Our Cape Ann excursion begins at the Gloucester Visitor Information Center. We'll get our view breathtaking views of the waterfront from this point. Note: The tour is over 23.5 miles long, with more than 43 audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Instead of setting off on our drive right away, we'll first check out the most striking feature of the scenery: the massive Tablet Rock. In 1907, the plaque the rock was unveiled to Commemorate the first settlers in this area.
We can also choose to walk around this area before our driving, admiring the amazing views of the park, the ocean, and the city.
Our drive along Cape Ann's scenic harbor begins once we cross the canal. First, we'll admire Cape Ann's most famous momument: the Fisherman's Memorial. As we continue, we'll learn about the significance of fishing in Cape Ann's past — and the famous movie about it, "The Perfect Storm".
Here we can choose to pause again to explore Cape Ann's Harborwalk. Along the path are 41 granite slabs containing pieces of the town’s long, odd, sometimes sad history. These “story moments,” as they are called, were put together by teams of volunteers eager to show the world what Gloucester is made of. Taken together, they form a mosaic of this strange, beautiful place.
Cape Ann and Glouchester’s whale watching industry guarantees whale sightings with every voyage. Their boats often take passengers to a marine wildlife preserve that’s been called one of the top five whale-watching destinations in the entire world!
As we drive along scenic Cape Ann's waterfront, we'll discover beaches both big and small. We can choose to stop at one, some, or all, as we learn more about what's unique about each one.
Beauport, also known as Sleeper–McCann House, Little Beauport, or Henry Davis Sleeper House, is a beautiful historic home tucked away on the Cape Ann waterfront. As we drive, we'll dive back into Cape Ann's history.
During the early 1800s, maritime trade in Gloucester was booming. Ships traveling between these ports and China or India were turning enormous profits, and captains started to become especially anxious at the prospect of losing their extremely valuable cargo in a shipwreck. Enter: lighthouses!
Thacher Island is a small island off Cape Ann on the Massachusetts coast in the United States. It is a part of the Town of Rockport. It was a place where some naval confrontations, both minor and major, took place, which helped secure a victory for the colonists.
Annisquam Harbor Light Station is a historic lighthouse on Wigwam Point. As we approach, we'll learn more about shipwrecks, shipping, fishing, and maritime trade.
Our brings us to "the most painted building in America"!
This land was once home to a large number of bears, but don’t worry! They’re long gone now. According to legend, one such bear was caught by the tide and killed in 1700, which is how this place got its name.
Our scenic drive along Cape Ann now leaves Gloucester and brings us into Rockport. We'll learn more about Rockport and the region as we drive.
Granite Pier is one of the Rockport’s oldest piers. As you might have guessed, this used to be where ships would be loaded with granite for transport. As we explore the pier and nearby beaches, we'll get a better understanding of the Cape Ann of days past, and that of the present. Our drive then continues along Halibut Point and Harvey Reservation.
Halibut Point State Park and Halibut Point Reservation are adjacent parcels of conserved, oceanside land located on Cape Ann in the town of Rockport, Massachusetts.
Front Beach is a beautiful sandy beach on Sandy Bay in Rockport. From warm summer days to bright winter mornings, this beach is enjoyed by visitors
Located on Washington Street in the northern section of the City, this small, quiet beach has been enjoyed by families in Lanesville for many years. It is a great place to bring small children due to the small confines of the beach. Parking is limited and restricted to vehicles with a current City of Gloucester beach sticker.
Harvey Reservation is one of the best spots on Cape Ann to sit and watch the sunset. This small reservation offers a short trail, a granite bench, and a terrific spot for a seaside picnic.
Our scenic drive along Cape Ann has finally looped back to Stop 1! We're nearly back at the Gloucester Visitor Information Center.
This tour was easy to use and worked well. We did learn many things and saw several sites that we would have missed otherwise. We used it in November so the traffic was light. I assume it would be more frustrating during high tourist times.
Easy to navigate the app. Got us to places we never would have seen.
It’s great! First time using the downloaded tour, and I was worried about how to follow the tour and use google maps at the same time….no need! The navigation (“turn left at the next light”) is part of the narration between sites. Great hearing which “private road” signs are real, and which aren’t! Highly recommend!
This tour was excellent. A driving tour that can be taken at your leisure with as many stops as you wish
This was very useful. The guide had us turn down some streets we never would have gone because there were "private" signs up for roads that were not private. There are sights we certainly would not have seen without it.
