Celebrities, politicians and other glitterati have long flocked to Cape Cod for a seaside summer escape. But a more relaxed coastal experience filled with similar landscapes, historic architecture, and activities awaits about 100 miles north, along the North Shore of Massachusetts.

Cape Ann — the “Other Cape,” as it’s sometimes known — is the place to go when you want to relax on beautiful beaches, enjoy cultural experiences and sample excellent seafood, without the wall-to-wall traffic that plagues Route 6 into Cape Cod.

Find more weekend road trips: Coastal Rhode Island | Lower Adirondacks

Driving from Albany to Cape Ann, via I-90 East to 95 North, takes just over three hours. Add about 40 minutes coming from Poughkeepsie and points south. 

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail’s Newburyport/Rockport line departs from Boston to several points around Cape Ann. Because many of the smaller towns lack ride-share services, you’ll need to rent a car once on the ground.

After fueling up with a breakfast burrito and a cold brew at the Laughing Gull (4C Summer St., Manchester) head over to Singing Beach (121 Beach St.), Manchester-by-the-Sea’s crown jewel. Parking at the beach is just for residents in the summer, but the MBTA station, less than a mile away, offers free parking. (You’ll still pay a $10 walk-on fee, cash only.) This white-sand stunner comes by its unique name because of sand grains that create a sound akin to sneakers scuffing along a gymnasium floor.

Singing Beach at Manchester-by-the-Sea gets its name from the squeaky sound emitted when you walk across the sand.

Make your way north to Gloucester. The newly expanded Maritime Gloucester (23 Harbour Loop) gives context to the city’s fishing roots. Kids will appreciate the pocket aquarium, where pipe fish, Jonah crabs and other sea critters accidentally caught in fishing nets are given a temporary home until they can be safely released. Small but mighty, the Cape Ann Museum (27 Pleasant St., Gloucester) hosts permanent and rotating exhibitions, including the work of luminist painters. The new Cape Ann Museum Green, about two miles away, focuses on contemporary work in an indoor/outdoor exhibition space.

Visitors can explore Gloucester’s fishing roots at Maritime Gloucester, which has a kid-friendly pocket aquarium that temporarily houses sea creatures accidentally caught in fishing nets.

Gloucester’s 7 Seas Whale Watch (63 Rogers St.) and Cape Ann Whale Watch (415 Main St.) both provide exuberant, naturalist-narrated tours where you’re guaranteed sightings of one or more species of whale, plus dozens of seabirds and the occasional dolphin, porpoise or shark.

Lunch and dinner options abound in the city. Try the Seaport Grille (6 Rowe Square) for overstuffed lobster rolls and punchy cocktails, or Passports (110 Main St.) for flavorful New American fare. Two Italian delis, Virgilio’s (29 Main St.) and Sclafani’s (49 Washington St.), serve specialty sandwiches with imported meats, cheeses and olive oil, plus freshly baked pastries.

Good Harbor is among the most popular beaches in Gloucester — for good reason.

The beaches in Gloucester are lovely but pricey: expect parking fees of $20 to $30 (book a reservation online). Good Harbor gets the most traffic, while Wingaersheek, a curvaceous stretch of sand, dunes and tidal flats, is a favorite among locals. Go kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and surfing at Pavilion Beach, between Gloucester’s famous “The Man at the Wheel” sculpture, which memorializes fishermen lost at sea, and the grand Beauport Hotel (55 Commercial St.).

Rocky Neck Art Colony (6 Wonson St.), a quintessential coastal community located a short drive from the downtown, is the country’s oldest continuously operating artist colony. Several galleries offer curated exhibitions. You can shop for original pieces — from paintings to textiles and sculpture — in the colorful, artist-run boutiques along the main drag. 

Rocky Neck Art Colony is the oldest continuously operating artist colony in the U.S.

Get an early start along the Essex Scenic Coastal Byway into Ipswich. The downtown houses shops and cafes in repurposed historic buildings, plus a petite riverfront walkway. For breakfast, the newly relocated Sandpiper Bakery (29 North Main St.) crafts hearty homemade quiches, breakfast sandwiches and pastries. Don’t miss the cardamom buns. 

Off wooded Argilla Road, you’ll find Russell Orchards (143 Argilla Road, Ipswich), a serene, 120-acre fruit farm. Depending on the month, you can pick your own blueberries, raspberries, currants, cherries and more. The farm also has an in-house bakery featuring fresh cider doughnuts and other sweets.

Perched high on a hilltop, Castle Hill on the Crane Estate (290 Argilla Road, Ipswich) is a spectacular example of Stuart-style architecture. Take a guided tour to the cupola for breathtaking 360-degree views of the marshes and the ocean. Or stroll one of Castle Hill’s two gorgeous beaches, European-style gardens, and the Grand Allé, a half-mile “ha ha” — the landscape architecture version of an optical illusion, in which the far end seems to tumble into the ocean.

Castle Hill on the Crane Estate offers up a grand example of 17th century Stuart-style architecture.

At lunchtime, backtrack into Essex. On the way, eat dessert first at DownRiver Ice Cream (241 John Wise Ave.), an unassuming roadside stand that has 30-plus flavors of creamy, dreamy treats. Or head straight for the savory at the hundred-plus-year-old Woodman’s of Essex (119 Main St.), which has racked up dozens of awards for its fried fish platters and sandwiches. Sleek-meets-rustic newcomer Great Marsh Brewing Company (99 Main St.) serves upscale pub foods like burgers and po’boys, plus nearly 20 beers. 

Woodman’s of Essex has racked up dozens of awards for its fried fish platters and sandwiches.

Twenty minutes farther out onto the peninsula in the village of Rockport, you’ll find Bearskin Neck, A former strategic outpost during the War of 1812, it’s now a commercial district of small galleries and independent shops in traditional shingle-clad buildings. Many are touristy, but you can find some gems. It’s also the home of Motif No. 1 (Bradley Wharf, Rockport), a photogenic scarlet fishing shack some claim is the most-painted building in America.

Rockport claims that its iconic fishing shack, Motif No. 1, is the most-painted building in America.

If you have a half hour to spare, pay a visit to the Paper House (52 Pigeon Hill St.). Its walls, furniture, and even curtains were made of newspaper in the 1902s by eccentric engineer Elis Stenman, who invented the machine that makes paper clips.

For evening entertainment, the Shalin Liu Performance Center (37 Main St.), built in the style of elegant Victorian seaside mansions, is an acoustically superb venue for live music. The enchanting, off-the-beaten-path location of Windhover Center for the Performing Arts (257R Granite St.) is enhanced by its intimate outdoor performance space, which features live theater by Gloucester Stage.

The outdoor stage at Windhover Center for the Performing Arts hosts outdoor shows throughout the summer.

As with most New England seacoast destinations, bargain accommodations are hard to come by in Cape Ann. This laid-back condo in Ipswich, abutting protected wetlands, is a great value for a small group. For a solo traveler or couple, this pied-à-terre is only five minutes outside of downtown Essex. If you don’t mind sharing a bath, this cozy private room in Gloucester is well located to many attractions. 

The Harborview Inn (71 Western Ave., Gloucester), close to a variety of Gloucester attractions, is a homey, mid-priced delight, with an affable innkeeper who serves pastries from around Cape Ann for breakfast.

For a boutique option, the Emerson Inn (1 Cathedral Ave., Rockport) is a snug hotel in a newly renovated historic coastal property. It boasts some of the best views in all of Cape Ann, luxurious yet unpretentious décor and outstanding hospitality.

The Emerson Inn is a cozy boutique in a newly renovated historic coastal property.