Cute New England Coastal Towns Perfect For Day Trips: Gloucester

Living in Boston you are surrounded by tons of small fishing towns. We loved visiting these towns for quick day trips from Boston. Gloucester, Massachusetts was one of my husband’s favorites.

Why You May Have Heard of Gloucester

You can get to Gloucester from Boston a couple different ways, driving or by train. We drove and it took us around 45 minutes. There is so much history in this town, but a lot of people know it from the movie The Perfect Storm or a more recent movie, CODA. It is the quintessential New England fishing village.

This is one of the top fishing ports in the New England area and people love to come visit the docks where there are numerous shops and restaurants you can pop into.

There is also a paved walk way alongside the water that provides amazing views of the water and boats traveling out to sea. The beach itself is pretty rocky so I would suggest bringing chairs if you are looking to sit on the beach.

Things To Do When In Gloucester

There are many things you can do in Gloucester depending on what you are looking for. When we visited, we just wanted to take in the town and the history of the city. We popped in a coffee shop and then a number of the local shops. The local shops in small fishing towns are some of my favorite.

Many people travel here for the whale watch tours as well as fishing tours. My husband really wanted to do the fishing tour but with covid, it just never really worked out.

Your kids love lighthouses, Eastern Point is a great one to check out if you want to walk along the jetty and see the views. The lighthouse itself is closed to the public.

Half Moon Beach is a popular spot during the summer, so get there early if you want a spot. Prepare for it to be crowded, due to its proximity to town. Neighboring Stage Fort Park provides amble area to spread out for picnics. This is a great option if you want to enjoy the coastal beach away from the crowd.

If you’re interested in learning more about the history of life in Gloucester, check out the Cape Ann Museum downtown.

Places To Eat In Gloucester

On the way into Gloucester we stopped at a place called Mile Marker One for brunch. Highly recommend this place as it offers indoor and outdoor seating and is kid friendly. The views of the boats docked are another reason to stop here. This restaurant is not located downtown and offers ample parking which is nice.

We stopped in a great coffee shop while walking around the downtown area as well, The Lone Gull. Lone Gull Coffee shop is more of your local family owned with lots of coffee options yet food options are more limited to sandwiches and pastries.

Before heading out of town, we picked up food to go from The Drift. The Drift has a variety menu and offers live music and offers a calendar of fun events.

There are also other seafood restaurants located in the downtown area and as well on the waters edge. When you travel to small fishing towns, you can never go wrong with seafood. You can rest assure the seafood you are ordering is freshly caught.

Overall Opinion of Gloucester

This well known fishing town was a perfect day trip from Boston. With it being so close to Boston we never considered staying overnight there but with there being other small towns around, I feel like if you did want to spend some days in this area, Gloucester could be a great central spot. This hotel is located right on the water and looked beautiful.

Have young children or even a newborn and looking to do some day trips? Read my blog about Roadtrips with a newborn to get some tips or ideas to make it a little easier!

We would love to hear about your favorite things to do in Gloucester!