Whale watching was my favorite activity of our time on the Cape. This was runner up! I followed the directions to have the app and tour downloaded while I was on WiFi before setting out. While we did have to back up/turn around after missing a turn or two more than if I had my regular maps app on, it was still a good experience and we saw places we otherwise never would have seen - many hidden beaches and coves and stunning seaside mansions. At this price point per vehicle, this tour is a no brainer if you have an extra day.
Initially had issues with set-up and being the starting point was at the welcome center went in for help. The lady had no clue what I was talking about, apparently that wasn’t the answer for us. Messed around with it some more and got things working. The tour was very informative and it was nice to take our time and stop at various points when we wanted.
The path was very crowded with other tourists, so it was difficult to find places to park along the way. Some directions were tricky to follow because the street signs were missing. Best to skip the drive to the Eastern Point Lighthouse since it's closed to the public at the very end and you can't see it.
It was good, although once the display stopped for some reason. I then played with my phone and I got it to continue.
The Cape Ann Self-Guided Driving Tour in Gloucester and Rockport was wonderful. Experienced a few routes I had never taken before. New vista experience was so much fun. The adventure was very rewarding and the commentary was interesting and was set at a great pace. The only suggestion I have is to stress, downloading both apps before you travel and be sure to engage with internet access before you drive to your start point. Attempted the tour a few days before and was unsuccessful. Lessons learned.
This was a great way to see the Cape Ann area. The ladies at the “Glosta” Visitors Center were also very helpful. I liked the way the tour told us to drive past certain signs to see hidden gems.
My wife and I did this self-driving audio tour while visiting Cape Ann, and it was one of the best parts of our trip. The narration was engaging, easy to follow, and felt like having a local guide along for the ride. We loved being able to explore Gloucester and Rockport at our own pace, stopping whenever we wanted to enjoy the coastal views and take photos. The stories added just the right amount of history and local insight, making the experience much more meaningful. If you're looking for a relaxing and scenic way to discover Cape Ann, this tour is absolutely worth it.
The whale watching tour we had booked was canceled due to "heavy fog and high seas." Tripadvisor/Viator refunded our money, no problem, but we had spent the night in Rockport and still were looking to get something out of the trip. Rockport is very cute -- filled with artisan shops selling original paintings, prints, ceramics, glassware and jewelry, which was much more interesting than tourist shops filled with dreck made in China. We followed the tour around the island, and it was fun, interesting and beautiful, with the azaleas, rhododendrons and other spring trees in full bloom. One of the lighthouses was no longer open to the public, which was disappointing. The only other downside I would note was that my sister uses a walker and has pretty serious mobility issues, and most of the shops, the cobblestone streets and tour sites were not handicapped friendly, much less truly accessible.
We’ve done other self-guided tours in different areas. This Cape Ann guided tour was probably the best- the hardest part for us has been the directions and accuracy with what the tour guide is saying and where we’re are on the tour. But this one was so very easy to use- the gps set up aligned with the stories. We never got off track. It was fun!
It is super easy and super fun and very informative. We could not finish the tour the first day, but we easily picked it up on day two. That was a great feature
This self guided tour exceeded our expectations. It was easy to download and setup. The app provided turn instructions in addition to lots of great info about the sights we were seeing. Whenever we made stops and quit the app, it easily picked right back up where we left off and continued the tour. Would highly recommend.
Very organized and easy to follow. Led us to very scenic roads that we would not have found otherwise
Very easy to use, we’d have never taken the path to see all the beautiful scenery without this tour.
This tour was great!! Gave us a lot information about the area and we saw things we wouldn't have seen. I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to do a relaxing tour driving on their own
Great drive hugging the coast. Amazing views of the sea along the cape. The directions were excelkent
Loved it. Took me off the beaten path to see places I never would have found on my own. Absolutely reccomend!
Roads are narrow and curvy, but definitely find little parking spots to stop and view. What is on the tour absolutely gorgeous..
Great tour that my family really enjoyed. It was great to hear the history of the area and see some of the spots that many others probably do not. It would be great if the app gave you a route like Waze, but it was easy enough to have it running on one phone while we used Google Maps to direct us along the route.
The Cape Ann Self-Guided Driving Tour was fantastic. The tour took us places we would have never known about like the Pebble Beach and other private drives. We had never been to Cape Ann before and did this our first full day so we could get our bearings and explore. We loved the narrative and appreciated the history of the area. Lunch on the water in Rockport was perfect.
