Winslow Homer, Childe Hassam, and Fitz Henry Lane came to Rockport MA to paint the fishermen working on their vessels and the quarrymen cutting and moving granite for building.

It's been a long time since Rockport was a village of hearty, independent fishermen and their wives, living by their daily struggle with the sea, and today you're likely to see 100 times as many day-trippers from Boston, 41 miles southwest (map) as you are to see colorful village types.

Art, music & beach time are major activities in Rockport, but strolling, shopping, dining on clams, lobsters and ice cream are popular as well.

What to See & Do

Rockport = Art

The Rockport Art Association is active—the town is dotted with boutiques and galleries holding paintings and crafts both pleasing and awkward, and amateur daubers test their skill at capturing daily life all over town.

Twice a year the Cape Ann Artisans open their studios to visitors for free. More...

Rockport harbor and town, with the red Motif No. 1
in the middle-right of the picture.

Rockport = Music

The Rockport Music is renowned for the quality of its performers and performances, and its superb Shalin Liu Performance Center is the perfect venue for them. The back of the stage is actually a giant picture window overlooking Rockport Harbor. providing a memorable visual as well as musical experience.

Pianist onstage at Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport...

Free band concerts take place at the bandstand by the beach on most Sunday evenings in summer, and the Fourth of July parade and the evening huge bonfire (topped by an outhouse) is a significantly fun event, especially for kids.

Bearskin Neck

First thing every visitor does upon arriving in Rockport, Massachusetts, is to take a stroll down Bearskin Neck, the narrow peninsula jutting into the water off Dock Square, the town's main square (map).

The rustic, historical fishers' cottages on Bearskin Neck have been converted to shops, boutiques, art galleries and eateries, and a stroll along the Neck to its tip for a view of the harbor is an essential Rockport activity

Motif No. 1

Other strolls in town are also rewarding, and local brochures will urge you to take a photograph of the red fisherman's shack called Motif No. 1, apparently named for its popularity among the first picture painters who moved to Rockport.

Actually it should now be named Motif No. 2, as the original shack was swept away in the great storm of 1978 and a new one was built from scratch. Motif No. 1 is now famous because it's famous.

Rockport Granite

Rather, spend your time admiring buildings made from the local granite. It was cut at the town's Swan Quarry (now flooded), and shipped out, giving Rockport its name.

Curbstones, markers, pavements, foundations, piers, even whole buildings were made of the durable stone during the town's quarrying heyday.

Beaches

For swimming, walk along Beach Street north to Front Beach and Back Beach, or wander (in your car or on your bike) about two miles north along the coast on MA Route 127 to Pigeon Cove, about a half-hour walk.

You can go farther than Pigeon Cove by car or bike. In fact, you can make a loop of Cape Ann on MA Route 127 via Pigeon Cove, Folly Cove, Plum Cove, Annisquam, and Lobster Cove, ending in Gloucester (map).

Halibut Point State Park

"Haul-About Point," the granite tip of Cape Ann, became Halibut Point over the years. It's among the most dramatic scenic places north of Boston. Come to walk, wade, fish or sunbathe.

Looking for sea creatures in a tide pool
at Halibut Point State Park...

Head north out of Rockport on MA Route 127, toward the Cape Ann villages of Lanesville and Annisquam, and after a few miles you'll see a sign pointing off to the right (north) to Halibut Point State Park (map), at 4 Gott Avenue, Rockport MA.

Parking & Admission

Drive to the parking lot, pay the admission charge ($5 per Massachusetts car, $20 for others), park your car, then follow the footpath through the forest for 10 minutes and you'll come to an old granite quarry, now flooded with water.

Interpretive Center

The park interpretive center is in the building that dominates the quarry. Exhibits demonstrate the flora and fauna of the reservation, and how granite quarrying contributed to the culture and economy of the region.

A weird World War II concrete observation tower has been grafted onto the building, a typical clapboard Cape Ann house. From the tower during the war, sharp eyes kept a lookout against enemy submarines.

Observation Point

Continue along the path to reach the Observation Point atop a promontory of granite quarry tailings. Far beneath the promontory, the Atlantic's waves roll in and crash on the smoothed granite bedrock below.

Halibut Point: all granite. Note the three tiny humans in white...

Dangerous Swimming!

You can make your way down to the shore. Some people go swimming here, although it's not recommended: The water is always chilly, the rocks difficult and slippery, the waves sometimes perilous.

Rather, stay back from the water, dabble your feet in protected pools, do some rock-hopping, or sit and sun, read or chat in this beautiful, dramatic place.

Transportation

You can get to Rockport MA, on Cape Ann 7 miles (11 km) north of Gloucester, and 40 miles (64.5 km) northeast of Boston, by car, bus or commuter rail train.

Train

MBTA Commuter Rail trains on the Rockport line run from Boston's North Station to Salem, Beverly, Gloucester, and Rockport.

The trip from Boston to Rockport (map) takes about 75 minutes (1-1/4 hours). There are eight trains in each direction every weekday, seven on Saturday and Sunday. More...

Bus

CATA, the Cape Ann Transportation Authority (tel 978-283-7916), runs local buses among the towns and villages of Cape Ann. More...

Car

You reach Cape Ann by following I-95 or I-93 to MA Route 128 north.

Between Gloucester and Rockport are two loop roads (map):

MA Route 127

MA Route 127 takes you to Rockport through the middle of Cape Ann, then loops around the northern and western shores to return to Gloucester.

MA Route 127A

MA Route 127A, on the other hand, takes you up the eastern shore of Cape Ann before reaching Rockport.

If you get lost, don't worry. In a short while the loop will bring you back to one or the other town.

Rockport Parking

If you come by car, parking places are sure to be scarce any time in summer, so find a nice back street, or use the town-supported parking lot on the outskirts rather than getting snarled in the press of traffic downtown. The town lots charge several dollars per day for parking, but they offer a free shuttle bus from the lot to downtown Rockport. This isn't a bad deal, considering the frustration you'll endure to find a legal spot to park downtown.

Where to Stay in Rockport

Rockport MA is a charming, but you must plan ahead because lots of other vacationers want the same thing. Not only that, many of these charming hostelries are quite small, with only a handful of rooms.

Inns on the Outskirts

Some inns, such as the fine 3-star, 36-room Emerson Inn by the Sea and the 4-star, 8-room Yankee Clipper Inn, are on the outskirts of the town, so it's good to have a car or bicycle to reach the center.

Inns in the Town Center

Other inns and bed-and-breakfast houses are right in the town, an easy walk to Bearskin Neck, the Shalin Liu Performance Center, churches, shops and the waterfront.

The 6-room Lantana House, for example, is an easy walk to everything.

Vacationers who stay at the town's few motels, like the 2-star, 8-room Bearskin Neck Motor Lodge—the only lodging with this many rooms right on Bearskin Neck—tend to return year after year.

Hotel Map with Prices

Use this handy Hotel Map with Prices to find the perfect hotel or inn in Rockport. (Don't see the map? Click here!)

Booking.com

You can also stay in nearby Gloucester and visit Rockport for the day.