Southport

Southport on Cape Cod is a gated 55+ active adult community in Mashpee, Massachusetts, set on 254 acres just off Route 151 at Old Barnstable Road. Developed by Ron Bonvie and Bonvie Homes beginning in 1989, the community grew into 749 attached condominium homes — a mix of single homes, duplexes, and townhomes built primarily in clusters of quads and occasional triplexes. The original site was permitted for 1,500 homes, but Bonvie cut the count in half to give residents more room to breathe, and that sense of space still defines the neighborhood today. Homes were designed by national award-winning architectural firm BSB Design, and Southport's floor plans earned the 2013 National Gold Award for Best Home Design in America from the NAHB 55+ Housing Council. Seven distinctive floor plans range from roughly 1,333 to 1,952 square feet, every home has a first-floor primary suite and an attached one-car garage, and many include full or partially finished basements — a rarity in 55+ product. Resales are the norm now; the final neighborhood (The Peninsula) sold out in the mid-2010s, and homeowners have self-governed the association since crossing the 75% sold threshold in 2014, making Southport the largest self-governed condominium HOA on Cape Cod. Life at Southport revolves around the 32,000-square-foot Village Center, which anchors the south end of the community. Inside: a 400-seat Grand Ballroom, heated indoor pool, full fitness center with cardio and strength-training rooms, aerobics studio, card room, library, woodworking shop, sewing room, computer room, sports lounge, and table tennis. Outside the clubhouse residents gather around a second heated pool and patio, three bocce courts, four shuffleboard courts, a tennis court, horseshoe pits, and a BBQ and picnic area. Pickleball has a strong following. The private 9-hole, par-28 golf course — designed by award-winning architect Phil Wogan — winds through the northern sections of the village and carries no membership or greens fees for residents; the longer 18-hole Quashnet Valley course sits just next door for those who want a bigger round. The social calendar is genuinely full. A Charity Fashion Show, Halloween Ball, and Italian Night headline the annual events, and clubs include Beer, Book, Cornhole, Bridge, Cribbage, Billiards, Garden, Knitters & Crocheters, plus Ladies' and Men's Coffee groups, Friday Social Dinners, live music, catered dinners, and community-organized trips into Boston and New York for concerts, theater, and Red Sox games. Neighborhoods hold their own block parties and tailgates, and residents are deeply involved in wider Mashpee life — volunteering at the library, senior center, and town polls. Location is a real asset. Mashpee Commons — a walkable village of shops, restaurants, and seasonal events — is just minutes away, Cape Cod beaches are a short drive in several directions, and Mashpee is considered one of the best golf towns on the Cape with New Seabury, Willowbend, and Quashnet Valley all nearby. Boston sits roughly an hour north, and the Bourne Bridge and Route 28 give easy access off-Cape. Where to Retire magazine has twice named Southport one of the Top 100 Master-Planned Communities in America, and for many residents it lives up to the billing — a quiet, well-run, amenity-rich neighborhood that has aged into a true community rather than just a development.