Friday, August 14, 2009

Day Tripping in Rockport, MA...

Get ready to fall in love....


...with the beautiful seaside town of Rockport, Massachusetts.


If you've ever seen (the movies) The Proposal (2009) or The Love Letter (1999), then you've probably caught glimpses of this quaint New England seaside village.


To say it's a charming place to spend an afternoon is an understatement.


We try to visit Rockport every summer (this photo of the girls is from June 2006)... We rarely go on vacations, but this summer we hadn't even squeezed in a day trip due to conflicting schedules or bad weather. But with the girls both about to leave home in a couple of weeks, we made this past Wednesday our "head to Rockport no matter what the weather" day!

So come on along with me and I'll show you around Rockport...


Many of the waterfront shops, galleries and restaurants are along Bear Skin Neck, and this sign gives a little background as to how it got its name.


One of the prettiest shops in the area, The Pewter Shop, even has a sign depicting the ill-fated bear...
When visiting Rockport you'll see:

Brightly painted doors and trim


Sometimes it looks as though the paint was applied that very morning, the colors are so vivid and bright....





But even those whose trim has succumbed to the heat & humidity of the New England summers and the brutal cold of New England's winters, are quaint and nothing-short-of-charming...






Everywhere you look there are flowers in window boxes....









White picket fences, in a variety of shapes and sizes, add cottage charm to shops and homes:







There are gardens galore, an absolute feast for the eyes:







Are you a dog lover? Rockport loves dogs, and dogs love Rockport...

You'll find dogs who are plain tuckered out and just want to nap....


... and dogs who are ready for an adventure....

... like Zac and his lovely friend (who graciously allowed me to snap their photos).


Rockport is a place for people watching....


...for flower inspiration....
...and for gallery and shop-hopping...

Take a closer look at what's peering out of the second story windows of the Country Store... (click photo to enlarge if you want a closer look! I still say one is a real boy although Amanda says no!)
And when you get tired of walking and your tummy starts to rumble, there are plenty of places to relax and grab a bite to eat.
We thought this place looked cute - the 7th Wave, where you had the option of eating inside or roof top. Since we lucked out on weather (in the 70's, overcast, but no rain in sight), we opted for the roof. After placing our order, we decided to take a few photos until our food arrived...
Roof Top Dining Views:
The kayak rental shop below...

...where you can rent a kayak in any color of the rainbow.

Several of the shops and galleries leading to the waterfront...
The view over the rooftops... I love the seagull on top of the chimney. (My offbeat photo of the fishing shack, Motif No. 1!)
What's that I spy down there with all the lovely flower boxes, right next to the silversmith? Why it's a bakery & candy shop. Okay, we'll definitely be stopping there after lunch! I may have to fiddle around with my WW points for the rest of the week, but it will be worth it!
Smile, girls! Oops... looks like I only got your silhouettes, but the scenery behind you is gorgeous!
Here's Court, showing me how to get a good photo (by holding out her camera and clicking a photo of the 3 of us... I should just have Amanda & Court take my blog photos - they do a much better job than me!) Mmmm, I think I smell our food!
A pineapple burger and onion rings for Court...
A grilled cheese and fries for Amanda...
...and - be still my heart - a lobster roll with broccoli for me! I haven't had a lobster roll in years and years (and when we got the bill, I remembered why!).
The meals were delicious... So now it was time to stop at that cute little bakery/candy store and buy....

Elephant ears!!! We got 3 of them so we could take some home to hubby... These were SO good... Oh my gosh, I'm not sure if there will be a loss at Monday's weigh in!

So I hope you enjoyed this little tour of Rockport. I highly recommend you pay a visit if you're ever in the area!!!
And if you really want a treat, please visit Cafe Chatelaine's gorgeous blog, as she has also posted about Rockport (and you will totally drool over her photos!) Just click here and here to see her inspiring photos and read her posts...
Donna

19 comments:

Claudia said...

Thanks for the pretty pictures of Rockport! It is such a charming town and I'm glad you and your daughters managed to squeeze in a visit!

I remember a sweltering, humid summer when I lived in Cambridge and I didn't have a car. But my friend did and 3 of us escaped the city for a day in Rockport. There was an ocean breeze and it was heavenly.

Anonymous said...

My goodness! I'm sure you live in cottage and country store heaven after viewing your photos. How wonderful! Must plan a visit there one day. :-)

Sometimes It's Good said...

I need to take a car trip up the east coast and look at all the pretty seaport towns. Thanks for showing us Rockport. I want to go there.

Connie from Beverly Hills California said...

What a lovely little seaside village. Thanks so much for sharing. Stop by I am having 2 Giveaways. Connie

Lisa said...

Oh how cool! I have never been as far a Maine but love the area!
Hugs, Lisa

Shirley said...

Isn't Rockport just one of the best places ever! We fell in love with it years ago. It's been a while since we've been there and now I can't wait to go back.

Lenore said...

One of my favorite pastimes......walking around a darling seaside village...sooooo quaint and interesting.
Thanks for the look!!!

Pam @ This Humble House said...

Thanks so much for all your beautiful photos! What a dreamy place! I love all the pretty shops and houses with their windowboxes! I really enjoyed looking at all your photos! Off to check out more thru your links!

A New England Life said...

I need to drag my husband there! He would enjoy it as much as me. Neither one of us has ever been, can you believe it?

Beautiful photos Donna. Thank you for sharing them. And to think this is less than an hour away from me. Your girls are lovely, and I agree with Amanda, there's no real boy in that window. LOL!

My gosh that food would make me full for two days! I'm not a big eater to begin with, but the lobster roll would be the one I'd choose. However, the cost will getcha every time!!!

You are a beautiful lady too!

Sharon

Jill said...

oh gosh beautiful....geesh now I will have to come back..lol...oh...I think it does look like one of those heads is a real boy!
Jill

Dawn said...

Thanks so much for this tour. It is absollutely charming. The chippy painted windows were enough to make heart pittter-patter. The rest was icing on the cake.
Dawn

decorator to the stars said...

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Terri said...

Don't you just love the northshore?! We have been going to Rockport for at least thirty years. Have made very good friends with Kenny (Rob Roy's Lobster shack on bearskin neck. Will be going in the Fall. They have some grand times in that piece of heaven. Thanks for sharing your tour! Terri

Joanne Kennedy said...

What a darling town. Oh my goodness, those "ears" look lovely. Way to go for planning them into your plan for the week. Just goes to show you that you can eat anything on WW and still lose if you plan it out.

Hugs,
Joanne

Traci said...

What a lovely seaside village! Everything looked so beautiful! Must make a note to self to visit! Traci

Elaine said...

Looks like you hit all the high points of Rockport. Nice day trip with your girls. I'm glad you made it there. I know you've been
wanting to make the trip.

Thanks for the compliment and for the links to my posts.

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

So charming! I enjoyed the lovely tour. Wish I had some of that food right now. laurie

Carole said...

Thanks for the tour of Rock Port. We had a chance to go after we spent a weekend in Salem Mass. Now I know we'll have to go this Fall.
Great post!

Gemma Flavin said...

I wanted to write and thank you for featuring Rockport on your blog. My family and I live here....just a short distance from downtown. I sometimes forget how amazingly fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful place. Your photos are gorgeous. I think I'll have to take a walk down Bearskin Neck very soon.... Thanks again,
Gemma