sluggo

Planning a relaxing two-day trip to Cape Ann MA in early October. Can anyone recommend restaurants (not jacket & tie) or moderately priced (under $125) motels in the area? Any "don't miss" activities or sites? thank you.

Suzy

Just got back from Cape Ann (went there during our forced stay in Boston last week). We stayed at the Vista motel in Glochester. A lovely view overlooking Good Harbor Bay. Very comfy and no frills. We just felt fortunate to find a motel at all. We weren't impressed with any of the restaurants there. In Glocester they are all very casual - probably the best one we found was the Glocester house. I love lobster so I was quite pleased with the many places offering rather inexpesive lobster lunches and dinner. In Rockport we ate at the Seaside restaurant overlooking the ocean. good luck and have fun, it's a lovely area. Be sure and visit Rockport and the many fun litte shops. We enjoyed just walking the beach and watching the fishing boats.

John

Try Woodman's (seafood in the rough) or Tom Shea's (a little more upscale) in Ipswich.
Rockport is a must and will not be crowded.
We like to take the drive from Prides Crossing up to Rockport along the shore going thru Gloucester. There are some neat places to stay at Bass Rocks on the water (sorry don/t know the names).

Eileen

Tom Shea's is in Essex, not Ipswich (Route 133). It's right on the Essex River with views of the dunes of Crane's Beach (Ipswich) in the distance. It's not jacket and tie, but pricey. There's a LOT of wonderful restaurants in the area. In Rockport, My Place By The Sea is right at the tip of Bearskin Neck. We haven't been there since it's under new ownership, but the spot is really pretty. Also, there's the Chowder House in Rockport --VERY reasonable prices with a nice view. In Ipswich there's the 1640 House. It's historical (hence, 1640.) Small, quaint rooms with fireplaces and ghost stories.
There's a wonderful Inn -- Yankee Clipper Inn in Rockport. I'm not sure of rates -- probably rather pricey, but maybe less so this time of the year. Actually, coming into foliage time, hmmmm -- maybe not. But, worth a phone call.
If you do a search for the area and come up with some names, maybe those of us in the area can comment.
I'll try to post more later when I have more time. We are very fortunate to have so many wonderful restaurants in this area.

Elizabeth

There is a lot I don't know, but--I visit friends in Ipswich often, and I LOVE going to Woodman's--for someone who doesn't live there, it's a local experience I look forward to. Nothing like it in New York.
The traditional meal there as far as I am concerned (assuming more than one person at the table):clam chowder, steamed clams, french fries, onion rings for the table, one lobster per person. And maybe a nice Bloody Mary served in a malted milk-size glass (or paper cup that size, I forget).
It is one of my favorite dining experiences in the world (I am being honest & not exaggerating. And--definitely not fancy.
Also Chip's in Ipswich is very nice as a regular non-fancy reliable nice food place to eat.
For what it's worth, last time I was there I stayed at the Whittier Motel in Ipswich. It is a total blast from the past and as such pleasing to me. The past being the 1950s. (But you have a nice TV in your room too.) Breakfast in their restaurant was great. I doubt my room was over $100.

bm

Just a quick correction-Woodman's is in Essex, not Ipswich. Also in Essex is Farnham's, which I personally think has better clams than Woodman's. Everybody has their favorites though!
Also in Essex is Conomo Point, which has a more "gourmet" menu, and Perriwinkles which serves good, basic seafood dishes. My aunt just went to the Franklin Cafe in Gloucester and raves about it.
Have fun!

Elizabeth

pm, thanks for the correction.
I want this on the record: I make no claims about Woodman's food (except the lobster & the onion rings), I recommend
Woodman's as an experience!!!
What's Farnham's like? Can it match Woodman's in "decor"? (cement floors as I recall, paper placemats, etc.)

bm

Farnham's and Woodman's are fairly similar-at Farnham's you can sit outside on picnic tables if you wish-I wish I could remember whether the inside has "normal" tables or picnic tables (I usually get take-out!). You get paper plates, a can of soda witha plastic cup etc...Farnham's hands down has the best views-great spot overlooking the salt marhes and the old Burnham House (subject of many photos/painings of the N. Shore). All in all, I would say the Woodmans is more "in the rough" than Farnham's, but both offer a great casual dining experience.

trish

make it to the Woodsman! Not fancy, and well worth the clog to all arteries! As for the Yankee Clipper - over the years it has really changed!( it lacks thehospitality and quaintness of an Inn) We were there last Novemeber, the accomodations were just ok - for a room that looked overlooked the ocean it was perfect, the food, nothing even close to special, and the staff not even close to professional. For better recommendations go to bedandbreakfast.com - my head is fogged from the week's activities - but I love Cape Ann and have stayed at far better B&B's.

