue herons right from your guest-room window. The inn, built in 1848 by a sea captain’s son, offers two suites and one comfy guest room, each with a private outside entrance—and easy access for the less mobile. The interior decor is tasteful and consists of charming country antiques, handmade quilts, and stenciling. All rooms contain standard amenities including televisions, phones, and refrigerators, while the appropriately named Treetops Suite is more like a condo-efficiency, complete with a sitting room, balcony, kitchenette, microwave, games, and CDs to play on the stereo. The Garden Suite is ideal for romantic couples with its king-size antique featherbed and sweeping views of the bog and the inn’s spectacular gardens. Though the Wood Duck Inn is out in the country, it is just 10 minutes from Falmouth center and the island ferries, 90 minutes to Boston, and 90 minutes to Provincetown at the tip of the Cape. The suites are private and spacious enough to welcome “peaceful” children. It is also a fine location for a country-style Cape Cod wedding. The inn is open year-round. No credit cards.

City: Cataumet, MA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (508) 563-1818

Address: 1337 County Rd.

Description: Open year-round, the Courtyard Restaurant pushes back the dinner tables at 9:30 p.m. from Wed to Sun to make way for dancing and live entertainment that runs the gamut from contemporary jazz and blues to light rock and Top 40. The crowd, which ranges in age from late 20s to early 50s, takes in the music of local groups.