Clean and plenty of toilets on a low peak time visit…read more Close to the main street. Many small shops in the area do not have restrooms available to the public or at all. Free

Very cute New England fishing town. One street parking can be paid by app on your phone (quick and…read moreeasy) or at one of the many kiosks available. You will need to know your plate number and enter a credit card, or quarters as payment. It was about $4 for us to park for several hours. The harbormaster's office is located at the beginning of T-Wharf where you will find public restrooms. At the end of T-Wharf is 'Motif #1', reportedly one of 'the most painted' spots in the country. There is a small green across the street from T-Wharf where you will find a tourism kiosk. Here you will find a tourist map of Rockport, a Cape Ann magazine and a few other travel brochures. From T-Wharf there is an old blacksmith shop that is now a restaurant that is interesting to see. Otherwise, most of the shops and restaurants are to your right as you exit the wharf. This street curves to the left where you will find a beach, restaurants, lodging, an old church and beautiful theater building. Turn right onto Bearskin neck where you will find many cute little shops and restaurants and at the end is a jetty. This is a very picturesque street. Rockport is definitely worth stopping in, even for an hour or two while visiting Cape Ann. It is about an hour south of the Parker River National Wildlife refuge. This National Park is absolutely gorgeous with a beach area, plenty of hiking and walking trails, bird watching and more. Gloucester, another New England fishing town, is 15 minutes south and another beautiful spot to stop and learn about the New England shipping industry.

It's a great little park with views of Marblehead Harbor, Salem, Gloucester, Fort Sewell and just…read moregreat walking around. Sit on one of the park benches; enjoy the views; bring your dog; use the restrooms and free parking. Definitely worth a trip to this great little piece of Marblehead.

One of few areas on Marblehead with public parking - and restrooms - available…read more We were more thankful for public parking than I can say after attempting to visit several nearby sites (a beach and reserve) requiring seasonal recreational/residential permits to park! As non-locals parking permit requirements in the area gave a very exclusive vibe that was very off-putting. What a joy and relief to find this chunk of land where all are welcome! This park offers two shaded seating areas, benches facing all directions, a historic lighthouse, commemorative plaque, restrooms, drinking fountain and bottle-fill station. Bring sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat, and/or layers and enjoy! We had a much-needed restroom break, a little bit of rock scrambling, lots of picture-taking and water-bottle-filling session and were on our way. Not a bad park to stop for just 10-20 min or stay for a while!

If you're in Gloucester and looking for something non-beachy to do, I recommend checking out…read moreEastern Point Lighthouse and walking across the breakwater to Dog Bar Lighthouse. First, you have to turn onto a private street lined with ridiculously beautiful mansions that you will never be able to afford in your lifetime and possibly your children's, staffed by a security guard (tell him you're here to see the lighthouse). After you drive past the private beach and the yacht club, all bedecked with No Trespassing and Private Entry Only signs to make you feel as unwelcome and plebian as possible by the 1% of Gloucester, you'll see the parking turn-off for the lighthouse. There, we met a very kind lady from Mass Audubon who explained the various migrational birds roaming around the area. You can't actually see or tour the lighthouse because it's fenced around and, from a distance, looks a little worse for wear. But looping around the side across some rocks, you can hop onto the jetty and stroll around and take in the sights. Great spot for photographers. It was beating down with zero shade and we forgot to put on sunscreen before heading out so we did a quick out-and-back but otherwise, it'd be a neat area to sit. $10 fee per vehicle (cash or QR code). No fee if you walk in. Definitely wear close-toed shoes; sandals or flip-flops on slippery rocks are a recipe for disaster. Also, watch out for poison ivy along the path to the jetty.

Beware: This is not a polished tourist destination. Only visit if you're looking for a bit of…read moreadventure. To get to the Eastern Point Lighthouse, you have to turn down a road marked as private. (Apparently it isn't, really?) Then, you pass some other unwelcoming signs. Then you finally get to a small gravel parking lot with a sign that says "All are welcome!" The lighthouse isn't operational or open for tours. It's surrounded by fencing that makes it look condemned. But, if you walk through some sand and rocks along the water and then do a small bit of rock climbing, you can get a good view of an iconic lighthouse. When I visited, it was freezing rain and very windy. When I climbed up on the rocks to take a picture, the winds up there were so strong I was worried they'd blow my phone out of my hand. Combined with the sense that I was almost trespassing, it was oddly thrilling. There's not enough going on to warrant a long trip, but if you're in the area, want a fun diversion, and are fine driving down narrow, possibly private roads to a small gravel parking lot before navigating sandy, rocky, seaweedy tidewaters to see something iconic, it's a worthwhile diversion.

