orangetravelcat

Flying into Providence and was all set to go to Cape Cod (this will be in august) when someone told me Rockport/Gloucester area of MA is a good place to go. What's it like there in August?

HowardR

That's the Cape Ann area, which is quite beautiful and less commercial than Cape Cod.
It's busy in the summer. The swimming is great, though the water is cold, since it's right on the Atlantic.

gail

Beaches in Rockport itself are rather narrow and a little rocky. Gloucester has bigger, sandier beaches. Parking is very expensive at beaches - about 10-15/day in Gloucester, but in Rockport you can often get a meter on the street. Water is too freezing for any sane person over the age of 16 to swim in.

Rockport is a quaint little town with interesting, non-chain shops and some decent little restaurants. Streets are narrow and rather crowded and parking is limited. Less commercial and less tacky than the Cape.

soccr

Saw your other post re:Emerson. Posted good website w/photos of area there (http://www.ila-chateau.com/emerson/) --
I love Rockport and Gloucester, although it's a different deal from the Cape (much smaller and "real people" live there). On Cape Ann, the Magnolia beach (such as it is -- rocks and some sand) is my favorite, but you're even less likely to want to get into the water to swim there than on the Cape. COLD!

In August, you'll still have the possibility of some hot days (maybe up to 90, rarely more, often more in low 80s or less), but nights are beginning to cool off compared to July. And you may hit a cool snap with temps in the low 70s - 60s or much less if it's rainy. Bring a sweater PLUS raingear, but also be ready to shed layers.

Jon_Eric

I was in that area two summers ago and it was certainly not cold by any means, but it wasn't like here (New Orleans) and it actually got fairly cool at night. I drove from Salem/Marblehead, but honestly couldn't find a place to park in Rockport! Maybe I didnt look hard enough, but what I saw of Rockport looked similar to Edgartown. I ended up in Gloucester and took a cruise on a Schooner which was actually a highlite of the trip. Gloucester is definitely less touristy than Rockport. I also stopped at Hammond Castle on the other side of Gloucester and that was very interesting. Oh, as far as lodging Rockport seemed to have much more to offer than Gloucester.

Upper_Caper

Gloucester has some beautiful beaches and some aren't directly exposed to the Atlantic (one is Wingersheek - sp?) so the water is tolerable for swimming. I swam there late last June. However, they make beach going pretty difficult on non-residents. If you rent a house, make sure it has access to a beach.

If you are still deciding where to vacation and have ruled out Cape Cod then I would suggest not leaving Rhode Island at all. Check out Naragansett area and South County. There are great beaches and the tourism/traffic isn't so bad.