Gloucester Packages/Deals & Travel Agents Near Me

Situated at the craggy tip of Cape Ann on a hazardous coast (hidden coves made it a favorite of rumrunners and smugglers), Gloucester, Massachusetts, was settled as a fishing colony in 1623.

Located 40 mi/65 km northeast of Boston, activities in the area still center on the sea, and local maritime bravery inspired Sebastian Junger's 1997 book, The Perfect Storm. Whale-watching boats leave from the town pier April-October. Do go, but remember that the whales aren't on a schedule, even if you are.

The wharfs of Rocky Neck are home to an artists colony and a semiprofessional theater that produces the works-in-progress of playwright Israel Horovitz. Nearby is Beauport: The Sleeper-McCann House, the dreamy house of interior designer Henry Davis Sleeper, who infused the 40 rooms with the decorating and architectural styles of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Much odder is Hammond Castle, which was built by eccentric inventor John Hays Hammond Jr. Its hodgepodge of Roman, medieval and Renaissance elements includes a drawbridge, Roman baths and a laboratory Hammond had built for his experiments.

The Cape Ann Museum houses an impressive collection of the paintings and drawings of native son Fitz Hugh Lane, whose 19th-century seascapes hauntingly depict the clipper ships and schooners so prevalent then.

The city of Gloucester, England, near the western edge of the Cotswolds, rates a short visit to see the spectacular cathedral, whose cloisters were transformed into the halls of Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter films. The Victorian docks and the city's museum and art gallery are also interesting. Gloucester is located 95 mi/155 km northwest of London.

The broad valley of the River Severn and the hilly Forest of Dean, once a royal hunting forest, are rewarding rural side trips (both are west, toward Wales). Also nearby (to the south) is Berkeley Castle, a beautiful structure surrounded by terraced gardens and a butterfly house.

For something a bit different, visit the International Centre for Birds of Prey in Newent, which is 15 minutes northwest of Gloucester. You can watch flying demonstrations and even take an introductory course in falconry.