Beef Country region

Cape Ann

Where working harbors, art studios, and horse stables earn their keep. From Manchester-by-the-Sea to Rockport and Gloucester to Topsfield, Cape Ann curves along the coast as the ocean gives way to stone walls and open fields.

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Cape Ann

Where coast and countryside earn their keep.

When the clam shacks close for winter, the Beef shops keep the lights on.

At Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea, the sand squeaks underfoot, which is how the beach got its name.

In Gloucester, the Man at the Wheel keeps watch, and off Rockport, the twin lights still guide boats home through the fog.

Good Harbor and Wingaersheek draw the crowds, while Niles Beach and Stage Fort Park stay local favorites.

Essex

Gloucester

Hamilton

Ipswich

Manchester-by-the-Sea

Rockport

Topsfield

Wenham

Essex

Gloucester

Hamilton

Ipswich

Manchester-by-the-Sea

Rockport

Topsfield

Wenham

Halibut Point Quarry

The region

Around the region

In Rockport, Bearskin Neck runs past galleries to Motif No. 1, the red fishing shack that has inspired painters for generations.

Essex follows the river past boatyards and hulls fresh with paint. It’s the birthplace of the fried clam.

North in Ipswich, the Crane Estate rises above the wide lawns and dunes of Crane Beach.

Inland, Hamilton and Wenham share a school district and a commuter rail stop, so most people just say Hamilton-Wenham. Polo at Myopia Hunt Club goes back to the 1880s.

To the west, Topsfield stretches out with farmland and the Topsfield Fair, a fall ritual since 1818.