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!

Rehearsal dinner, superplus! Open floor plan, canvases for all tastes and Big Fish-architecture…read morethat places you inside a wooden beam big top. Two major rooms in the gallery, accessible through a secret garden courtyard. Rustic meets modern, hospital sterile with watercolor warmth and illuminated by whimsically strewn twinkle lights. Fantastic in the literal sense. Definitely worth a look-see if you're meandering through downtown Rockport, and a must if entertaining a reception space.

My mom and I toured Beauport when we visited Gloucester for a day a week or so ago and it was one…read moreof the many highlights of our Cape Ann trip. The house was built in 1908 as the summer home of interior decorate and antique collector Henry Davis Sleeper. Sleeper designed this unique house, where he lived until his death, when it was bough by Charles and Helena Woolworth McCann. They preserved most of Sleeper's designs and decor (making only a few modifications) until their heirs donated the house to Historic New England in 1947. The house is full of incredible decor: a kitchen that utilized 17th century paneling from his mother's ancestral home, a central hall with an incredible amber glass cabinet, a dining room with incredible views of the Harbor, an Octagon Room, and so much more. We reserved our tour ahead of time, and three others joined our tour. Our guide was wonderful, and we learned so much about this unique house, Henry Davis Sleeper, and the McCanns. Our time in Gloucester was wonderful, but Beauport was one of the highlights of our time there. It's a really incredible house, and I'm so glad we had time in our itinerary for a tour!

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.

Castles have always reminded me of fairy tales. But Hammond Castle is a fairy tale with a…read moredistinctly Gothic twist. There was something about the story of its lonely owner and the maze of dark little passageways, hidden entrances, and unexpected exits between rooms that gave me chills. It felt less like I was walking through a castle and more like I had stepped into a fortress where it is eternally Halloween.... Why - because this castle has the unique story of being built from ruins of so many European structures, real structures. Roman pillars from Italian ruins, medieval doorways from French monasteries sometimes even entire rooms dismantled stone by stone and shipped. This inventor (known for the remote control and 400 odd patents), was no doubt super rich, who dreamed and created one of a kind castle to live in. He delighted in calling him the preserver of heritage, some called it plunder and also claimed it was cursed having been built on ruins. No wonder, there are innumerable 'stories' of haunting associated with this castle. There are plenty amazing locations for pictures. The architecture is captivating, it is a popular location for weddings given the dramatic backdrop. Costing anywhere between $6000 to $10K just for the space. I was cautious to walk with my tour group when inside the castle, it was not just to listen to the many interesting scraps of information but also to ensure am surrounded by people......lol Hammond Castle is perched directly on a rocky cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, so its pretty scenic in soo many ways. Its beautiful, its strange, it has loads of mini stories from past and present, something very different. Was I able to pique your interest yet .... ?!

I visited Hammond Castle Museum with my mom a week or so ago when we spent a long weekend on Cape…read moreAnn, and we loved our time there! Hammond Castle is a 20th century castle! It was built by John Hays Hammond, Jr., who was a very wealthy inventor and all around quirky guy. To make a long story short, Jr. offended his upper crust parents by picking a woman they considered inappropriate to be his wife (a divorcee from a family they didn't consider worthy to marry into the family). They kicked him out of the family castle down the road, so he built his castle - a bigger one. Hammond Jr. was a collector, and he traveled around Europe after both world wars and was able to collect beautiful pieces of European art and architecture that became part of the house. So the castle was built between 1926 and 1929, but it contains elements from 15th, 16th, and 18th century European architecture. You can tour the Castle by self-guided or guided tours, but I highly recommend a guided tour. Our tour guide was Leila, and she was incredible - funny, informative, charming! She walked us around, into several areas of the castle, and then we explored more areas on our own after the guided tour. The castle is incredible. The architecture and art are incredible, and there are great stories behind a lot of both (some pieces and elements have questionable provenance)! The castle also has great views. We had tickets for the first tour of the day on a Saturday. I highly recommend going early and getting a tour in the morning. When we arrived around 9 for our 9:30 tour, the parking lot was pretty empty. When we left around 11, the parking lot was entirely full and there were several cars with their flashers on waiting to be able to pull into a spot as people left. It's a popular spot, so if you're visiting on a weekend, go early if you can. Or be prepared to wait for a parking spot or take a rideshare! Hammond Castle is quirky, beautiful, interesting, fun. It should definitely be on your itinerary if you're visiting Cape Ann if you like art, architecture, history, quirky places... There's so much to enjoy about Hammond Castle!

