Local Recommendations

 
 

Local Recommendations

We absolutely love the North Shore and we wanted to include some of our favorite places. Since our wedding is on a Friday, we highly recommend taking advantage of the weekend and enjoying the area if you can! 

Danvers, MA: 

  • Our wedding venue, Glen Magna Farms, is located in Danvers and is part of Endicott Park. There are other things to see in Endicott Park as well! It includes orchards, woodlands, marshes, and farm buildings, and it's a great spot for birdwatching. You can check out a map of the park here. Endicott Park is open every day from 9 am to sunset.

  • Plan a trip to Connors Farm for fun fall activities! 

  • Tour the historical Rebecca Nurse Homestead, a 17th century house museum associated with the Salem Village Witchcraft Hysteria of 1692. Make sure to get tickets ahead of time. 

Peabody, MA:

Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA:

Manchester-by-the-Sea is one of my all time favorite places to go to for a day trip!

  • I highly recommend going to Coolidge Reservation, which has an easy trail with a pond and small forest that leads you to a seaside lawn with a beautiful view of the ocean. I feel so at peace here. 

  • If you like the beach, head to Singing Beach! The sand sings when you walk on it.

  • Walk around the downtown area and stop by Manchester by the Book.

Rockport, MA: 

Rockport is another one of my favorite destinations! I’ve visited with Ahmad and family many times because there are so many things to do. I’m including some recommendations below:

  • Visit Bearskin Neck, one of the main areas with plenty of cute stores, art studios, cafes, and restaurants. While you’re walking around, pop into any of the art studios and you'll see many nice galleries. Sometimes the artists are there painting.

  • Visit Motif No. 1, the most painted building in the world.

  • Check out if there are any concerts you would like to see at the Shalin Liu Performance Center. It’s a beautiful performance center with a lovely ocean view.

  • If you want to drive a bit more north, visit Halibut Point State Park and enjoy a nice walk by the ocean. 

Gloucester, MA:

Gloucester is another gorgeous area nearby with lots of ocean and lots of art! I recommend:

  • Hammond Castle Museum (make sure to reserve tickets ahead of time!). This is a really cool castle museum right in front of the ocean. Ahmad and I finally got tickets to visit the inside of the castle recently, and it was worth it.

  • Rocky Neck Art Colony is a great place to stroll and walk into all the studios, and then stop for some ice cream or grab some food at a restaurant in the area with ocean views. 

  • Good Harbor Beach is a perfect beach to take a stroll. I’ve seen some incredible sunsets here. 

Ipswich: 

  • Crane Estate (make sure to get tickets beforehand!) is a pretty epic, seaside estate to visit.

  • Crane Beach is a beautiful beach. 

Salem, MA:

There is so much to do in Salem, especially in October. There are shops, cafes, and lots of historical tours (get tickets ahead of time!). Just keep in mind that it gets VERY crowded during this time of year. If you don’t like crowds, I strongly recommend visiting Salem during another month when there’s less people and less traffic. If you still want to visit:

There are way too many North Shore gems to fit everything, but we highly recommend exploring!