Took us through streets and areas we never would’ve found ourselves! Interesting stories along the way
Easy to download and access! Clear instructions on how to use the app. Tour was seamless and saw sights we never would’ve found on our own
Your was very well written and informative but a bit long. 40 is about the max one can handle, and this is coming from a history lover. Overall, very good.
The narration was informative, fun and easy to listen to, driving directions combined with the map perfect. I spent about 3+ hours doing the tour and wouldn't have known about all the interesting sites without this tour. I stopped and walked around 4 different locations with great views. Exactly what I was looking for!
We learned many interesting historical facts about the area. The directions were easy to follow. The narrator had a pleasant and friendly voice.
The guided tour was helpful and informative but needs some updating at a few points of interest. Also needs better timing a couple of times where I was past the point before the recording told me about it (yes, I drove at or under the speed limit). Overall, I would recommend since it took me where I would not have gone otherwise.
I was so glad to find this audio tour of Cape Ann. I am a local and there was a lot to be discovered with places on the tour that I didn't even know about. The tour was informative and not too long; just the right amount of time. For some stops, the narrative would get cut off by a directional cue so I didn't get to hear some of the clips in their entirety. All in all a wonderful tour. Very glad I found it.
The whole process was very easy. The narration was excellent. Very enjoyable couple of hours seeing things we would not have experienced and we could do it at our pace by ourselves. I highly recommend this tour of Cape Ann.
I thought this would be nice— we loved it!!! We stayed in Gloucester so started there. The drive took us to the lighthouse, art district, beautiful coastal drive to Rockport and back. We learned lots of facts along the way and wouldn’t have seen so many of the sites without it.
The beautiful scenery was amazing!!! We loved how it would pick up where we were and say something about the area or the town.
It was great! We will definitely do more of these tours because we saw things we would have never seen! I think we may even do one when we get back home because I’m sure there are things nearby that we’ve not discovered!
Very good content, nice route offering nice views. This was the first time we’ve used this service and it was a bit confusing. Times between narrations at times were long and we had no idea if we were going in the right direction. It would be nice if the GPS would display on the vehicles screen.
Excellent tour! It was a great way to see the Gloucester and Rockport! We wouldn’t have even thought to drive to the spots pointed out - so many gorgeous gems! The only thing that was left out was the Hammond Castle, which was a beautiful visit, but that was a quick drive nearby other stops in Gloucester. The app was easy to use, we didn’t run into any issues. Highly recommend!
My family enjoyed the driving tour and so many points of interest and sites we would have missed. An inexpensive way to tour on your own schedule. I definitely would recommend it year around. We enjoyed the Coast line and beautiful homes and tips we would not have known on our own. Great short day trip from Boston to Rockport and Gloucester. This tour could take 2 hours (more or less depending on your stops).
This is such a great guide tour! We saw so many beautiful things we never would have seen, at our own pace. Highly recommend!!!
Some good history. When the app synced with where we were, it was great, but that only happened once. Wish it synced with Android auto. It's impossible to use this as a solo person. You need two people to coordinate driving and queuing the tour.
What a great way to see and learn about two iconic beach towns! The app was super simple to download and it cued perfectly as we drove.
Horrible. We worked on it for a couple of hours, worked with the IT people (they were nice), downloaded it twice and never got it to work for more than a few minutes. Also, the IT lady advised that it cannot be connected to the car so we had to try to run it just from our phone. Almost ruined our one day in Gloucester and we ended up seeing very little.
Struggling to start the darn thing, I needed to call the support line- they were great solved the issues quickly
Could not get it to work. A rip off. It was complicated to get it to work. How can you continue to say that it is a waste of money.
The actual tour was fantastic!! We had an issue launching the app and had to call and download a different one. It took us half an hour to get that done. Had that not happened we would give it a five star. Loved the fact that you could stay as long as you like at one place. We were able to get good pictures because we had the time.
There was guite a bit of information about the history of the area which we enjoyed. Unfortunately due to traffic and few places to pull off the road, some of the locations were barely visible.
The navigation on this tour is horrible. The directions were poor. We had to use Google Maps to get to some places. We spent most of our trip trying to get the right thing to work at the right time. A couple of post didn't even work.
Turn by turn instructions plus being able to visualize our location. Took a rainy day and made it fun.
Great and informative tour, really enjoyed it! Would be great to have some suggestions for places to eat in the area.
I felt like I wasn't lost driving around in an unknown area. It was like someone had my back to show me where to go. GPS is good but it's not Waze quality. I put that I went with friends but it was actually only my mom and I. There are no other family options besides choosing with kids.
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