Have been here several times and the venue and location are stunning. Rockport is a charming town…read moreso if the weather is nice come early, walk around the harbor, have dinner and/or ice cream, stop into the many stores. My last visit was to hear a mixed media performance of photos taken from the space station accompanied by a wonderful jazzy group. The acoustics are fantastic, and if you are lucky enough to attend a perfomance where the harbor is visible behind the stage (sometimes the curtains are drawn) you are in for a major treat. Parking can be tricky but if you don't mind a little walk on-street parking can be had. It's a bit of a hike from Boston but I would return in a heartbeat,

An amazing venue with fantastic acoustics. The site is gorgeous. Unfortunately, the harbor doors…read morewere closed when we were there. But my imagination goes wild.

Super disappointed. We drove up from Boston on a Saturday…read moreand over half the art galleries/shops listed in their directory were permanently closed or closed on Saturday of all days! cute buildings but nothing like they advertise.

Totally cool place to saunter and check out various art galleries. There are a couple of…read morerestaurants and a terrific ice cream place too.

We visited The Little Art Cinema in September 2024, we saw the poster for Terrance Malick's…read more'Badlands' on the notice board outside. Later when we tried to find a website to confirm the screening we weren't able to find one. So we went along at the time on the poster, and found we were the only attendees. The guy running the cinema was a true individual, running a film classic single handed. He initially had trouble with the projection, and asked if I could help out (it was a disc), which I did and we settled down together to watch. Our take on this experience is that to us this guy is a true hero to film, he clearly struggles somewhat with the technology and said he doesn't really do computers (hence no up to date website), but he is single-handedly trying to keep this place alive. Please support this cinema, either by visiting, donating, but most importantly helping out if you are local, or just getting in touch with a message of support. We were visiting from England, and in the interests of full disclosure I am a film cameraman, but to anyone who cares about seeing film on a big screen, this slightly quirky but uplifting experience was one that will stay with us. For those who have seen Capra's 'Meet John Doe' you can meet him personified at The Little Art Cinema, Rockport https://www.littleartrockport.com/

a quirky place to see a film. I felt like I was in some sort of movie being there. It smells…read moremusty, the theater is an open hall space, the seats are folding chairs and the charm is amazing. go here just for the experience, 100% worth it. Good films too. ok, Update time: I have since seen two more flicks here this past summer. I love this place. The owner is really cool, he found us in the theater to give us sparkling water with cups to share before the film began. The films always seem to break, or in one case burn, but it really is apart of the whole atmosphere. My friend and I always end up having a few moments that we end up laughing about later on.... charm, relaxed and quirky.

Art + Wine = Salted Cod. And, you must go!!!…read more Have you ever been to a cool place that you keep telling everyone about and can't wait to go back? Well, look no further than The Salted Cod Arthouse. Both art gallery and wine bar in one small hideaway located in Gloucester and did I mention its on the water. :) I was here for the first time back in May and could not wait to surprise my husband for his birthday in August. We first dined at 51 Rocky Neck (about a few doors down) and then came here for dessert and wine. It is a neighborhood gem tucked nestled in between some gorgeous homes. With an art gallery on the right side and a wine bar on the left, I know if I lived here I would come here all the time. That is what the locals do. You can tell everyone who was here the other night knows each other. Just imagine meeting all your friends here for a glass of wine, dessert or light bite. And checking out the art too! They have a nice selection of wines since the owner is also opening up a posh Italian Wine Bar downtown (Coming Soon). He definitely has great taste. Every wine that I tried and ordered was excellent. I highly recommend their chillable Nebbiolo (red) wine and Lambrusco. They also have a small menu with desserts. We ordered their Pistachio Cake which was superb. If you ever get a chance to come here, you will love it. You can sip and shop all at the same time, just don't lose your seats at the bar. Cheers~

The art half was beautiful. There was a really wide variety of art, including paintings and pottery…read morebut also stained glass and felted pieces. The person working there (felting while she worked) was also really nice and knowledgeable. The restaurant half left something to be desired. It was hard to even find the people working there (the art person had to help). They said they didn't have everything on the menu but they were able to make a cheese board. The person who brought it didn't tell us anything about the cheeses or meats but they were all delicious. We asked for Cokes. (The person didn't ask about drinks but someone else finally thought to). The drinks definitely weren't Coke and the carbonation/syrup ratio was way off. This place could be amazing if the restaurant was even half as good as the art.

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 ;)