2012 Cape Ann Guide – Experience Cape Ann…serving Essex, Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea and Rockport. Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce.
Issue link: http://capeannguide.epubxp.com/i/133875
The Rockport district is made up of a diverse group of partners that include art galleries, artistic and performance venues, historic associations, museums, churches, libraries, and retailers. It is compact and easy to walk, spanning about 1.2 miles from end to end in downtown Rockport, and encompassing scores of shops, galleries, historic churches, and cultural venues. The Essex River Cultural District is located in the heart of Essex along scenic Route 133, where "the town meets the river." The district "meanders past ancient burial grounds, active shipyards and marinas, bustling restaurants, antique shops and galleries. The district offers vistas of Harold Burnham's Shipyard, the Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum as well as the stunning Essex River with its salt marsh borders looking out to Hog Island and Crane Beach." Artists and visitors from around the world are still drawn to one of America's first artist colonies: Gloucester's Rocky PHOTO BY LEIGHTON O'CONNOR 38 Neck. Located in East Gloucester and wrapped around scenic Smith Cove, the Rocky Neck Cultural District is filled with artist galleries and studios and a great restaurant and music scene. Enjoy lunch or dinner on a deck overlooking the Cove filled Cape Ann ranks as one of with boats of all shapes and sizes. Rocky Neck is home to many yearthe premier round working artists as well as the destinations for the traveler critically acclaimed Gloucester Stage with a particu- Company at the Gorton Theatre on East Main Street. Just across the lar interest in art and cultural Cove from Rocky Neck is the North Shore Arts Association, founded in attractions 1922. Be sure to visit the new Rocky Neck Cultural Center, home of the Rocky Neck Art Colony, with a year round schedule of art exhibitions, workshops and events. Both the bustling working waterfront and a wide array Cape Ann Guide 2013 ~ Essex, Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Rockport