We took a lovely scenic drive along the coast north of Salem on our first full day in Massachusetts. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the fresh sea air and beautiful vistas! I absolutely love boats, especially sailboats, and I took way too many pictures of them! If there IS such a thing as too many pictures.
Gloucester and East Gloucester
The first stop on our scenic drive was in Gloucester, at Stage Fort Park. Gloucester, Massachusetts was first incorporated in 1642, taking its name because of the number of settlers who had originated in Gloucester, England. Over the years, it saw many famous historical names grace its shores, including John Smith, Roger Conant, Miles Standish and John Phillips. Shipping, trade, ship building and fishing were the major trades of the area.
Private Community and a Cool Lighthouse
When we were at Stage Fort Park, we stopped in the information center and spoke to a very knowledgeable woman working there. She told us how to get to the East Point Lighthouse by driving through a beautiful private community. We saw some HUGE and amazing homes along the drive. The East Point Lighthouse was cool to see, though a darn cell tower was between us and the lighthouse! The vistas were breathtaking! There was a view of the yacht club from the place we stopped to see the lighthouse was lovely also!
Rockport
The next stop on our scenic drive was Rockport. This quaint little town had many art galleries and shops, and beautiful flowers everywhere! By this time, we were getting hungry, so we ate at Roy Moore’s Fish Shack Restaurant. The food was very good, but we waited forever for service. I had to actually go and ask someone to take our order–apparently the hostess seating us did not let the waitstaff know about us. We did get a wonderful table by the windows overlooking the water. I enjoyed the grilled swordfish steak with green beans and mashed squash. It was quite lovely!
After filling our bellies, we walked around the town and stopped in several shops. We discovered a wonderful silversmith shop where we all bought rings (we later visited a larger version of the same shop in Salem and got more). We also found a cool T-shirt shop where we bought souvenirs for ourselves and our families.
Newburyport
Next on the agenda was Newburyport. We just stopped by and enjoyed the park and the boats. We fantasized about being able to have two homes and travel between them by boat! Like one on the east coast and one down in Mexico or the Caribbean!
Other Stops
Along the scenic drive, we also made a brief stop in Manchester-by-the-Sea. It was another beautiful coastal town with views of nature and moored boats. Unfortunately, we did not stay very long, and I neglected to take any pictures.
Our first full day in Massachusetts was an unseasonably warm one, and we enjoyed our commune with nature and the sea during our scenic drive up the coastline! My next post will be about our first full day in Salem itself!
One Reply to “A Scenic Drive”
Comments are closed.