Intimate Resort with Private Marina and River Views

For those who live on Gloucester’s Cape Ann, fishing has been a way of life for more than four centuries. Cape Ann is America's oldest seaport, and it inspired the movie The Perfect Storm. Perhaps Frommer's best described the town’s deep-seated ties to the sea by calling it "Gloucester's lifeblood." Gloucester’s famous tuna boats are a familiar sight at Cape Ann's Marina Resort, which overlooks the spot where the Annisquam River flows into the Atlantic.

Open seasonally starting in April, the Mile Marker One Restaurant & Bar sits right on the marina at the start of the Intercoastal Waterway. Boaters can pull into a slip and dock for free, and inside, the atmosphere is airy and open, with several windows that provide ample natural light and views of the water. Of course, seafood is heavily featured on the menu; entrees include haddock sandwiches and pan-fried mahi-mahi burritos. If you happen to snag a fresh fish on one of the marina's charter fishing boats, the restaurant will clean and cook it for you.

Even when Cape Ann's waters cool down in the winter, the resort's indoor pool is kept at a comfy 80 degrees. Pull up a chair at the pool bar for a frozen drink or to catch a sports game on the 60-inch flat-screen TV. Several windows surround the pool area, showcasing picturesque views as you kick back in the jacuzzi. There's a full-service day spa onsite, too, where massage therapists perform traditional Swedish and hot-stone massages along with Eastern-influenced therapies, including reiki.

Gloucester, Massachusetts: Lighthouses, Humpback Whales, and Artist Colonies

About 35 miles northeast of Boston, the fishing community of Gloucester is home to the country’s oldest working seaport, Cape Ann. Here, you can visit the half dozen lighthouses that stand sentry over the Atlantic Ocean coastline, some of which date back to the 1780s. These lighthouses aren't just for show: some believe the Cape Ann Light Station on nearby Thacher Island saved the life of President Woodrow Wilson. On a particularly foggy evening in 1919, a passenger liner carrying President Wilson narrowly avoided a coastal collision after the lighthouse sounded its foghorn.

More recently, Gloucester was thrust into the national spotlight after Sebastian Junger authored The Perfect Storm, the true story of an epic nor'easter that hammered the fishing fleet and Cape Ann in 1991. The 2000 film starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg was shot on location in Gloucester's picturesque harbors. Take a stroll along the harbor to try to catch a glimpse of a humpback whale: Massachusetts was named one of 10 great places in the world to spot a whale by USA Today.

Gloucester also boasts one of America's oldest working artist colonies, Rocky Neck Art Colony. Quintessential American artists such as Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper once called the waterfront community home.

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