Cape Ann is a rocky jut of land 30 miles north of Boston comprising the towns of Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester by the Sea.

Most have heard of Cape Cod, a 60 mile peninsula south of Boston, famous for Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower landing of the Pilgrims. No doubt, Cape Cod is a larger, distinctive land mass. It’s stunningly beautiful and more well-known. But because of its popularity, it is also characterized by infamous traffic jams during the high season. Cape Ann, the “other Cape,” is quieter, smaller, maybe not as glamorous, and is often referred to as the “the hidden cape.”

Cape Ann is noted for its’ fishing village persona, world class beaches and rocky out-cliffs. Most notably: Rockport is a quiet seaside village depicted in the most painted and photographed building (actually an old fishing shack) in the US called “Motif 1” (found in Rockport Harbor). The image of Motif 1 was taken by my friend, David Young, who has a gallery on Bearskin Neck, Rockport. The town is unpretentious, has fabulous beaches and is an active artist colony to this day. During the nineteenth century, it was the epicenter of the granite industry that provided rock for many of Boston’s famous buildings and bridges.

Gloucester is America’s oldest fishing port and is where the iconic movie The Perfect Storm was filmed. It is home the one of the oldest, continuously working art colonies known as Rocky Neck.

Essex has a shipbuilding history, building more two-masted schooners than anywhere else in the world. The area is known for lobster rolls, fried clams and “chowda.”