Hanover, MA Outdoor Activities

Jim Ballantyne's passion for windsurfing started in an unexpected place—on Austria's snow-dusted mountain peaks. After growing up in Westfield, Jim left for Europe to pursue a skiing career and subsequently spent his summer days windsurfing on Lake Garda in Italy. Realizing he had more passion for being on the water than on the mountains, he became a windsurfing instructor, surgically implanted a fin on his dorsal side, and moved back to the United States.

Today, Jim and his wife, Pam, continue to organize windsurfing lessons, as well as standup-paddleboard lessons. For experienced riders, they rent gear and a maintain a stock of new and used equipment, which expands to further action sports such as biking and snowboarding.

Click above to buy tickets for the Boston Derby Dames August 15 games. Click here to buy tickets for the Boston Derby Dames July 18 games.

Click above to buy tickets for Jonny Lang, August 9, 7:30 p.m. Click on the links below for tickets to other performances.

Helmed by stalwart captain Zdeno Chara, the 2011 Bruins exercise athletic domination over friction and work out cylindrically based angst on the ice. Premium club seating (located on levels 5 and 6) grants you early access to the arena and the first pick of the freshest foam fingers. Once the puck is dropped, you can see each snapping slap shot and delicate toe pick in vivid detail as you relax in cushy comfort, complete with extra leg room and in-seat wait service. Stretch your legs midgame with a jaunt to the Insight Club Lounge or The Patrón Platinum Lounge, or restock trivia arsenals with your ticket’s included access to the sports museum.

In 1958, Ryan Family Amusements founder James A. Ryan opened a simple, eight-lane bowling alley, planting the foundation for a slew of entertainment centers throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island. At 10 locations, visitors enjoy a variety of arcade and skill games in addition to traditional candlepin, tenpin, or duckpin bowling. Every Friday and Saturday evening from 9 p.m. until midnight, bowling lanes take on an incandescent glow, allowing bowlers to experience futuristic entertainment without the inconvenience of rising jetpack-fuel prices. Bumper bowling is available for younger players, and an onsite concession stand refreshes responsible adults with glasses of beer and wine.

The Staples Champions Cup brings together the timeless titans of tennis, including Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, for a round-robin tournament of fierce backhands and friendly back-talk. During the first session of the men's singles quarterfinal tournament, Borg, the former top tennis player in the world, will show off the racqueteering that won him five consecutive Wimbledon titles as he takes on Mikael Pernfors, a finalist at the 1986 French Open, in a showdown of Swedish swagger. In the second match of the first session, Mark Philippoussis, a finalist at both the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, will fly-swat the fuzzy yellow insect sent buzzing over the net by Olympic silver medalist Wayne Ferreira. Because there actually is a rule that says a sassy talking mule can't play tennis, the third match has been canceled.