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
of cultural, artistic, historic and business assets and activities fill the newest Cape Ann cultural district, Gloucester's Harbortown Cultural District. It incorporates the wellmarked HarborWalk trail with its 42 stops highlighting the long and rich history of this waterfront neighborhood that has attracted painters, writers and visitors for more than two centuries. The Harbortown district also includes the Maritime Gloucester museum and educational center at the edge of the water and loops up to the magnificently restored 1871 City Hall, which contains a carefully restored set of WPA (Works Progress Administration) murals, the worldclass Cape Ann Museum, which focuses on this area's rich art and culture, a distinguished public library and a street lined with historic houses, a synagogue and churches that end at the city's first Town Hall and a large bronze statue of Joan of Arc mounted on a horse. The district's walkable boundaries enclose the thriving downtown residential and business district. Within it are art galleries, studios and a wide variety of shops and restaurants. Yearround street festivals, music events and other day and night time activities draw visitors and local people. They are all welcomed by the merchants, who endorse and support the district. With these four inspiring and impressive cultural districts already in place, Cape Ann can truly be considered Massachusetts' Cultural Coast, well worth a visit for art lovers of all ages and tastes. Come experience the Cape Ann arts scene, and be sure to give yourself plenty of time to linger and embrace it all. ❖ photos, opposite page: Cape Ann Artist Jeff Weaver; Shalin Liu, Gloucester Stage; Cape Ann Museum. this page: Bearskin Neck; Essex River Cruises; Cape Ann Museum www.capeannchamber.com | www.capeannvacations.com | www.rockportusa.com 39