This adorable park is located adjacent to the harbor and marina which means that in addition to…read moreenjoying the beach, there are ships coming and going to watch. And there's just something about sitting near the waterside that I find amazingly relaxing. The park has a baseball field, a huge playground set with a slide and much of it is on a soft mulch base, a bandshell, walking paths and plenty of benches to sit. Parking can be a challenge during high season when folks are headed to the beach. [Review 18589 overall - 1171 in Massachusetts - 2111 of 2022.]

Lovely relaxing Park. Located in the center of town. Right…read moreby the harbor with walking paths that follow the waterway. Dog and Kid friendly. You are close enough to the downtown shops to grab some food or coffee to go and bring along on your walk. If your chatty with the locals you will meet someone from the town movie, they love to talk about it....

To get here from Boston/Cambridge/Somerville, take the Rockport line from North Station. The ride…read moreis about 55 minutes and costs $21 round-trip. The beach is a 10-15 minute walk from the train platform and easy to find (hint: take Beach Street). $10 to walk on for the day -- cash only. I believe it's $30-35 for the day to park & walk on, so with the train ticket it's roughly a wash. The building next to the beach has a snack bar and decent bathrooms, which also have showers and changing areas so that you can wash the sand off and put dry clothes on before taking the train or driving home. The beach itself is very beautiful, and the water is relatively calm, cold, and clear -- great for swimming.

Beautiful beach. The sand felt great between my toes. Loved swimming in the ocean. Appreciated the…read morebathrooms. We rented chairs which was convenient.

What a gorgeous venue for a wedding or any other event you are interested in throwing! The views…read moreare priceless and stunning. I was here as a guest, so I am unsure of the cost or how hard it is to book this place for a wedding or other event. It's an open "pavilion" type setting with boat docks and water right near by. There is a long "dock" and roofed area where my friends got married and it was just beautiful. The bride even arrived via boat! They got married and had part of their reception here. The places rules seemed pretty laid back as they had food trucks cater (what a terrific idea!). We had a great time looking at all the houses on the side of the hills and watching boats going in and out. This was definitely one of the coolest places I've ever seen anyone tie the knot and I recommend it to anyone thinking about it

Beautiful spot if you are looking for a nice day in Manchester. I don't think Mary in one of the…read moreprevious reviews knows what she is talking about.

Located on the Cape Ann coast, this park caught my eye as I was headed to the Hammond Castle Museum…read morehttps://www.yelp.com/biz/hammond-castle-museum-gloucester-2?hrid=DuA-hWCaC0NDlvfQ0pq-SA. There are a few nose-in parking spaces and the trailhead with some signs. The park extends from the road to the seaside and the trails are well worn. The view at the end is amazing and today was a warm and mostly clear day. Please don't stand too close to the edge while you get your selfies. And of course, never hike alone! [Review 18591 overall - 1173 in Massachusetts - 2113 of 2022.]

Around a 5 minute walk to get to the opening. Has great views and easy to walk alongside the coast…read more Beautiful place to take pictures or just sit and have lunch by the ocean.

This is one of my favorite places in Gloucester. I've been coming here since I was a kid; back…read morethen, we only walked the main trail and didn't do very much hiking. When I rediscovered it, I was surprised how many little trails there are! If you're directionally challenged, like me, you'll probably want to pick up a map before you start walking. The parking lot is pretty small and fills up quickly. Even when it's full, though, I rarely run into other people walking the trails. I love coming here to just pretend I'm in the middle of nowhere, away from all traces of human life... this is the one place I'm happy to be alone, with no music, no kind of stimulation besides the woods. Is there anything better than listening to leaves/branches crunch under your feet, the wind through the trees, the faint sounds of squirrels running on the ground? I think not. Best of all, the trails are easy enough for most people. There are many short trails that connect to longer ones, so if you find it too easy, you can just keep going. I tend to walk longer than I should and end up sore the next day-- but it's always worth it.

What a great park for the north shore!!!…read more We struggle to find places our dog is allowed off leash- so this place is a saving grace!!!! Love that you can spend just an hour or a whole day, since there are so many trails. Not a ton of hills or anything, but the occasionally slight ascent / descent. Followed the yellow and blue trails last time (can't remember the names) and there were a few very unavoidable muddy patches, so make sure you have some footwear you don't mind getting dirty. If you plug it into google maps you may get routed to some awkward non-entrance (we had this problem). Make sure you check Yelp or the Maps app (on iPhone) for the actual entrance. As others mentioned, small parking lot with plenty of street parking. Can't wait to go back!

This place is amazing. It's pretty hidden and up a rocky road but it's worth finding. Great area to…read moretake a walk and see the water. We took our dog on a play date with my father's dog and it was so much fun. Leashes are required during certain times of the year, especially when birds are nesting, but it wasn't required when we went and the dogs had a blast running through the huge field and playing. I observed so many birds - including a hawk that flew directly overhead, wow! It was cool when I went so not too busy but I can see it being quite popular on less windy, warmer days. You have to be aware that there is some private property as there are actual homes scattered around the edges of the public area. Parking is free and the lot was pretty big. Gorgeous spot to walk around - we spent over an hour easily.

