Things to Do in Mashpee

Tommy Doyle's menu whacks hunger on its horned head with a delicious shillelagh of Irish-influenced pub grub. Starters include colcannon cakes ($6.99)—the traditional Irish appetizer made from hand-crafted potatoes, cabbage, and scallions—and the famine-fighting potato skins ($6.99). Cow-consumers will have no qualms with Tommy Doyle's array of burgers such as the bacon-and-cheese-crowned Hill 16 ($9.99) and the Kitchen Sink ($10.99), topped with mushrooms, jalapenos, onion, cheese, and a fried egg. Wayward Leopold Blooms missing the cuisine of fair Erin can opt for traditional Irish dishes such as a shepherd's pie ($11.99) and corned beef and cabbage ($10.99), or discover how seafood tastes on this side of the Atlantic with Tommy Doyle's most popular dish, the fish 'n' chips ($12.49). In honor of the Coyote Grill, the restaurant that preceded Tommy Doyle's at its Kendall Square location, Tommy Doyle's also serves fajitas in chicken ($11.99), steak ($12.99), and veggie ($10.99) variations. If your NASA training requires that you eat all your food for the day by mid-afternoon, stop by Tommy Doyle's for its weekend brunch.

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.

Most physical confrontations involve a level of personal risk, but at Cartland of Cape Cod, fun-loving competitors let robotic Boxerjocks do the swinging. Safely tucked away in a cage of steel, operators trigger sidesteps with the thrust of a joystick and jabs with the punch of a button. The unusual attraction is just a taste of what the epicenter of family fun has to offer, from vintage Indy-style go-karts to colorful bumper boats and water-balloon slingshots. Visitors who want to keep dry can head to the 20-hole mini-golf course, batting cages, and the area of classic coin-operated kiddie rides, and can still escape the heat with a scoop of ice cream rather than laboring to befriend an iceberg.

The line to the men's room at Nimrod Restaurant is peculiar because it usually contains both men and women. Near the restroom's doorway, gatherers careen and crane their necks to see a 200-year-old hole and the projectile that created it: a cannonball from the War of 1812. This hands-on history lesson is one of many elucidated by the guides at Phat Tire Bike Tours. They backdrop their classroom against the scenic sights of crashing waves, lush gardens, and bustling downtown shops. Seated on personal bikes or rental bikes that correctly answer the question, "What's my favorite color?", groups can set out on tours of places such as Falmouth, Plymouth, Martha's Vineyard, or Nantucket.

Sculpted into 300 acres of glacial depressions that form kettles and kames, Pinehills Golf Club's pair of 18-hole, par 72 championship courses seamlessly incorporate the stunning landscape, earning acclaim from Golf Digest, Golfweek, and Golf Magazine as top public courses in the state. The Rees Jones Course is cleaved through a dramatic glacial imprint left from the Ice Age, showcasing 7,175 yards of wide fairways and very few water hazards for a layout that plays similarly to a links-style course. Hole 15 is a 509-yard par 5 behemoth that demands the toughest carry of the round, about 200 yards. The uphill hole reaches the highest point on the course, which offers views of the surrounding topography, as well as the five bunkers that await errant shots or displaced sunbathers on their way to the green.

The Nicklaus Course was built one year later and presents a serpentine layout of dramatic elevation changes and small, slick greens. Undulated fairways are characteristic of this young course as it winds through dense clusters of coniferous and deciduous tree lines that burst with color in autumn. The course places a premium on precise approach shots rather than gunpowder-filled golf balls in order to avoid the gauntlet of bunkers on nearly every hole. The course culminates at the 18th hole, a 476-yard par 4, as well as a cerulean pond that golfers must carry in order to reach the small, contoured green in regulation.

Pinehills' practice facilities and clubhouse are what set the club apart from other public and private courses. Complete with five large putting greens, a 60-stall driving range, and three chipping greens with bunkers, the practice area is an ideal host for Pinehills Golf Academy. Lessons and clinics pair apprentice golfers with expert PGA instructors, who hone swings with the help of V1 digital swing-analysis technology. After a day on the course or at the range, the East Bay Grille quiets rumbling stomachs with clam chowder, burgers, and steaks.

Jones Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• Length of 7,175 yards from the farthest set of tees

• Course rating of 73.8 from the farthest set of tees

• Slope rating of 135 from the farthest set of tees

• Four sets of tee boxes

• See the scorecard

Nicklaus Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• Length of 7,243 yards from the farthest set of tees

• Course rating of 74.3 from the farthest set of tees

• Slope rating of 135 from the farthest set of tees

• Four sets of tee boxes

• See the scorecard

The Cape Cod Country Club has been in operation under various names since 1928; today, it continues to offer challenging greens and formidable fairways to all levels of golfers. During their 18 holes of golf (up to a $57 value on summer weekends and holidays), iron-wielders will swing and slice their way down sprawling slopes and beguiling bends as they quest toward Horton Smith–esque levels of links luster. Golfers can get a dogleg up on the competition, including the ghosts of past putters whose spirits will not be at ease until they conquer the tricky eighth green, with the club's course strategy or try to outdrive their drive in an electric-golf-cart rental, included in this deal (a $17 value).