Bradley Palmer State Park
Horse‐friendly trails, a family wading pool, and leafy picnic lawns fill this 721-acre oasis woven along the Ipswich River. It’s perfect for hiking under towering pines or paddling quiet backwaters after spotting great blue herons.
Phone: (978) 887-5931
Willowdale State Forest
Ride mountain-bike loops or walk shady carriage roads through nearly 3,000 acres of mixed woodland straddling Hamilton, Ipswich, and Topsfield. Its old stone bridges and kettle ponds add a dash of North Shore magic to every outing.
Phone: (978) 887-5931
Appleton Farms
America’s oldest continuously operated farm beckons with flower-lined dairy barns, kid-friendly calf cuddles, and miles of pastoral walking paths. Don’t miss farm-made cheeses and maple lattes at the rustic Farm Store.
Phone: (978) 356-5728
Myopia Hunt Club (Spectator Events)
Founded in 1882, this storied club hosts world-class polo on summer Sundays—open to the public for tailgates, divot-stomping, and field-side picnics. The surrounding links rank among the nation’s most historic golf courses.
Phone: (978) 468-4433
Patton Homestead
Walk the grounds of WWII General George S. Patton’s family estate overlooking the Ipswich River. Year-round art fairs, outdoor films, and military-history exhibits unfold amid 18th-century stone walls and sweeping lawns.
Phone: (978) 468-5570
Wenham Museum
Toy trains chug past Victorian dollhouses while colonial textiles, firefighting relics, and local-history galleries inspire kids and collectors alike. Hands-on family programs change every season.
Phone: (978) 468-2377
Chebacco Lake
Launch a kayak at dawn to watch mist rise over lily-dotted coves, or drop a line for perch and pickerel from the public ramp. In midsummer, locals cool off with refreshing swims along sandy pockets of shoreline.
Phone: N/A
Chebacco Woods
This community forest weaves 200 acres of hemlock glens and kettle-hole ponds behind Gordon College. Well-blazed loops make it a go-to for dog walks, birding, and peaceful trail runs.
Phone: (978) 468-5572
North Shore Music Theatre
One of America’s last theater-in-the-round venues dazzles with Broadway-caliber musicals, touring concerts, and its beloved holiday A Christmas Carol. Every seat is within 50 feet of the stage.
Phone: (978) 232-7200
The Cabot Theatre
Catch indie films, Grammy-winning musicians, or stand-up comedy inside this restored 1920s movie palace. Art-deco murals, a mighty Wurlitzer organ, and craft-beer concessions elevate every show night.
Phone: (978) 927-3100
Hammond Castle Museum
Perched above crashing Atlantic surf, this medieval-style castle brims with Roman statuary, twisting passageways, and wild inventor lore. Self-guided tours and candlelit concerts reveal its quirky charms.
Phone: (978) 283-2080
Crane Beach
Four miles of powdery sand, rolling dunes, and sweeping tidepools make this Trustees preserve a North Shore icon. Winter brings horseback riders; summer delivers perfect surf and piping plovers.
Phone: (978) 356-4354
Castle Hill on the Crane Estate
Tour a 1928 Great House modeled after English country manors, then wander grand alleés, Italian gardens, and a secret hedge maze with ocean vistas. Weekend concerts and summer picnics light up the lawn.
Phone: (978) 356-4351
Essex Shipbuilding Museum
Step inside a working boatyard where wooden schooners have launched for 400 years. Interactive exhibits, riverfront walks, and live-oak timbers showcase the craft that built America’s fishing fleet.
Phone: (978) 768-7541
Cape Ann Museum
Celebrate Gloucester’s maritime spirit through Winslow Homer paintings, granite-quarry artifacts, and the original dory that rowed Captain Howard Blackburn to fame. Don’t miss the luminous Fitz Henry Lane Gallery.
Phone: (978) 283-0455
Long Hill
Formal garden “rooms,” meandering woodland trails, and heirloom apple orchards crown this former Sedgwick family estate. Spring daffodil fields and autumn foliage earn photographer bragging rights.
Phone: (978) 921-1944
Endicott Park
Pet friendly farm animals, climbable tractor playsets, and paved pond loops make this 165-acre Danvers gem a toddler favorite. Sunset bronzes the barns in postcard perfection.
Phone: (978) 774-6518
Lynch Park & Rose Garden
Stroll a seaside rose garden bursting with 3,000 blooms, then grab an ice cream and drop onto the pebble beach below. Summer concerts echo across Beverly Harbor at dusk.
Phone: (978) 921-6067
Singing Beach
When the sand is just right, each step squeaks with a musical “sing.” The half-moon cove offers gentle surf, tide-pool rocks, and pastel sunsets that draw painters year-round.
Phone: (978) 526-2000
Ravenswood Park
Giant glacial boulders and fern-filled ravines sculpt 600 acres of deep forest just minutes from downtown Gloucester. In winter its carriage roads transform into peaceful cross-country ski tracks.
