North of Boston: Discover Gloucester

As soon as we arrived at the Vista Motel in Gloucester, we knew we were in a very special place. The motel is absolutely lovely and its staff is so welcoming. We felt like we belong, right there.

Many thanks to North of Boston and Discover Gloucester for this incredible experience. All opinions are mine.

The view all around the Vista Motel is stunning, simply wow. From our room balcony, we took a few minutes to absorb the beauty of the view.

How in the world did we not know about this little piece of heaven?

Our premium double room itself was perfect for us. Lots of room and amenities, including a refrigerator, microwave, and a small stove unit.

A continental breakfast was also included and we really enjoyed it. After recovering from so much beauty, we drove around and discovered on the Stacy Boulevard Esplanade, the Fisherman’s Memorial statue also known as “The Man at the Wheel”.

This beautiful bronze statue looking out over Gloucester Harbor was commissioned in memory of the thousands of Gloucester fishermen lost at sea.

Near by, we also saw the Fishermen’s Wives Memorial statue dedicated to the fishermen’s families.

To finish our exploration of the Gloucester Harbor we had dinner at Minglewood Harborside. Known for their fresh and local seafood, we had no choice but to try their lobster.

It was absolutely delicious! We really had a fabulous time dining on their waterfront deck.

The next morning we were hosted by Cape Ann Whale Watch on board The Hurricane II for a fantastic whale watching experience. I have to say that this was my first whale watching experience and it turned out to be an unforgettable one. We had the rare chance to see two magnificent whales breaching for us.

As I was taking a picture of the first whale breaching, I noticed a second whale breaching at the same time. Wait, what? I tried to take a photo of both whales so I ended up with this interesting picture.

To recover from all the excitement, we stopped by the famous Gloucester House Restaurant.

World renowned for its lobsters and fresh sea food dishes, they have been the first restaurant to popularize fried calamari. Can you guess what we ordered? Of course!

Calamari and lobster, among other delicious dishes. After our meal we had the privilege take a tour behind the scene with Lenny, the restaurant owner. We saw their fishing boats (yes, they catch their own seafood!), lobster tanks and we even got to hold some of their lobsters.

To top up this already extraordinary day, Lenny introduced us to Captain David Marciano from the popular National Geographic TV series Wicked Tuna.

Our last stop of the day was at Maritime Gloucester. Maritime Gloucester is a working waterfront, a maritime museum, a national marine sanctuary exhibit, and a sea pocket aquarium all in one place.

The kids absolutely loved the Sea Pocket Aquarium, especially the touch tank. They enjoyed touching and learning about all the animals and their connection to Gloucester and how vital it is to preserve marine life for generations to come.

We also spend a long time in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Exhibit. We were amazed to have access to real-time data about Gloucester marine life and what scientists are discovering about environnemental changes and their effects on the Stellwagen Bank.

The view of the waterfront from the museum was absolutely stunning. I still can’t believe that Maritime Gloucester features the oldest continuously operating marine railway in the country. Maritime Gloucester definitely inspired us to value marine science and maritime heritage and to do everything we can to protect our oceans. It’s a visit that we won’t forget.

Believe it or not, this was only a few of the things we experienced in North of Boston. I still have so much more to tell you! So please, stay tuned as I’m writing the rest of our adventure.