Coast with the Most

With 1,500 miles of shoreline, the Bay State offers unrivaled ocean views, charming harbor towns and, during the off-season, no crowds.

By Kevin Markey

More beaches, dunes and water sports; more inns, hotels and bed and breakfasts; more art galleries, nature sanctuaries and quaint little shops. This should come as no surprise — with over 1,500 miles of shoreline winding down Gloucester's craggy coast, around the flexing arm of Cape Cod and over to New Bedford's busy piers, a lot of action takes place along the water's edge. But there comes a point when the echoes of “more, more, more” reveal a new insight about all this land by the sea: Ours is truly the coast with the most From fall through early spring, only one thing is missing from our waterfront: summer crowds. For those in search of off-season escape, these six salty getaways have something for everyone.

1. Salem

Unofficial capital of America 's original Gold Coast, Salem was home to the country's first millionaire entrepreneurs: sea captains and ship owners of the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, the legacy of their wealth lines leafy town streets in the form of Federal-era mansions, the Salem Maritime National Historic Site and the Peabody Essex Museum . Established in 1799, the country's oldest operating museum recently opened an addition to showcase its treasure trove of 2.4 million artifacts, antiques and artwork, much of it amassed by globe-spanning seafarers during the Great Age of Sail. Nowadays, the mercantile spirit thrives on Pickering Wharf , a waterfront commercial district crammed with trendy shops and family-friendly restaurants.

Of course, Salem possesses a less radiant legacy as well: the infamous witch hysteria of 1692. The Salem Witch Museum chronicles this darker side of Salem and looks at society's evolving perceptions of black magic, from the hags of Shakespeare's Macbeth to the Communist-era witch-hunting of the 1950s. Other local “haunts” include the Witch Trial Memorial, dedicated by Nobel laureate and tolerance advocate Elie Wiesel in 1992, the 300th anniversary of the executions; and the Burying Point, where John Hathorne, witch trial judge and ancestor of native author Nathaniel Hawthorne, is interred. The writer's name lives on at the elegant Hawthorne Hotel, whose location in Washington Square , the heart of Salem 's historic district, makes it a perfect sanctuary.

2. Gloucester and Rockport

America 's oldest fishing port, Gloucester has launched boats for almost 400 years. This heritage is preserved inside the Cape Ann Historical Museum , whose galleries contain fishing vessels, maritime art and personal effects of brave mariners who worked one of the world's most dangerous jobs. Despite the historical reverence, fishing remains a local way of life, with more sport boats joining commercial fleets in recent years. Those who can do without the drama of all that water might take shelter at Gloucester Stage. Now in its 25th season, the award-winning company has mounted many new works, including 35 world premieres, 50 American premieres and 75 New England premieres, since the theater opened in 1979.

At Cape Ann's tip, genteel Rockport seemingly boasts as many art galleries as Gloucester does fishing boats, including the venerable Rockport Art Association, founded in 1921. Many feature depictions of the picturesque red lobster shack known as Motif #1, a local trademark and perhaps the most painted building in the world. On town wharves and narrow lanes, boutiques and bistros go shoulder to shoulder with the galleries. Nearby on the harbor front, Top Dog raises the humble frankfurter to art. Among its many inventions: the Chihuahua (jalapenos, salsa and cheese) and the Bad Dog (bacon, cheese and grilled onions).

3. Plymouth

Modern-day pilgrims arrive by car, so they can't land upon Plymouth Rock, as the original visitors supposedly did. They can, however, gaze upon the famous boulder, now protected in a neoclassical monument on the waterfront.

Other Pilgrim-themed attractions include the Mayflower II, an exact replica of the original ship, staffed by costumed hands who tell tales of their cramped passage to the New World . While the ship is a replica of their vessel, the Pilgrims' original belongings live on at Pilgrim Hall Museum . Located in the center of historic Plymouth , the museum uses the artifacts of Pilgrims and Native Americans to tell the story of these courageous people. Their pilgrimage ended at Plimoth Plantation, and so should yours. Today the reconstructed village is home to actors who speak in 17th-century English as they tend their fields, cook, mend shoes and carry on other everyday tasks using 1620s technology. Plimoth Plantation and the Mayflower II both open in late March.

While plain was the way of the Puritans, today's Plymouth is anything but bland. The in-town, full-service John Carver Inn features a huge indoor theme pool with an 80-foot water slide, a water cannon and a replica of the Mayflower .

4. New Bedford

Made famous by Herman Melville's Moby Dick , Seaman's Bethel is a small 19th-century house of worship and a great place to begin a tour of the world's whaling capital. The prim clapboard building sits on Johnny Cake Hill, in the heart of what was once America 's richest city. Across the street is the New Bedford Whaling Museum . The six-building complex displays artifacts, including maritime paintings, art glass and Lagoda, an 89-foot half-scale model of a whaling ship. More amazing still is Kobo , the 66-foot skeleton of a rare blue whale hanging in the museum's entrance. Elsewhere, a self-guided walking tour of New Bedford 's Nautical Mile takes visitors past the august Greek Revival U.S. Custom House, where captains registered their ships, and the Bourne Counting House, where a 19th-century merchant prince kept the books on his ever-growing whaling fortune.

5. Falmouth and Woods Hole

Famous for stately old homes and stunning vistas across Vineyard Sound, Falmouth ranks among Cape Cod 's most sophisticated towns. Elegant shops and trendy restaurants line its picture-perfect town green. At Bellezza Day Spa, guests can indulge in treatments like sea salt scrubs and seaweed herbal body wraps. Such pampering is the perfect reward for an autumn ride or springtime stroll down the Shining Sea Bikeway, which winds along four of Falmouth 's 68 miles of coast, connecting the town to the tidy village of Woods Hole . This world-renowned scientific community is home to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; the Marine Biological Laboratory, an international education and research center; and the National Marine Fisheries Service. At the WHOI Exhibit Center , the general public can learn about the institution's ongoing projects, listen to whale songs and climb inside a full-size model of Alvin, the Deep Submergence Vehicle used to map the deck of the Titanic .

6. Provincetown

Fishing village, arts colony, literary hangout and tourist must, storied Provincetown has continually reinvented itself ever since the Pilgrims dropped in before pushing on to Plymouth in 1620. Today, the funky community enjoys one of the Cape 's liveliest off-season scenes, featuring shops, clubs and restaurants that stay open all year. It also claims the best walking beaches, including a blissfully undeveloped ribbon of the Cape Cod National Seashore, where bike, horse and foot trails wind through a labyrinth of windswept dunes. Toasting the sunset at Race Point is a daily ritual during any season of the year.

For indoor fun, check out the Expedition Whydah Sea Lab and Learning Center on MacMillan Wharf, off Commercial Street near the center of town. The museum displays pieces of eight and other booty raised from a treasure-laden pirate ship called the Whydah, which broke up off the Cape in 1717. Presumed lost, the wreck was found by local explorer Barry Clifford in 1984 — the first pirate ship ever discovered.