North of Boston

09/06/2026

Labor Day weekend closes out with sails at full mast in 📍 Gloucester Harbor.

Today's the final day of the Gloucester Schooner Festival, Maritime Gloucester's celebration of the age of sail, featuring historic schooners racing and showing off dockside. It's a fitting capstone to summer and a tradition thousands look forward to every year.

Catch it before it wraps up: maritimegloucester.org/schooner-festival

Image credit: Addison Choate

09/04/2026

What will you fall for this fall 🍁?

A hidden mural 🎨
A legendary 🌊 sea story
A museum you'd never knew you'd ❤️
Or the freshest catch 🦞 on your plate.

📍 North of Boston there's always more to discover.

Explore eight distinctive cultural districts, find magic and maritime, murals and museums, festivals and flavor.

Come curious leave inspired.

Fall for something unexpected North of Boston.

Funded in part by the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism Visit Massachusetts

🔗 Learn more now at NorthofBoston.org

09/04/2026

In 1912, Lawrence mill workers walked off the job and changed labor history forever.

Every Labor Day, the Bread & Roses Festival brings that legacy back to life with music, theater, dance, and art filling the city's streets.

It's a celebration built to honor the social justice roots of the famous strike while connecting them to Lawrence's diverse cultures today, drawing visitors from the city and beyond.

Plan your visit: breadandrosesheritage.org

Image credit: Bread & Roses Heritage Festival

09/03/2026

Autumn doesn't rush in North of Boston. It eases in, somewhere between summer's last warm afternoons and the season's full arrival, and this stretch of coast, home to Salem, Gloucester, Newburyport, and more, is the place to catch it.

Through September, harbor light turns golden, orchards grow fragrant with ripe fruit, and a fresh coastal breeze makes it easy to stay out just a little longer.

Start planning your fall adventures at www.northofboston.org.

09/02/2026

September is bringing one of Gloucester Harbor's biggest sailing weekends of the year. The 42nd Annual Schooner Festival returns September 3–6, bringing visiting schooners, harbor races, special sails, and spectacular nighttime celebrations to Cape Ann.

Get out on the water aboard the Schooner Lannon for:

Thursday, September 3: Afternoon Public Sail and Harbor Schooner Race
Friday, September 4: Greet the Fleet and Sunset Sail
Saturday, September 5: Five Public Day Sails, plus the can't-miss Parade of Lights & Fireworks Sail

Saturday night is especially spectacular as the schooners light up the harbor before fireworks illuminate the sky. It's a quintessential Gloucester experience and one of the most memorable ways to see the festival.

Reserve your spot aboard the Lannon and experience the Schooner Festival from the best seat in the harbor: https://schooner.org/

Image credit: Schooner Thomas E Lannon in Gloucester, Massachusetts

08/31/2026

A failed rocker turned substitute teacher is about to bring down the house!

School of Rock: The Musical rocks the stage at the Firehouse Center for the Arts in downtown Newburyport now through September 6. This high energy Broadway hit follows Dewey Finn as he transforms his students into a battle of the bands powerhouse, featuring a talented adult cast alongside local kids who play their instruments live on stage every performance. Expect 14 new Andrew Lloyd Webber songs plus fan favorites like Stick It to the Man.

Showtimes run Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 7pm, and Sundays at 2pm, with tickets starting at $30.

Get your tickets: firehouse.org/events/

Image credit: Firehouse Center for the Arts

08/31/2026

World Atlas just named their 9 ideal Massachusetts destinations for a 3-day weekend in 2026, and 4 of them are right here in our North of Boston region: Rockport, Salem, Newburyport, and Manchester-by-the-Sea!

That's nearly half the list, all within a short drive of each other. Art galleries and coastal views in Rockport, centuries of history in Salem, a walkable waterfront in Newburyport, and the beach that sings in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Yeah, we'd plan a weekend around that too.

Check out the full list and start planning your next getaway:

Whether you prefer to spend your ideal vacation in the forest, on the water, or a charming New England village, here are 9 towns for a 3-day weekend.

08/30/2026

That coastal town on your screen is closer than you think. Apple TV+'s Widow's Bay filmed much of its moody island setting right here on Cape Ann. Rockport stands in for the town center and the Salty Whale restaurant, with scenes shot around White Wharf and Bearskin Neck. Gloucester lends its Half Moon Beach and the iconic Eastern Point Lighthouse, while the ferry dock scenes were filmed at Lanes Cove.

Thanks to Travel + Leisure for the full rundown of every filming location. If the show has you dreaming of a New England coastal escape, good news, you don't need a boat to Widow's Bay.

Read the full story:

Apple TV’s ‘Widow’s Bay’ is nominated for 19 Emmy Awards. Here are the real-life locations in Massachusetts where Widow’s Bay was filmed.

08/29/2026

Gloucester Harbor turns into a forest of masts this Labor Day weekend! ⚓️

The 42nd Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival brings historic tall ships back for parades, sails, deck tours, and the Mayor's Cup Races, a tradition that's captivated crowds for over 40 years. Hosted by Maritime Gloucester, it's your chance to get up close to these magnificent vessels and be part of one of the North Shore's most iconic maritime celebrations.

Plan your weekend on and off the water: maritimegloucester.org/schooner-festival

Image credit: