Why this salty Massachusetts coastal town hooks artists
In Gloucester, maritime history and magical light lure visitors to the state’s lesser-known cape.
An aerial view of Gloucester, Massachusetts, shows off the coastal town’s fabled natural light.Photograph by Isaac J Aiello, Discover Gloucester
ByHannah Sheinberg
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THINK OF CAPE ANN as Cape Cod’s saltier sister, a hard-working fishing community that’s about as old as the Plymouth Colony. It’s weathered and welcoming, bucolic and blue-collar. In other words, it’s as quintessentially New England as a dropped “r.”
Its briny appeal partly explains why this cape, located about an hour outside of Boston, Massachusetts, seems to hide in plain sight compared to much-ballyhooed Cape Cod. Yet its combination of charming seascapes and colonial history have turned this spit of sand into an artistic hub—one with a storied past.