Over the top value in local history of New England thoroughly enjoyed my day trip there.read more

Located in Gloucester's downtown area, the museum is a hidden treasure. It looks small on the…read moreoutside, but it boasts 3 sizable floors along with a historical house that is off to the side of the main welcome desk. Its focus is local artists that have made significant contributions to Cape Ann region whether its nautical, household design, etc. The Fresnel lens (used in lighthouses) are one of the highlights that should not be missed! Bathrooms are available on the first and lower levels. It is handicap accessible for the most part with elevator access to the different floors. There are some galleries that require separate stair entrance.

Family friendly. The kids loved the touch tanks and the free science lessons on the spot!…read more Maritime Museum is small, so you can easily do that and still have time for a whale watch nearby.

Kelsey (Natural Resources Education) and Justin (Historian) make this museum come ALIVE!…read more This place is an absolute gem. Thank you to the staff for presenting a wonderful display of natural history and seafaring artifacts. We'll visit again!

My girlfriend and I toured Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House, on Friday, August 8th…read more The house was beautiful and we enjoyed the wonderful interior designs, but unfortunately our tour was tainted by our rude, disrespectful, and unprofessional tour guide. Shortly upon beginning the tour, our guide, Alberta Hill, made an extremely rude and uncalled-for comment, slut-shaming and embarrassing my girlfriend in front of the entire tour group for her clothing. Her outfit was not that revealing- it was a hot day and she had on shorts and a tank top- but even if it were, it would not grant a tour guide the right to treat a guest in this manner. It's sad that what was otherwise such a fun experience was impacted by an insensitive guide who made my girlfriend feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. It's disappointing that Historic New England would employ someone with such an old-fashioned mentality, someone who would go out of her way to police another woman's body and enforce traditional gender norms. This is especially troubling to see at the Beauport Sleeper-McCann House, a space that was once a sanctuary for the queer Henry Davis Sleeper and a pinnacle of early individual expression. I would expect those employed by the Beauport house to reject moral conservatism and embrace personal freedoms and expression, but sadly Alberta did not.

I loved this museum tour! Incredibly informative and every room was beautiful. The original owner…read morewas considered one of the first interior designers and when he would acquire a fabulous collection of furniture, art work, etc. he would add on to the house in order to showcase it. The grounds and wildflowers are lovely and the view is exquisite. I highly recommend a visit to the Sleeper - McCann House if you are in the Gloucester area.

I finally made to Hammond Castle after having it on my list of places to see for years…read more I made a reservation for a self-guided tour with a flexible entrance time of 11-45 AM -2:30 PM for their "Deck the Halls" holiday celebration. Cost was $25 per person. When we arrived there were cars waiting for a parking spot as they are limited. We did not have to wait too long for a space since there was a constant flow of people coming and going. I am unsure how it would be for parking in the summer as people may take longer to enjoy the outside area so I am glad we went during a cold morning. I totally enjoyed my visit as it was much more than a castle as it incorporated some interactive exhibits and information about its former owner John Jay Hammond Jr. I'll admit that I knew very little about him but left the place more informed about him - including that he held over 400 patents. You learn more about his work as you explore the house. Don't miss watching a short introductory video where the coat check area is located. It is a medieval castle built in the 1920s and it is not handicapped accessible. It is also not the best place for someone with mobility issues as it has many staircases to get around the entire place.

Visiting family and they brought us here for an excursion. Such a unique experience, both…read morephysically and historically. We so enjoyed our tour with an amazing guide and also just freely exploring the grounds and the various rooms. The variations in architectural design are incredible. Unfortunately the gardens were not open as they are under maintenence. Well worth the time spent.

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.

What a great find. Not sure if I found this on Roadside America website or here on Yelp, but this…read morelittle house is so interesting. Located in someone's yard, at first it seems odd to just walk in, but that's exactly what you do. We parked roadside. They ask for a small donation: cash in a box by the main house's door, or venmo. Absolutely worth it. It's interesting to see paper walls. Paper chairs and tables. Paper lamps. Paper clock and piano too (with metal innards) of course. I enjoyed looking for dates and headlines on the papers. It's a small cottage making it a quick stop along the way. If you're in the area add it to your itinerary.

We were visiting rock port and heard about the paper house, we had to make a stop!…read more It's in someone's yard but it's completely free and open to the public. It's such an interesting house and all the furniture throughout is entirely made from old rolled newspapers. Such a marvel to see! Doesn't take long but worth the stop.

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.

Sadly there is no Museum here, just a Historical Marker (see photo) to those brave Puritans who…read morerisked their lives landing on this exact spot in 1623. The group arrived three years after the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. Initially at Stage Fort Park and later on the other side of Gloucester Harbor. These immigrants were part of the Dorchester Company and had been looking for a location to develop a fishing port. They found it across the bay, naming after Gloucester, England. So only Three Stars, "A-OK" for this minimalistic effort. Heck, the Pilgrims have a granite shrine.

There is an indescribable feeling walking around where my ancestors settled over 300 years ago.read more