Phone: (978) 281-8400
Stage Fort Park
Site of Gloucester’s 1623 fishing encampment, this oceanfront park now hosts chowder festivals, fireworks, and sprawling playgrounds between twin beaches and granite headlands.
Phone: (978) 281-9700
Halibut Point State Park
Walk a granite-quarry rim trail where breakers explode against 440-million-year-old ledge. Clear days reveal panoramic views from Maine to Boston’s skyline.
Phone: (978) 546-2997
Bearskin Neck
Candy-colored lobster shacks, art galleries, and saltwater taffy shops crowd this Rockport peninsula. Catch sunset from the granite breakwater as gulls wheel overhead.
Phone: (978) 546-6575
Salem Witch Museum
Dramatic dioramas and original 1692 documents recount the infamous witch trials in haunting detail. After dark, guided “ghost walks” weave through lantern-lit streets.
Phone: (978) 744-1692
Peabody Essex Museum
Yin Yu Tang, an imported Qing-dynasty house, anchors vast galleries of maritime art, Asian export treasures, and cutting-edge rotating exhibits—one of New England’s finest museums.
Phone: (978) 745-9500
Salem Maritime National Historic Site
Tour the tall ship Friendship, step inside 17th-century wharves, and learn how Salem captains sailed the world during America’s first boom-era of global trade.
Phone: (978) 740-1650
Salem Willows Park
Arcade rides, salt-water taffy stands, and century-old willow trees create a nostalgic seaside midway. Grab chop-suey sandwiches—an only-in-Salem tradition—before a shoreline stroll.
Phone: (978) 745-9595
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Follow boardwalks through bird-rich swamps to an elevated heron rookery, or rent a canoe for beaver-pond explorations. Nature center programs charm kids with owl prowls and maple sugaring.
Phone: (978) 887-9264
Gordon College Frost Farm & Trails
Meander through rolling meadows where poet Robert Frost once taught, then loop quiet kettle ponds on the Pingree Park trails network—open to all daylight hikers.
Phone: (978) 927-2300
Maritime Gloucester
Touch tanks teem with local sea stars and lobsters while schooner restoration sheds hum with shipwright chatter. Harbor cruises depart from the same pier as the Discovery Channel’s Wicked Tuna.
Phone: (978) 281-0470
Gloucester Fishermen’s Memorial (“Man at the Wheel”)
This solemn bronze, listing 5,368 names lost at sea, anchors Stacey Boulevard’s oceanside promenade. It’s the North Shore’s most photographed sunrise spot.
Phone: (978) 281-9700
Good Harbor Beach
At low tide, walk to Salt Island on a sandbar framed by twin surf breaks. Lifeguards, concessions, and convenient trolley service make it Gloucester’s summer hot-spot.
Phone: (978) 281-9790
Beverly Commons (Beverly Farms Conservation Area)
Granite-ledge lookouts and hidden vernal pools reward hikers on a 4-mile network crisscrossing coastal forest. Print a map before tackling its maze of blazed trails.
Phone: (978) 921-6000
Historic Beverly – John Cabot House
Explore merchants’ parlors, maritime treasures, and rotating textile exhibits inside a 1781 Georgian mansion built by sea-captain John Cabot. Costumed guides share tales of privateers and patriots.
Phone: (978) 922-1186
The House of the Seven Gables
Immortalized by Nathaniel Hawthorne, this 1668 seafarer’s mansion invites you up secret staircases and through slanted gables overlooking Salem Harbor. Gardens burst with heirloom flowers in summer.
Phone: (978) 744-0991
Independence Park (Beverly)
This petite crescent beach marks the embarkation of the first U.S. naval assault (1775). Today, kite flyers and paddleboarders share the calm cove under the watchful eye of two Revolutionary War cannons.
Phone: (978) 921-6067
Choate Island (Crane Wildlife Refuge)
Accessible by seasonal boat tours, this 135-foot drumlin offers panoramic views of Essex Bay’s salt marsh. Scenes from The Crucible were filmed among its ancient white-cedar groves.
Phone: (978) 356-4351
Cogswell’s Grant
One of New England’s finest folk-art collections fills this 1728 farmhouse overlooking the Essex River. Docent-led tours reveal whimsical weathervanes, painted chests, and panoramic mural rooms.
Phone: (978) 768-3632
Dogtown Common
Glacial erratics inscribed with cryptic Depression-era “inspirational boulders” line these abandoned colonial roads. Intermediate hikers love its rugged, root-strewn paths to Goose Cove Reservoir.
Phone: (978) 281-9780
Shalin Liu Performance Center
A floor-to-ceiling glass stage wall frames the Atlantic, so chamber-music crescendos mingle with crashing surf. Acoustics rank among the world’s best for both jazz trios and symphony orchestras.
Phone: (978) 546-7391
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