1. Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge

    1. Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge

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    Bourne, MA

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    Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge

    4.1 (10 reviews)

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    A lovely bridge
    Brian S.

    Trash canals and tourists Bridges are cool, big bridges are really cool and big bridges that carry trains across canals are really, really, really cool. The Cape Cod Railroad Bridge is a lift bridge with a 544 foot main span. That makes it the second longest lift span bridge in the whole country. The bridge was started in 1933 and finished in 1935 and replaced a crappy old draw bridge built in 1910 that was holding up traffic on the canal. The huge bridge has a clearance of 135 feet, exactly the same height as the other two bridges that go across the canal. Obviously some thought were given to the design of all three bridges. For years the bridge only carried trash off the Cape onto the mainland. Nothing else. But fortunately some enterprising minds saw what a waste that was so a few years ago several touristy people trains started running over the bridge over to Hyannis. A very cool trip indeed. The bridge is lovely, especially when that huge lift is going up to let some huge ship pass. There are bike paths on both sides of the canal and seeing the bridge up close is a real treat. The bridge was just fixed up in 2002 so I suspect this great old bridge will keep on doing what it has been doing since 1935. But now instead of just garbage the cool bridge is carry people too.

    Elmer C.

    Completed in 1935, this beautiful Lift Bridge carries rail traffic across the Cape Cod Canal. Unfortunately though, there's not much railroad traffic to Cape Cod these days. Before the Cape Cod Canal was constructed, ships traveling up the Atlantic coast between New York to Boston had to sail all the way around the tip of Cape Cod. The canal makes the trip much shorter, and as such is a vital Federal navigable waterway managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps is therefore ultimately responsible for this railroad bridge, in addition to the Bourne and Sagamore highway bridges. There is a charming little depot station in Buzzards Bay on the mainland side of the bridge. It's in a style that would easily fit in with Henry Flagler's railroad and related development in Florida. But other than a few tourist trains during the summer, there's absolutely no passenger train service here. I realize it's a complicated thing to make passenger rail service successful, and well... you don't want me to get going about the MBTA here... But, anyone who's driven to or from the Cape during busy times knows that the Sagamore and Bourne highway bridges can't handle all the traffic, resulting in long delays on the roads leading up to them. Wouldn't some people choose a relaxing train ride if it were made practical for them? There's a nice system of bike paths along the canal and they run past the railroad bridge on both sides. However, the bridge is just for trains and no pedestrian traffic is ever permitted. This is rather unfortunate too. Since the bridge is hardly ever used, it would be wonderful if it could in some way serve pedestrian and bicycle traffic, whose only current alternatives are the busy, noisy, and much harder to approach highway bridges. So, the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge earns three of my stars, for it's beauty, great engineering, and lasting endurance. It would rank higher if were more useful, either for pedestrians or even better, for actual trains!

    Dan R.

    Growing up on Cape I have always loved this bridge and enjoyed watching it go up and down when the train is passing by. This bridge is also fun to fish near which provides a nice backdrop as you try and get a catch from the canal!

    great view!
    Shawn T.

    A cool and peaceful place to visit. We didn't get to see the bridge in action but I imagine it must be an awesome experience. There were people fishing and some reading beside their parked bikes. Definitely a perfect place for a picnic!

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    Review Highlights - Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge

    My boyfriend and I were in Buzzard Bay and decided to stop by the Cape Cod Canal to see the train cross.

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    Cape Farm Supply & Cranberry Company - Bus tour

    Cape Farm Supply & Cranberry Company

    4.3(26 reviews)
    26.2 mi

    Went on a tour this morning and absolutely LOVED this place! One of my favorite tours since…read morearriving here. Farm is run by a woman & her husband and the wife is so knowledgeable (and funny). We learned the whole process of how cranberries are grown & harvested. Would absolutely recommend this place!

    I dislike leaving less than stellar reviews, but I couldn't recommend doing a bog tour here. Your…read moreexperience in different weather may vary wildly. There's a lot of interesting and good information, and I liked the people. But.... The first half of the tour is in an old mini bus. The bus has tiny windows, like 4" square, and no air circulation. No fans. No air conditioning. Today was nearly 90 out by 10 am, when our tour started, and temperatures inside the bus got so hot that stepping out felt cool! You don't travel far, and then they stop for 10 minutes to talk about what's out the window. It's brutal. Ironically, the travel distances are so slim most people could walk it. But, just sitting on the bus in the heat? Yuck. The second half is in an old shed where you learn about harvesting. Again, it could be interesting, but it's a good 10° hotter, even with the fans going, and it makes it hard to focus. Or even listen. Better weather would have helped. But, we had an old lady in our tour group nearly pass out, and the guide indicated that that was not uncommon. Heck, complimentary water would be nice. Waters are a dollar. The tour is fifteen. It's all cash only.

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    Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge - landmarks - Updated September 2026

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