Small Towns of Coastal Massachusetts [Part 3]

After our stay in Salem we headed down US Route 127 which is very scenic road in Massachusetts in order to see small coastal towns in the area. Our final destination for the day was Portsmouth, New Hampshire, but until we arrived there we saw a lot of really great towns. When you are on a road trip the main goal is to avoid the highways, so we tried or best to stay on the local roads. In between towns you can see lovely rural sights, amazing fall colors and a few glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean. In this post I will show you the towns: Manchester-by-the-Sea, Gloucester and Rockport, and the next post will cover the tows of: Newburyport and Portsmouth.

This is only a part of our big travel series to the USA 2016

For the other parts click here

Manchester-by-the-Sea

Manchester was first settled by Europeans in 1629 and was officially incorporated in 1645. It was formed out of territory taken from Salem and Gloucester.  The town lies along the North Shore of Massachusetts Bay, which in turn leads to the Atlantic Ocean. There are seven beaches lining the coast, and several small islands dot the coast, the largest being Kettle Island and House Island. US Route 127 also passes from west to east through town, traveling through the center of town.

We only stopped briefly in Manchester-by-the-Sea, parked our car in front of Crosby's Marketplace a small grocery store (which actually had a great selection of food and articles) got some water and candy. We then went to the waterfront and took some shots, but all in all our stay here was brief. There isn't much to do here, but it's a nice stop on the road.

Gloucester

Next up on our road trip was Gloucester . It's the oldest fishing town in the USA. It has a very interesting history. The main street, though hidden behind the houses is very charming, but the most known feature of the town is the Fisherman's Memorial, located along the road in town. The statue reads "They that go down to the sea in ships 1623-1923". Gloucester is also a center for research on marine life and conservation. Ocean Alliance (a organization which is dedicated to the conservation of whales and their marine environment) is headquartered in the city.

We took some images by the statue and gazed towards the open ocean. It was a sunny day and very enjoyable here. The road kept calling so we drove further inland and then back to the sea, towards Rockport our next town on the list.

Rockport

The area that is now Rockport was simply an uninhabited part of Gloucester for more than 100 years, and was primarily used as a source of timber for shipbuilding.  By the beginning of the 19th century, the first granite quarries were developed, and by the 1830s, Rockport granite was being shipped to cities and towns throughout the East Coast. Rockport had consisted primarily of large estates, summer homes, and a small fishing village while Gloucester was becoming increasingly urbanized.

Today, Rockport is a lovely and charming little town. We were immediately fascinated by the cute little shops and vendors and ease of living here. There were other tourists here as well, but it never felt crowded or too busy. We got some magnets in a gift shop and then toured the town, entering shops until we eventually headed down Bearskin Neck a longish promenade leading out to the sea.

From the front part of Bearskin Neck you can see the surrounding estates and rocky shorelines. Again, it's very peaceful here and we had some time to linger and take photos. The fresh sea air was enticing and so were the sights.

Our stay in Rockport came to an end and we headed inland towards Newburyport where we had lunch. But more on that, as well as our second night on this trip in the next part.

End of Part Three

To be continued...

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