Eileen

Okay, hate to turn this into a clam place debate, but we really like the Clam Box in Ipswich. It's gotten more crowded as of late because of television pieces and good magazine reviews. The lines at Woodman's are atrocious! We haven't been there in years, so can't comment on the quality of the meals, but Elizabeth is right -- Woodman's is a neat experience. I, too, would go to Farnham's over Woodman's if for no other reason than to avoid the lines. I think the decor is mostly booths and "cute". The views are really nice, as mentioned (the same as Tom Shea's -- further down the road.) By the way, in my earlier posting, I mentioned Tom Shea's as being pricey, which it is, but it's also rather good. Another attractive motel is in Rowley. We've heard from people who have stayed there that it's really special. It's in a residential area and I honestly never thought much of it until looking for lodging for relatives. They didn't book there for other reasons, but it did look nice. It's called Rowley Country Garden Inn and Motel. www.countrygardenmotel.com
Rowley is next to Ipswich.
Ipswich has Crane's Beach and Castle. The beach is beautiful for walks. The Castle offers tours (Wed???) and even without the tour offers beautiful views. There's SO much to do in the area. I could go on and on...

Jackie

My favorite place to eat in Essex is the Village Restaurant. It is reasonably priced, has great food and drinks, and they have wait staff. At Woodman's you order at counter and sit at picnic tables. If you like antiquing, Essex is the place to do it.

Parrot Mom

Absolutely forget Woodman's.. the most overpriced and over rated restaurant I have ever been to. We do go to the Blue Marlin in Essex and it's affordable and very good..We live outside of Boston and it was so overpriced that I felt robbed.

Judy

"My Place By the Sea" in Rockport is absoultely fanatasic. The view can't be beat and the food is wonderful. Clam Box in Ipswich and Farnham's I think is better than Woodmans. Woodman's is overpriced and smaller quantities than the others. I agree Blue Marlin is good. In Gloucester " Amelias" is very casual and fantastic. They have some of the best chowder. Chippers in Ipswich has gone out of business. There is a really nice Inn in the town of Hamilton, Miles River Inn. Can also watch Polo matches on Sunday afternoons at Myopia right next door. There is a great pizza joint in Ipswich called Riverview. All they serve is pizza, thin crust, on sheets of paper, no plates.

Sara

We really like Periwinkle's in Essex. The food is good, and they have really excellent chowder - it's won some sort of awards. The decor is pleasant, they have a fairly nice view of the harbor, and they have outdoor seating on their deck.

sluggo

My goodness! Thank you for the outpouring of suggestions. Really looking forward to this trip, a 27th anniversary celebration.

Elizabeth

Judy--in Ipswish--was Chipper's the one that is downtown, and nest to the river or some water?
When did it go out of business?
Is something esle there in its place? -- or, what is the one that is neaxt to some water--the water is to your right as you come in, and I think there's a porch out on that side.
I was at that one in May.

Eileen

This is Eileen, not Judy, but I can tell you that you're right about Chipper's. It went out of business (rather suddenly) some months ago.
As to your next question, I think you're thinking about Essex. That's where Woodman's, Farnhams, Tom Shea's, Conomo's, The Village, Periwinkles are all located.
Also in Ipswich is Zabligones (sp?) -- small, good Italian cusine. (Not inexpensive.) They also just opened up a cafe around the corner with sandwiches, desserts, etc.
...and, there's MANY more!

Judy

Chippers just closed recently and nothing has replaced it.

Elizabeth

Judy & Eileen, thanks. I wasn't really clear--I meant, was Chipper's the one on the river? I think there was some moving water outside its porch.

Also--this thread with locals (Boston is local to me) emphasizing how much better other places are than Woodman's (which I love anyhow)--reminds me of the stuff that goes on on New York boards, where (we) locals wish tourists would wise up (by our standards)--and the tourists are very happy, thank you, with the Tavern on the Green or whatever, that they truly enjoy. Like me & Woodman's -- though I plan to try the other suggestions too & am sure they are great.

Judy

Elizabeth - yes Chippers was on water, a river you could see from their outdoor deck and along the entrance. As far as Woodmans goes, I was just talking about this thread with my family today. We all agreed that if we were tourists and especially if we wanted lobsters Woodmans would be a fun place to go, definitely a unique experience. As locals, we see the very long lines all season long at Woodmans and don't think its worth that kind of wait. I have also been told by Woodmans they fry all their foods in lard, Farnhams does not. You can also order some fish items grilled at Farnhams and they have haddock chowder in addition to clam and sometimes a spicy one. Woodmans only has clam. This summer I took my relatives from Tampa to Farnhams and they loved it. The food is fresh and cheaper. It overlooks the river but atmosphere wise Woodmans is really unique and funky.