For my 100th review - a great place for dog walkers and artists! Come here to throw off the…read moreshackles of your leash - for both can roam free here. Only 1 hour by car from Boston/Cambridge. Oh, and... this place is STUNNINGLY beautiful. Absolutely breathtaking. Now on to more good news: it's free of charge and open 7 days a week. Ample parking at the trail head, and a totally decent compost toilet is in the main barn (unlocked on weekends till 4 pm). The Cox reservation was once the home of a mural artist, and is today the headquarters of the Greenbelt Association, a chain of parks on the north shore. To this day the reservation has kept its artsy flair. Painters flock there to capture the stunning views of the Essex River and the golden marshes.

If you're in Gloucester and looking for something non-beachy to do, I recommend checking out…read moreEastern Point Lighthouse and walking across the breakwater to Dog Bar Lighthouse. First, you have to turn onto a private street lined with ridiculously beautiful mansions that you will never be able to afford in your lifetime and possibly your children's, staffed by a security guard (tell him you're here to see the lighthouse). After you drive past the private beach and the yacht club, all bedecked with No Trespassing and Private Entry Only signs to make you feel as unwelcome and plebian as possible by the 1% of Gloucester, you'll see the parking turn-off for the lighthouse. There, we met a very kind lady from Mass Audubon who explained the various migrational birds roaming around the area. You can't actually see or tour the lighthouse because it's fenced around and, from a distance, looks a little worse for wear. But looping around the side across some rocks, you can hop onto the jetty and stroll around and take in the sights. Great spot for photographers. It was beating down with zero shade and we forgot to put on sunscreen before heading out so we did a quick out-and-back but otherwise, it'd be a neat area to sit. $10 fee per vehicle (cash or QR code). No fee if you walk in. Definitely wear close-toed shoes; sandals or flip-flops on slippery rocks are a recipe for disaster. Also, watch out for poison ivy along the path to the jetty.

Beware: This is not a polished tourist destination. Only visit if you're looking for a bit of…read moreadventure. To get to the Eastern Point Lighthouse, you have to turn down a road marked as private. (Apparently it isn't, really?) Then, you pass some other unwelcoming signs. Then you finally get to a small gravel parking lot with a sign that says "All are welcome!" The lighthouse isn't operational or open for tours. It's surrounded by fencing that makes it look condemned. But, if you walk through some sand and rocks along the water and then do a small bit of rock climbing, you can get a good view of an iconic lighthouse. When I visited, it was freezing rain and very windy. When I climbed up on the rocks to take a picture, the winds up there were so strong I was worried they'd blow my phone out of my hand. Combined with the sense that I was almost trespassing, it was oddly thrilling. There's not enough going on to warrant a long trip, but if you're in the area, want a fun diversion, and are fine driving down narrow, possibly private roads to a small gravel parking lot before navigating sandy, rocky, seaweedy tidewaters to see something iconic, it's a worthwhile diversion.

My first time here walking around. We've driven by but this time we decided to get a little…read moreexercise and enjoy the views. We weren't the only ones here. Lots of people from all over. There were families, tourists, college kids, locals, and of course, love birds!! ;) We enjoyed our little walks and stopping to rest. While resting, we enjoyed people watching, the waves, and surfers. What's not to like?!?! The waves are so beautiful and relaxing! It doesn't matter if it's cloudy or sunshine. It's just the doctor ordered!!

Don't go here. I was walking over the rocks and climbing on them and then they HAD to be slippery…read moreand mind you, I don't know how to swim, even though I'm from Gloucester. I fell on a rock, and I struggled to get back up. another time, I decided to go in the water and try to sit on the rock, but the thing is why is the sand so FUCKING DEEP? It could've been like 3 feet and I would've been okay, but it was like 5?! THE HELL? Never in my GODDAMN life that I would've been complaining over a beach but here I am. Why? I am a local and I would rather shoot myself with a hunter's rifle then swim here. Go to Good Harbor instead.

Plum Cove is a small resident only beach on Ipswich Bay. There is a lifeguard from Father's Day…read moreuntil Labor Day from 9am - 5pm. The beach has limited parking and vehicles must have a resident parking sticker. Port-o-pottie on site.

The entire Cape Ann area is just beyond fantastic. In many ways, it's better than Cape Cod because…read moreit doesn't have all the tourists and not a lot of people outside of Massachusetts know about it. Long known as an artist's colony and encompassing small towns and hamlets like Rockport, Gloucester, Manchester-By-The-Sea, Ipswich, and to some degree Salem, the entire coast here is dotted with little coves and bays and beaches and you really can find out about a lot of these places by actually driving around and exploring. That's how my friend and I stumbled on Plum Cove Beach. Definitely a spot locals know about, this is easily one of the cutest, picturesque and prettiest beaches I've encountered in New England. Flanked by giant stone, sloping cliffs (which I saw some hikers going along), trees and amazing estates clinging to these cliffs, the actual beach sits snugly in between. It is not a big beach, there are no facilities here and I imagine parking here in the summer must be a nightmare, but the day we came, hardly anyone was here, the water is super dark blue and clear and as long as you mind your own business in typical New England fashion, people are pretty chill. The beach is very clean, the water was cold (but it's only early June) and on a clear, sunshine day with hardly anyone there, it really is an amazing spot to enjoy yourself in.