Historic little gem in Rockport! Beautiful old building with many open rooms full of local artist's…read morework. The venue itself if free to walk in and browse through the paintings, and house a little gift shop and small donations box. Remember that spare change you've got in your back pocket? Toss it in here! High quality paintings and photography. Personally I know absolutely nothing about art appraisal, and prices so I was shocked to see the prices of some paintings. They seemed to range from $1,200 to $16,000!! That's crazy to me! But hey-- someone put time and effort in their work and it is very evident! There's two floors of rooms as well as another building connected by a quaint little garden area. The whole place takes at least 30 minutes to walk around to admire and take in the work, so give yourself some time!

Reasonably priced art in a terrific venue...just wished it would have been easier to find someone…read moreto chat with about the art let alone purchase something.

Beautiful location - great art - wonderful people. Perfect way to spend an afternoon…read more UPDATED - I've now been to two of the North Shore Arts Association summer Auctions, and each time have walked away with paintings that I love. First off - If you've never been to an auction - they're awesome! The first time I went, was actually my first auction ever. And as a result, I was a little over-zealous and bought 2 of the first 6 paintings that came up. Luckily they were smaller, and very reasonably priced (I purchased one for $150 and the other for $250, both framed), so I didn't do too much damage, but I sat on my paddle for the rest of the day. This past summer, my wife and I were married, and as a wedding present to ourselves, we were looking for something a little bigger with some personal meaning. After some intense bidding, we ended up purchasing a large Nathalie Nordstrand watercolor of Pebble Beach - a place where we've spent a number of summer days. It is now hanging in our living room, and is a great reminder of our summers in Gloucester as well as the auction action at NSAA. If you are at all interested in the idea of owning original New England artwork, the summer auction at NSAA is a great and very exciting way to do it. Not to mention that the entry fee also includes an open wine bar and generous appetizers - it's really enough of a reason in itself to take a drive up the cost and spend the day in a beautiful location.

Driving to NSAA is a treat in itself. The view of Gloucester harbor from the parking lot of the…read moreassociation is breathtaking. This is an organization that displays the work of its membership in a gallery with rotating exhibits. There are two levels - so a surprisingly large collection of work can be displayed at once. Most of the work is representational oil painting of landscapes, still lifes, and a few portraits - although there are a few watercolors, charcoals and abstract pieces on display at the moment. The staff of the association are friendly and helpful. Insider tip: ask to have a ballot so you can vote on your favorite piece of work. It's a very democratic and yelp-like way of recognizing an artist! There is some world-class artwork on display and admission is free. Well worth a trip! They're open May through October, seven days a week. This would be a great excursion for a weekend date: combination art association, fried seafood on the water, and the proverbial long walk on the beach ;)

Snug Harbor Studio is a unique space filled with beautiful art, music, painting lessons and…read moremovement classes. I always leave there feeling rejuvenated and calm. Absolute peace and meditation in motion.

I learned alot at Snug Harbour studio .. Lynn is a great person, so helpful.. I took watercolor…read moreclasses with her, and Karen Nestuk as well... Just wonderful, .. you won't be disappointed.. Great atmosphere too. Marie Pelletier

I really want to like the Menage Gallery, but I simply cannot. Their collection of carved animals…read moreis really cool, and some of the furniture they sell is very nice, however, their prices are ridiculous and they lie to their customers about the origin of many pieces, most notably the carved animal statues. I was once trying to decide if I really did want to plunk down $70 for a carved cat holding a fish or a carved dog holding a bone, so I decided to ask the shop clerk about the carved animal statues. Were they truly unique? I had never seen them elsewhere, so when she told me a story about the artist selling only to Melange Gallery and how he had a system to use only certain trees and then it was his people's custom to re-plant a tree to make up for what they took, I found it intriguing. The story was so well told that I suspect this is the story everyone gets that inquires. Alas, I just couldn't do it- that was too much money for something decorative. Fast forward not even a month- my boyfriend and I are browsing a store in Boston, and we see 20 of the same carved animal statues. And, they are all 50 to 75% less in price! We asked the clerk where the store got the statues, and were informed that they're like most items from Mexico and Nepal- factory made. Nice, thanks for making up a complete bs story, Melange Gallery! If that wasn't enough, most of their higher priced decorative items look like the gallery stole them from a third grade art class. Sloppy work, billed as being unique, for insane prices. Again- no thanks. I realize this place is just here to bilk tourists, which many shops in downtown Gloucester do, but I just can't give them a good rating when they outright lie about their products. I would avoid this shop and take a train to Boston where you can find several other shops selling the "unique" carvings!

Owner obnoxious. When browsing in his store a member of my party picked up a WOOD carving and the…read moreguy loudly yells "if you break it you bought it". The customer was an adult not a child. The customer apologized but he then continues to lecture us about touching the merchandise. I said he was unfriendly and he got defensive. Would you buy something you can't pick up? Ed lost a really good sale. Any good reviews must be family helping him out. Notice the common theme of most of the reviews.

We've been going to the Weiler Photo Gallery for years. It's an institution in the BearSkin Neck…read morearea of Rockport. They have wonderful photographs, framed and unframed available for reasonable $$. Not cheap, but fine art never is. The gallery calls itself a low pressure gallery, and they are, allowing the customer to walk around without a sales person jumping all over you. They photographs are top-notch and very beautiful. They make some great choices in the gallery - if you are in Rockport, this is a must-stop destination.

I'm an older driving school student and I'm so grateful for the instructors I had at Nicastro's…read moreDriving School! Julie and Soulee were so helpful and patient. I feel much safer driving now and would recommend Nicastro's Driving School to anyone looking to learn to drive or brush up on their skills. Thank you!

My daughter took her road test through this driving school using a vehicle she had never driven…read morebefore. The parking brake was engaged when she entered the vehicle, and she was given little opportunity to become familiar with the car's controls beforehand. Combined with the limited instruction and difficulty scheduling lessons, the experience left us feeling that students were not adequately prepared for test day.