Rockport, Massachusetts
Oh beautiful Rockport…where to even begin?! Honestly, we really loved this place so much and I have so much to say about it but will try to keep it short and sweet. We were only there for three days but it was long enough to fall in love and make us excited to come back. If you haven’t heard of Rockport Massachusetts (which surprisingly a lot of people I’ve spoken to haven’t) here’s a little introduction, it’s a very charming, picturesque seaside town located at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula. It’s a place my boyfriend and I had never been and decided it would be the perfect spot for our first out of state during the pandemic getaway. lol I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little uneasy about going during the pandemic but it ended up being up being amazing and we felt completely safe. Rockport is a little over a four hour drive from where we live on Long Island which is not bad at all. After being cooped up quarantined in the house for roughly three months we were itching for a quick getaway and were looking for a place close enough to drive but far enough to feel like a mini vacay. Rockport seemed to fit that criteria and let me tell you it was so delightful! I am so SO happy we chose to visit.
I love the vibe of coastal towns and Rockport is the epitome of the quintessential seaside village. It is so picturesque and quaint and I absolutely fell in LOVE with its charm. This is one of those places that you can take a million photos and they will all come out good…no I mean it, they all came out good. Every shop had perfectly tended gardens and flower boxes under the windows filled with colorful blooms. The narrow streets are tightly lined with brightly colored retail shops, art galleries, ice cream shops, candy stores and cafes. We were surprised to see that most of the shops were opened. We weren’t sure what the situation would be because of Covid but they were all opened which was a pleasant surprise. All of them required face masks before entering and had a max capacity number listed outside that you had to check before entering. They also had plexiglass protections up by the registers and hand-sanitizing stations which made me feel super safe and at ease while shopping around. Thumbs up Rockport! Some of my favorite places we stopped into were The Pewter Shop, Floating Lotus, Rusty and Ingrid Creative Company and Dark Star Philosophia. They are all worth checking out but Floating Lotus was my favorite! They had the most amazing selection of sterling silver gemstone jewelry and I pretty much had to drag myself out of there before I bought everything. Lol (Side note- in a lot of the photos I shared we are not wearing our masks or they are pulled down but I wanted to reassure that we only took them off quickly for the photo and there was absolutely nobody around us at the time whenever we did.)
Whenever we go away on a trip we almost always stay in Airbnb’s and my boyfriend happens to be the master at finding the most charming ones each and every time. Rockport was no exception…once again he found the perfect airbnb right in the middle of town right off of Bearskin Neck located at 6 Tuna Wharf. It was walking distance to literally everything we wanted to do and so cute inside. The only issue is you cannot park in front of the place but our Airbnb host was awesome and let us park in the driveway of her other rental home which was less than a minute walk from where we were. So parking can be tricky and that is something to keep in mind. But the apartment itself was an adorable, charming, clean, quaint little place right on the wharf with amazing views of the harbor and Motif No. 1 (my favorite part!!) Right off the back porch. It was literally right there and we got to wake up and see it each morning. For those who don’t know what Motif No. 1 is, it’s a beloved little red fishing shack that is an icon of Rockport and known as one of the most painted buildings in the United States. It sits right at the tip of a granite wharf and has been the main theme or “motif” in paintings and other artwork for years. The legend behind the name “Motif No. 1” comes from artist Lester Hornby who taught painting classes during the summer in Rockport and would have his students paint the local scenery. Many of his students would return to show him their works which were continually of the red fishing shack. Hornby began to notice that this red shack was a reoccurring theme in his students work. After seeing it over and over again he began to exclaim “What- Motif. No 1 again!” And apparently the name stuck and it is still called that today. How cute is that!? I Love it and as an artist myself I love Motif No. 1 and the story behind how it got its name. Even though I didn’t get to sit and paint it, I’m happy I was lucky enough to be able to see it in person and photograph it.
There were quite a few places to eat within walking distance to our Airbnb which was awesome but a few of them had weird hours and weren’t opened everyday. I’m not sure if this was a normal thing or if it was due to COVID-19 but I was a little disappointed that two of the places I was interested in were closed both days we were there. So unfortunately I don’t have any fabulous food recommendations to rave about but we were able to grab some comfort food at a place called Top Dog that was literally a minute away from our room. They had all the typical fried-type comfort foods like chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, fish and chips and Mac and cheese. They also have a big selection of hotdogs with different toppings and such which I don’t eat but my boyfriend said they were pretty good. We both agreed as a whole the food from there was just okay, not bad but not great either lol. I think we were just starving and it was opened/quick/convenient so it worked for the moment. On a better note we did have some delicious New England (of course) clam chowder from Roy Moore Lobster Co. which I would definitely recommend and also grabbed coffee and bagels at Brother’s Brew coffee shop in the mornings which was VERY yummy. Hoping for our next visit more restaurants will be opened and we are able to try more things. Next time!
After walking through pretty much every nook and cranny of Rockport that we could find we decided to venture off one day and take a drive 30 minutes to Ipswich and visit a place called Castle Hill on the Crane Estate. You guys… this place was unreal and breathtakingly beautiful. The mansion is known as The Great House and is a protected National Landmark along with the entire 165 acre Crane Estate. The breathtaking mansion is set atop a hill with a sprawling great lawn that leads down to the ocean. We were not able to tour the inside of the estate due to COVID but exploring the outer grounds was just as exciting. The gardens were absolutely gorgeous and perfectly manicured. They had beautiful fountains and every corner exploding with colorful flowers, it definitely looked like something out of a fairy tale for sure. We didn’t plan on coming here and discovered it last minute. (We actually bought our pass for entry on their website while sitting in our car just outside the gate lol) but I’m so happy we did, it was an unexpected little adventure and we absolutely loved it.
On our way back home we decided to make a final stop at a the Eastern Point Lighthouse located in Gloucester which borders Rockport. This lighthouse is historic and the seaport is known as the oldest in America dating back to 1616… how cool!? I love lighthouses and find them so interesting, they are all unique in their own way but all serve the same purpose and we always try to visit the local lighthouses in the area when we go to new places. At this particular one the gate to walk on the grounds of the lighthouse itself were closed which we sort of had a feeling would be the case but there was a beach that you could walk down to get a closer look. After walking down the rocky beach there is a small group of boulders you can climb up to a very large stone jetty that you can walk all the way down. You can get a beautiful view of the lighthouse from this jetty and it was worth climbing up to it in my dress and flat sandals. lol
“If You’re Lucky Enough to Live By the Sea, You’re Lucky Enough.”