Top 5 Things To Do in Gloucester, Massachusetts
Eastern Point Lighthouse, Gloucester, MA
Top 5 Things To Do in Gloucester, Massachusetts
Some may recognize Gloucester, MA as one of the nation’s top fishing ports. While others recognize Gloucester, MA as the setting of National Geographic’s TV show, Wicked Tuna.
Whether you’re visiting Gloucester to taste the fresh seafood, enjoy the coastal views, or attempt to meet one of your favorite Wicked Tuna captains, here’s how you can spend a day in Gloucester, MA (including our top 5 things!):
1. Eastern Point Lighthouse + Breakwater
While you’re unable to currently visit the lighthouse up-close (currently run by the Coast Guard), you can still take in the awesome view right next to it! This charming lighthouse stands just under 40 feet tall over at the eastern point of Gloucester Harbor. You’ll have to pay a fee to park in the small parking lot, but once you’re parked, you can enjoy a leisurely walk towards the lighthouse and along the Breakwater.
With the view of boats moored towards shore on your right, and small waves crashing against the Breakwater on your left, the ocean breeze is happily welcomed during a sunny summer walk along the water.
2. Local Shopping + Art Murals
After your morning stroll along the water, it’s time to make your way downtown. We highly recommend wandering along Main St. to weave in and out of some of the local shops. With cafes, bookstores, antique shops, restaurants, and souvenir shops dotted along Main St, you’ll have plenty to see for an afternoon!
Be sure to check out Turtle Alley Chocolates, and keep an eye out for art murals on the walls!
3. Eat Fresh Seafood for Lunch or Dinner!
It’s no secret that Gloucester has fantastic seafood, so we highly recommend grabbing a bite to eat in town before heading out for the day! There is a variety of restaurants to choose from along Main St. and beyond. Some of which include: the Gloucester House, Short & Main, Oliver’s Harbor Restaurant & Bar, and Passports Eatery & Wine Bar.
We stopped by Passports Eatery & Wine Bar recently and were thrilled to find homemade popovers and butter served to our table almost immediately. We ordered a spread of chowder and coconut shrimp and everything was delicious!
4. Check Out the Fishing Vessels from National Geographic’s TV Show, Wicked Tuna!
Have you seen an episode of Wicked Tuna? If you’re like us, you were likely hooked after one episode (pun intended lol). My husband and I are big fans of Wicked Tuna. While it has been around for 10 seasons as I write this blog post, we recently found the show only 2 months ago. That said… those 2 months were filled with watching Wicked Tuna every single day, so we’ve caught up since ;)
Being the Wicked Tuna fans that we are, and given the fact that we only live about an hour or so away from Gloucester, we couldn’t resist trying to catch a glimpse of the fishing vessels from the show. While we would’ve geeked out over seeing any of the Wicked Tuna fleet, our two favorites are Tuna.com and Hard Merchandise.
Hard Merchandise is moored behind the Gloucester House Restaurant, along with its sister vessel, the Falcon. At the time, we also saw Fat Tuna moored behind the Gloucester House Restaurant as well. Other Wicked Tuna fishing vessels can be found around Gloucester - some at Smith Cove on Rocky Neck and more over at Cape Ann Marina. If you’re lucky, you’ll even run into one of the captains (like us! We were stoked to have met Captain Sandro aboard Tuna.com during our visit).
5. Go on a Fishing Charter or Go Whale-Watching
Don’t get me wrong, it’s super cool seeing the Wicked Tuna Captains on shore, but wouldn’t it be cooler to go on a fishing charter with them? Depending on the season, some Wicked Tuna vessels are available for fishing charters so you can try your hand on some fishing as well! My husband and I have yet to try this for ourselves, but it’s definitely on our bucket list! Whether it’s a fishing charter, or a whale-watching tour, we hope you get to spend some time on Gloucester Harbor.
Annnd that’s a wrap!
There’s a lot more to explore in Gloucester, MA! As we explore this city more in the future, I’ll be sure to edit this blog post with more recommendations for what to see and eat. For now, these are 5 Things You Can Do for a fantastic day trip to Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Make it an adventure worth sharing about!
'Til the next one,
Gen