Pretty cool little place. Had a very nice clear day to enjoy the short hike. I will definitely…read morebring the family to check this place out

A lighthouse for the…read more birds The area around Cape Ann is a treacherous place indeed and a whole lot of ships have been lost over the centuries. So it is natural that a whole bunch of lighthouse would be built here. The very first light on the small 2 acre Straithmouth Island was back in 1835 but was a poorly constructed pile of junk. It was rebuilt in 1851 but the fierce storms and wild winters soon took a toil on that one too. So in 1896 the present 37 foot light was built and a small 6th order Fresnel lens added. Over the decades all lighthouses were automated and many, like this one, declared redundant and were closed. The little island ended up as private property until 1967 when the island and lighthouse was donated to the Audubon Society. It is now a bird and wildlife sanctuary and is off limits to humans. The light and the few remaining buildings got hammered and damaged in the Oct. 1991 "perfect storm" but the little lighthouse preserved and survived. It can now be seen closely by kayak or from certain points in Rockport and the twin lights of Thatcher island can be seen from certainly angles. Not a tall light and not an exceptionally old light. But it is a tough little guy that managed to survive everything that natural and man could throw at it.

We almost didn't make it see the Ropes Mansion before heading back home last week, but we decided…read moreour trip wouldn't be complete if we didn't see it. Do you remember in the movie when Dani and Max are outside the mansion just staring up at it in awe? That was me. The infamous mansion where Allison lives is a sight that can't be missed! It is located in a residential neighborhood at the very end of the street, but it is worth the quick detour away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist area. We came later in the evening so were only able to get a couple of night time shots - we wanted to get one of us in front of it, but a tour group was coming through at the same time and we didn't want to be too distracting. I'm not sure if they ever do tours inside, I believe the Ropes Mansion is owned by the Essex Museum, but the outside was definitely enough for me. If you're a fan of Hocus Pocus, this is a must stop!

As a fan of Hocus Pocus (it's one of my favorite Halloween movies!), I was very much looking…read moreforward to visiting Allison's house. While I didn't enter the house, it was great to see the exterior and take photos from outside. The Ropes Mansion garden is free to enter, and is accessible through an arched pathway at the side of the mansion. The garden, while small, is beautiful and tranquil to walk through, complete with plenty of roses and a small pond. It's a great spot to take tourist photos as well. A must-visit for Hocus Pocus fans!

Pam was amazing! She made our stay wonderful. The view was…read moregorgeous and it was fun watching the boats and water

Fires lights and…read morecoasts The town of Newburyport has a long ship building and nautical history, mostly because of it's location right on the Merrimack River. The river empties in to the sea and is wide enough for some large ships to go into Newburyport. Unfortunately the river can also be very treacherous. Lots of huge storms, fog and currants turns the lovely river into a real killer at times. Many ships have been lost trying to get into Newburyport. So the good people of the town decided that something had to be done to make it safe. At first huge bonfires were lit to help guide the way up the river but that proved less than satisfactory. So in 1873 a lighthouse was construction at the point where the river narrows into the town. In fact two lighthouses were built. Having two lights was once thought to make things easier for ships to judge angles and distances but frequently proved to just makes things more complicated. The idea was to have a small one in front and then a taller one in the back to contrast the first light. With the fog and other variables it never worked quite as well as advertised and the idea soon fell out of use. The front range lighthouse in Newburyport is small, only about 25 feet tall and right next to the river. It originally had a 6th order Fresnel Lens that was later removed. It served it's purpose of guiding ships into the town until it was deactivated in 1961. It still is a very cool looking little light but is frequently neglected and ignored because of the looming presence of the much taller rear range light just a few hundred feet away. The light is now part of the Coast Guard Station and is blocked off by a fence. But nice views can be had if you go right down to the river and peer around the fence. Don't try to actually go on the CG property, I learned the hard way that they don't like that. It's a little light but one that did it's lighthouse duties for decades. Survived all kinds of storms and everything else nature could throw at it. It's no longer is active but still a cool part of the maritime history of Newburyport.

