|
|
|
|||||||
|
Rockport The Seashore. Rockport is aptly named – its harbor and shoreline have the rocky look of the Maine coast, in contrast with the sand dunes associated with most of the Massachusetts shore. Country lanes lined with wild flowers interspersed between interesting homes hug the coast and crisscross the headlands in the area south of town known as Land's End. We like the California look of Cape Hedge Beach from the heights at the end of South Street, the twin lighthouses on Thatchers Island as viewed from Marmion Way, and the glimpses of yachts from the narrow streets along the water in quaint Annisquam. Swimming is fine at Front and Back beaches in the center of town, the expansive Good Harbor Beach near the Gloucester line, the relatively unknown Cape Hedge and Pebble beaches at Land's End, and the Lanesville beach north of town. Parking can be a problem, but we've always lucked out. Halibut Point State Park, Gott Avenue (off Route 27), Pigeon Cove. On a clear day, you can see Crane's Beach in Ipswich, the Isles of Shoals off the coast of New Hampshire and Mount Agamenticus in Maine from this 54-acre park along the rocky coast. In the middle of the park is an abandoned, water-filled quarry from which tons of granite made their way to some of the more notable buildings across the Northeast. The granite ledges left behind are stunning. Guided tours and demonstrations about the quarry are given weekends in season. A restored World War II fire-control tower – the only one of its kind open to the public along the New England Coast – houses the park’s visitor center. The park is popular with picnickers, hikers and sunbathers. Open daily 8 to 8, Memorial Day to Labor Day; parking, $2. Open sunrise to sunset, rest of year. Bearskin Neck. The rocky peninsula that juts into the harbor was the original fishing and commercial center of the town. Today, most of the weather-beaten shacks have been converted into shops and eateries of every description. Glimpses of Sandy Bay and the Inner Harbor pop up like a changing slide show between buildings and through shop doors and windows; arty photo opportunities abound. The rocky point at the end of the neck provides a panoramic view, or you can rest on a couple of benches off T-Wharf and admire Motif No. 1 – the Rockport Rotary Club sign beckons, “This little park is just for you, come sit a while and enjoy the view.” Shopping. Most of Bearskin Neck's enterprises
cater more to tourists than residents, and T-shirt and souvenir shops
abound, although Joan’s Rainbow Legend and James Russell
Goldsmiths appeal to those looking for jewelry, and a great garden
draws passerby to Earth’s Treasures. Main Street and the Dock
Square area generally have useful stores, including the town’s first
“chain store,” the resorty apparel shop Mark Fore & Strike.
Colorful fused glass plates in the window drew us into Square Circle,
where we marveled at incredible porcelain depictions of antipasto
platters, fruit salad and the like, done by a woman from Virginia. We
also liked the wares at Too Fortunate Pottery. The Madras
Shop, Enchanted Lady and Sand Castles are known for clothing.
Proceeds from the well-stocked Toad Hall Bookstore in the old
Granite Savings Bank building further environmental causes. Interesting
casual clothing and jewelry are offered at Willoughby's, which
has a cozy café in back. Hannah Wingate House, two shops across the street from each other, and Woodbine Antiques are among the better antiques shops. The Granite Shore Gallery specializes in maritime art, decoys and fishing collectibles. Other good galleries include An Artful Touch and Mosher Gallery. New England Goods also caught our eye. The Art Galleries. For many, art is Rockport's compelling attraction, and by 1900 the town had become the place for artists to spend the summer painting. More than 200 artists make the town their home, and 29 galleries are listed in the Rockport Fine Arts Gallery Guide. The 80-year-old Rockport Art Association, with exhibitions and demonstrations in its large headquarters at 12 Main St., is a leader in its field. You could wander for hours through places like Paul Strisik's slick gallery next to the art association or Geraci Galleries in a 1725 complex of buildings at 6 South St. Concerts. The summer Sunday evening concerts presented at 7:30 by the Rockport Legion Band at the outdoor bandstand near Back Beach have been a Cape Ann summer tradition since 1932. A few of the original members remain active today, providing stirring concert marches, overtures and selections from Broadway musicals under the stars. The annual Rockport Chamber Music Festival presents performances Thursday-Sunday in June in the Rockport Art Association’s main gallery. Other than these, the best entertainment in town may well be, as a couple of guests at Eden Pines Inn put it, “sitting on Dock Square and watching the world go by.” Museums. The Sandy Bay Historical Society and Museum shows early furnishings and exhibits on shipping, fishing, the local granite industry and Rockport history in the 1832 Sewall-Scripture House built of granite at 40 King St., a new wing and in the Old Castle, a 1715 saltbox on Granite Street (open Monday-Saturday 2 to 5 in summer, $3). The James Babson Cooperage Shop (1658) on Route 127 just across the Gloucester line, a small one-story brick structure with early tools and furniture, may be the oldest building on Cape Ann (Tuesday-Sunday 2 to 5 in summer, free). In Pigeon Cove at 52 Pigeon Hill St. is the Paper House, built 50 years ago of 215 thicknesses of specially treated newspapers; chairs, desks, tables, lamps and other furnishings also are made of paper (daily 10 to 5, April to mid-October, $1.50). Like the rest of Rockport, its museums are low-key. But you only have to go next door to Gloucester to see two of New England's stellar showplaces. Beauport, 75 Eastern Point Blvd., Gloucester.
Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
page |
Full destination index | |
|
|||||||||||||||||||