Feels like so long ago we were hiking up the tower. I mentioned to my Dad that my legs weren't…read morefeeling the best and I needed to go slow. He felt bad so he waited for me half way up and then all of a sudden I got a burst of energy and sped past him. He was shocked and said I waited for you and then you left me in the dust. When we got to the top it was fun to look around the city and see the ocean. Lots of history here and we are so grateful for the memories made. Staff is very friendly and really takes pride in their museum. It's kept up well and very educational. Thank you

This is a cute museum to visit on a rainy day. You get to learn a lot about early Massachusetts…read morehistory and you can climb to the top of the monument. The cost for two adults was $46. They have entire section dedicated to the local Provincetown establishments as well.

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 mom and I visited the Cape Ann Museum a week or so ago when we spent a day exploring Gloucester…read more The museum is really wonderful. It's an art and historical museum dedicated to the art, history, and culture of Cape Ann. Their collection includes a collection of Fitz Henry Lane maritime and landscape paintings, the original Thacher Island Fresnel lens, a wooden sculpture that used to top the Parish of Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, and lots of paintings of Cape Ann. When we visited last week (and through September 27, 2026), they have an incredible exhibit: "Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea." The exhibit is presented through a collaboration between the Cape Ann Museum and the Phillips Collection in DC, and it explores the bond between three 20th century artists who shared summers in Gloucester in the 1920s-1940s. The exhibit is really special, so if you're visiting Gloucester before September 27, run don't walk to the Cape Ann Museum. It's a great little regional museum, definitely worth a visit if you're visiting Cape Ann for the firsts time!

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

Before our visit to the science center I wondered if it would be a good fit for the ages of 6-12,…read morebut it was. in fact, this is a place for anyone over the age of one. Everyone learned a great deal and had a fun time. We loved that it was self guided. The staff is great. The gift shop has a wide variety of affordable items. I wish it had not been raining because we could have spent the entire day at the state park. There is also a great playground.

Odiorne Point State Park is a public recreation area that opened in Rye, New Hampshire in July…read more1972. It is administered by the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation. The park is located along the Atlantic seacoast in Rye, not far from Portsmouth. The area is the site of the Pannaway Plantation: the first European settlement in New Hampshire. Settled in 1622, the plantation was completely abandoned by the 1630s when the settlers moved to nearby Strawberry Banke. The land was settled in the mid-1660s by the Odiorne Family, whom the park is now named after. From 1942 to 1947, the park was the home of Fort Dearborn. The ruins of the deactivated World War II-era fort can still be seen today. Today the park is home to hiking trails, bike paths, a playground, picnic areas, pavilions, and a Seacoast Science Center which opened in 1992. My family and I visited Odiorne Point State Park this summer while we were heading to Maine for a summer getaway. We had some time to kill before we could check in to our AirBnb, so we decided to stop at the park. We had fun exploring the grounds and my two sons especially enjoyed playing on the nautical-themed playground. The highlight of the park is the Seacoast Science Center. There are all sorts of exhibits devoted to the conservation of marine and coastal environments. My two sons loved learning about whales, local shellfish populations, the local fishing industry, the fight against ocean pollution, and underwater exploration. There was even a cool gift shop where we picked up a few things. Whether you live in the area or you're just passing through like us, Odiorne Point State Park is a fun place for the whole family!

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.

One of my very favorite museums, the PEM is so much more than just art; it is rich with history,…read moreculture, and storytelling. Salem was once a center of global trade and wealth; ship captains brought rare treasures and curiosities back from their voyages to the East India Marine Society, a precursor to the PEM. The modern PEM maintains this tradition of curiosity. Instead of just hanging famous paintings on a wall, the museum curates its galleries as capsules of interconnected history and events. The curators do an excellent job of creating cohesive exhibits that seamlessly follow the narrative of a specific time, place, or concept. This approach gives the individual pieces so much more meaning and context. On top of this, they consistently rotate galleries with special exhibits, so there is always something new to explore. Some of the big highlights: The Salem Witch Trials exhibit features authentic objects and firsthand accounts from the tragedy. Meanwhile, Salem Stories highlights the city's broader historical significance. Anila Quayyum Agha's amazing giant cubic hanging lantern projects an intricate light pattern across an entire room. Explore the newly redone East India Marine Hall, which displays some of the earliest objects collected by Salem sea captains. Finally, don't miss the Yin Yu Tang house - an entire, 200-year-old Qing Dynasty home transported from China and meticulously rebuilt inside the museum.

A lovely museum with the right volume and diversity of things and experiences! I loved how there…read morewas art, artifacts, furniture, and small bits of information you could walk away with. The trouble with museums is that the amount of information can be overwhelming, that you skip over the signs because there are too many. There are plenty of items to look at here, but it didn't feel too overwhelming to get a feel within a few hours. Make sure to book your tickets online to get a time for the Chinese house. I've never walked in something so old. It was interesting to see the construction and walk through it.