I've had a decades long relationship with northern Essex County, but always being a passenger…read moreinstead of a diver I had some erroneous concepts about borders and boundaries. For instance I thought north of the Gillis Bridge was New Hampshire. Well, after my last visit I not only disabused myself of that misconception as a driver, but as a walker. As drawbridge for automobile traffic it's an average span, but as Elmer's review from 2010 notes, it's a (now) great, but not perfect bridge for pedestrian traffic. There is a small parking lot on the Salisbury side at the Eastern March Trail trailhead which has 1.4 miles of beautiful salt marsh scenery. There is a walkway leading south to the west side of the bridge, under it with several paintings and "Humphrey" a whale made from rebar, then north to the east side of the bridge and the pedestrian walkway. I crossed about 9am in mid-August so there wasn't a ton of automobile traffic on the bridge. That helped with my mild vertigo, but the walkway is only about 4 feet wide and the railing seemed to be about 3 to 3.5 feet high. The plus side is even when it's foggy you get some spectacular views of marinas and harbor. At the south end of the bridge you do the reverse of the north end - north on east side, west under bridge, south on west side which then leads you to the Clipper City Rail trail that has more public art than one could hope for and which terminates at the Newburyport T station. If one is staying in the vicinity of the harbor, one could easily walk to the station and travel into Boston.

There's plenty to see at the Gillis Bridge, which crosses the Merrimack River via US-1 between…read moreNewburyport and Salisbury, Massachusetts. (see photos) While the bridge itself provides good service to vehicular traffic, it's pedestrian access leaves much to be desired. Constructed in 1976, the bridge was named after gas station owner, Andrew Jackson "Bossy" Gillis, who served several (not always consecutive) terms as Mayor of Newburyport from the 1920's to 1960. A network of bike trails converge at the Gillis Bridge. The East Cost Greenway is like the I-95 of bike trails, connecting (at least on paper) the Canadian border at Calais, Maine, with Key West, Florida. In addition, the Old Eastern Marsh Trail, the Newburyport Harborwalk Rail Trail and the Clipper City Rail Trail all connect to the bridge. An upcoming construction project in 2011 on the Salisbury side will add a pathway under the bridge as an alternative to crossing busy 4-lane US-1. Unfortunately, there's only one narrow sidewalk on the Eastern side of the bridge, and walking across the draw span is a little spooky. But there are interesting parks at either side of the Gillis Bridge that are worth visiting. On the Salisbury Side, informative signs tell the history of rail and road bridges at this location on the Merrimack River. An abandoned railroad bridge remains relatively intact, parallel to the Gillis Bridge. It would be nice if someday the rail bridge could be used for the trailway, but it would be expensive to implement because it's swing span would need to be operable. On the Newburyport side, there are lovely little "park areas" along the pathways, with interesting sculpture and other artwork to enjoy. One of the nicest features are the most comfortable park benches I've ever seen! They're sort of like recliners, and have extra little things to put your feet up on and relax while taking in spectacular views of the Merrimack River. Better pedestrian access over the bridge would give it at least another star. But even as it is, the Gillis Bridge is a very nice place to stop and enjoy a bit of Massachusetts history with riparian entertainment.

Came at night during the winter to see the lighthouse so most things surrounding were closed,…read morehowever it was still beautiful. I'm not sure if you can go inside of the light house during its on-season but that would be fun. The drive to the lighthouse takes you through Plum Island which seems like a really cool beach town during the summer months. I'd love to revisit when things are open!

the original plum island lights, the thirteenth lighthouse built in 'murica, went into operation on…read moreApril 14, 1788 coming in at 37 feet above mean sea level at a cost of £266; the current forty-five foot conical structure was built in 1898 for a bit more. the light was electrified in 1927, automated in 1951 and eventually left the coast guard's books in 2003. the lighthouse, now the property of the city of newburyport, is leased to and maintained by the friends of plum island light who open it for tours and the occasional event in warm weather :-)