Exploring the Charming North Shore of Massachusetts
Located just north of Boston, Massachusetts’s North Shore is a string of historic harbor towns and beach communities that offer a unique blend of maritime history, cultural attractions, and natural beauty. Each town has its own distinct character, from the bustling nightlife scene in Salem to the refined dining experience in Newburyport.
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Swampscott: A Hidden Treasure
Swampscott is a rare gem on the North Shore that refuses to rearrange itself for visitors. Its downtown area unfolds across two distinct pockets: the Olmsted Historic District, with its winding, tree-lined streets and stately coastal homes, and the Humphrey Street strip, which is loaded with new restaurants, cafés, and bakeries.
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The latter has quietly become one of the area’s most talked-about restaurant rows on the North Shore, popular enough that Boston food accounts have started showing up to document it. Swampscott’s best for travelers who’d rather experience a version of everyday coastal life than work through a sightseeing checklist.
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Salem: A City of Rich History and Culture
Summer is when Salem gets to exhale and show off its more easygoing, creative side. Settled in 1626, it’s one of New England’s oldest cities, though its nearly 400 years of history are often eclipsed by a few infamous months in 1692. Without peak Halloween crowds swallowing every sidewalk, it becomes easier to appreciate Salem as it actually is: a historic maritime port with brick-lined streets, a lively waterfront, serious cultural institutions, and one of the North Shore’s strongest dining scenes.
Start at the Peabody Essex Museum, where ship captains’ treasures, centuries-old homes, and far-flung art collections reveal just how much of Salem’s story lies beyond the witch trials. From there, walk toward Salem Maritime National Historical Park and Derby Wharf before getting back onto the water for a harbor cruise or schooner sail.
Manchester-by-the-Sea: A Picture-Perfect Harbor Town
The seaside town that got its own Hollywood drama is a lot dreamier in real life for its beaches and boat moorings. Manchester-by-the-Sea is a harbor town so picture-perfect it could be a postcard. The compact downtown can be crossed in a matter of minutes, with a short row of shops, a bakery worth the wait, and a train station that still carries commuters into Boston.
While the downtown’s worth a visit on its own, most visitors shuffle in for a visit to Singing Beach, a stretch of fine sand just 10 minutes on foot from the train station. Nonresident walk-ons are welcome, though it is worth checking the latest admission and parking rules before you commit to the walk, because the rules shift by season.
Gloucester: A Historic Fishing Town
The historic fishing town of Gloucester offers whale watches, a walkable town center, and waterfront hotels. America’s oldest seaport, established in 1623, still works hard for a living, with its trawlers sharing the harbor with whale-watch boats and schooners. Nothing here’s been smoothed over for visitors, which is part of why it’s also stood in for itself onscreen: The Perfect Storm was shot around the real working harbor, and CODA used Gloucester’s fishing docks and pier as its backdrop on the way to a Best Picture win.
Book a naturalist-led whale watch out to Stellwagen Bank, or see the harbor the slower way, aboard a schooner under sail. Rocky Neck, one of the oldest working art colonies in the country, is built for an afternoon free from a fixed itinerary—galleries, open studios, wherever the next door happens to be open.
