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Rockport, MA Road Trips

Plan drives from Rockport, MA with practical route pages for distance, drive time, fuel cost, road character, and places to stop along the way.

town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Trip Routes

1

Longest Drive

90.5 mi

Fall River, MA

Quickest Drive

2h

Fall River, MA

Plan Around Rockport, MA

Popular Incoming Routes

Useful if Rockport, MA is the arrival point and you want the strongest routes into the city first.

Rockport, MA by the Numbers

Recent demographic snapshot from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

Population

4,795

Median Income

$86,250

Median Home Value

$694,300

Median Age

61.5

Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year (public domain). See our methodology for details.

Rockport, MA at a Glance

Founded

1623

Elevation

75 ft

Area

18 mi²

Notable People from Rockport, MA

A sampling of people born in Rockport, MA.

Andrew Stanton

Andrew Stanton

1965

American animator, film director and screenwriter (born 1965)

Paula Cole

Paula Cole

1968

American singer

Vermin Supreme

Vermin Supreme

1961

American performance artist and political activist

Marshall Howard Saville

Marshall Howard Saville

1867–1935

American archaeologist (1867–1935)

Bertha Mahony

1882–1969

American writer (1882-1969)

Landmarks & Historic Sites

Attractions and heritage-registered places located in Rockport, MA.

Cape Ann Light Station

Cape Ann Light Station

lighthouse in Massachusetts, United States

National Historic Landmark National Register of Historic Places listed place
Granite Keystone Bridge

Granite Keystone Bridge

historic bridge in Rockport, Massachusetts, United States

National Register of Historic Places listed place
Straitsmouth Island Light

Straitsmouth Island Light

lighthouse in Massachusetts, United States

National Register of Historic Places listed place
Gott House

Gott House

historic house in Massachusetts, United States

National Register of Historic Places listed place
Old Garrison House

Old Garrison House

historic house in Massachusetts, United States

National Register of Historic Places listed place
Rockport High School

Rockport High School

high school in Massachusetts, United States

National Register of Historic Places listed place

City data from Wikidata (Q2079395), available under CC0. Photos from Wikimedia Commons under their respective licenses. See our methodology for details.

Traveler Guide to Rockport, MA

Rockport is a town of 7,000 people (2020) in Massachusetts on Cape Ann. The town, once famous for granite production, got its start as an artist colony in the late 1800s. Rockport is a favorite vacation spot and day trip for many who come to enjoy the concentration of shops and galleries on Bearskin Neck, the rugged, rocky coastline or some ultra-fresh lobsters or other seafood.

1 Motif #1. the widely known subject of many paintings. 2 Halibut Point State Park, Gott Av (3 mi north of town on Rt. 127), ☏ +1 978 546-2997. Daily dawn to dusk. Beautiful coastline views, visitor center, walking trails, and tidal pools. A renovated World War II fire tower provides a scenic view. Weekend quarry tours and granite cutting demonstrations take place in summer. Great place to picnic. Parking $10, MA Residents $5. 3 Paper House, 52 Pigeon Hill St (Rt. 127 north to Curtis St.), ☏ +1 978 546-2629. Daily Apr-Oct, 10AM-5PM. Bizarre 1922 vintage house built entirely of 100,000 newspapers even housing a newspaper-covered piano. Admission: adults $3, children $1. (updated Jul 2024) John Caggiano Gallery, ☏ +1 978 546-2414. 66 Bearskin Neck (also 4 Main St.). Cynthia Curtis Pottery, 80 Pigeon Hill Street, ☏ +1 978 546-6186. Don Mosher Gallery, 13 Main Street, ☏ +1 978 546-3666. Tom Nicholas Gallery, 7 Wildon Heights, ☏ +1 978 546-9647. Square Circle, 11 Dock Square, ☏ +1 978 546-7100. Thistle Fine Art, 31A Granite Street, ☏ +1 978 546-2020. Tidal Edge Gallery, 3 School Street, ☏ +1 978 546-3196.

Rockport Golf Club, 60 South Street, ☏ +1 978 546-3340. North Shore Kayak Outdoor Center, 9 Tuna Wharf, ☏ +1 978 546-5050. Windhover Performing Arts Center, 257(R) Granite St, ☏ +1 978 546-3611. Tuna Hunter Charters, 4 Heritage Drive, ☏ +1 978 407-1351.

Brackett's Oceanview Restaurant, 25 Main St, ☏ +1 978 546-2797. Seasonal. Su-F 11:30AM-8PM, Sa 11:30AM-9PM. Lunch $8-20, Dinner $11-27. The Greenery, 15 Dock Sq, ☏ +1 978 546-9593. 8AM-9:30PM. My Place by the Sea, ☏ +1 978 546-9667. Bearskin Neck. Wonderful, breathtaking spot at the very end of Bearskin Neck.

A dry town for 70 years until 2005, restaurants and inns serve liquor, but there are no bars or liquor stores.

Bearskin Neck Motor Lodge, 64 Bearskin Neck, ☏ +1 978-546-6677. Captain's Bounty On The Beach, 1 Beach St, ☏ +1 978 546-9557. Eagle House, 8 Cleaves St, ☏ +1 978 546-6292. Captains Bounty Beach View, 10 Beach St, ☏ +1 978 546-6945. Emerson Inn by the Sea, 1 Cathedral Ave., ☏ +1 978-546-6321, [email protected]. This charming oceanfront hotel 35 miles NE of Boston combines modern comfort with traditional graciousness. Try the popular whale watching tours. This particular in is set on a beautiful piece of property overlooking Bearskin Neck and Halibut Point. What is interesting about this particular in is that it is set in the middle of a residential neighborhood, unlike the other inns in Rockport. Not only do guest enjoy their stay their, but locals who live in the community enjoy dinners and drink there. A simply charming place to stay. From $125. Seaward Inn, 44 Marmion Way, ☏ +1 978 546-3471. Yankee Clipper Inn, 127 Granite St, ☏ +1 978 546-3407. Addison Choate, 49 Broadway, ☏ +1 978-546-7543, [email protected]. 7 rooms, free parking. Lantana House, ☏ +1 978 546-3535. 22 Broadway. The Rockport House, 17 Pleasant St. Rocky Shores, 65 Eden St. Sally Webster Inn, 34 Pleasant St, ☏ +1 978 546-9251. The Seafarer Inn, 50 Marmion Way, ☏ +1 978 546-6248.

Interstate 95 to Route 128 to Route 127. Downtown has parking meters ($.25 per half-hour) and often has no spots. Rockport has a free parking facility, the Blue Gate Parking Lot (open June-Oct), located as you arrive on Route 127 about 1/4 mi (400 m) past the Rockport Visitor Information booth. From the parking lot, it is about a 3/4-mile walk to downtown Rockport, but a shuttle to town only costs $1 each way. The commuter rail run from Boston's North Station is about a 70-minute trip and costs $7.75 one-way. Rockport's station is off Railroad Avenue, less than a mile from the center of town. The Cape Ann Transportation Authority (CATA), ☏ +1 978-283-7916, runs buses from town to town on Cape Ann.

The main tourist areas are very compact and walkable. Having a car lets one explore some of the other coastal areas.

Travel tips adapted from Rockport (Massachusetts) on Wikivoyage, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Content summarized; visit the source for the full article. See our methodology for how we use it.

Trips to Rockport, MA

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