10 Great Reasons to Visit Rowley Massachusetts

Sometimes a break from your routine is the very thing you need.

Oh, what a great adventure was had in the Northshore recently. From a shipwreck to great meals this was a local trip to remember. Here are 10 Great Reasons to visit Rowley Massachusetts.

I had booked a weeknight staycation at Briar Barn Inn in Rowley, MA for my mom and me for Mother’s day along with a local itinerary packed full of different things to check out in the Northshore. Briar Barn Inn is a must because it is so close to so many local things to do and was honestly gorgeous. I first heard about them when they first opened up and I checked it out as well as their onsite restaurant a couple of years ago. It was just as lovely as I remembered. We stayed in the Grand King Room which had the following Amenities:

Seating area
Refrigerator with mini-bar
Snacks for purchase
Fireplace
Bathrobes
Incredibly comfortable King Size bed
Complimentary Voss Waters
Gorgeous bath & shower

We used the fireplace because it ended up being chilly one of the nights ( oh sweet New England) snd it was delightful, the bed was oh so delicious and we had a lot of space. There are these cool charging docks on the nightstands which I put to good use for both my camera and my phone so that was useful. I love when amenities in an inn can be used to their full capacity.

Another thing I loved was in the hallways there was complimentary coffee and tea which you could go out and make yourself so that was convenient. We had both hot tea and coffee in the morning before setting out for our daily adventures.

Here are the towns we visited:

Rowley
Ipswich
Newburyport

Here are the different places we went to.

Village Pancake House
Crane Estate
Steep Hill Beach
The Clam Box
Grove
Little Wolf
Oldies Marketplace
Changing Tides Cafe & Donut Shop
Newburyport Waterfront Park

Village Pancake House

We started our first day with a visit to the Village Pancake House in Ipswich, MA. I had been here before a few years back and honestly, was so impressed again! The food was delightful and I have always loved their little garden in the front. We sat outdoors and shared a couple of the plates along with some piping hot delicious coffee.

Lobster Eggs Benedict & Cranberry Pecan Pancakes

Castle Hill on the Crane Estate

Next, we headed to the Crane Estate also located in Ipswich which is a glorious expanse of views, greenery, and beauty. I had purchased entry beforehand online to just let things move along a little faster and it was perfect. We roamed the grounds, took lots of photos, and took in the views on a perfectly sunny, cloudless day.

The next place we went to was a surprise because I didn’t know this beach was on the same grounds/property as the Crane Estate.

Steep Hill Beach

We ended up taking a little path off to the ide once we got to the top after walking around Crane Estate. We walked to Steep Hill Beach which also had a shipwreck. Honestly, it was so cool to find this, walk along the beach. The sand was lovely and the water was warm, and then we saw the shipwreck pieces scattered. It had been a full ship but back in 2020 a hurricane had come in and destroyed it and scattered it across the beach. It was still glorious and I felt like a little kid who discovered something. Mom and I really enjoyed this so much!

After we explored the beach, we were of course hungry so we stopped by a local favorite.

The Clam Box

I had heard about this place for a while and had driven by it literally every time we were in the area, so I added it to our itinerary to try. We stopped by after the beach, and waited in line around 15 minutes or so, and put our orders in. It took about another fifteen minutes to get our food (piping hot and fresh) and we went to their outdoor seating to enjoy. We ordered the Fried Scallop Box ( small) and small clam chowder. It was more than enough for the two of us and absolutely delicious.

We went and checked into Briar Barn Inn after this and relaxed in the Grand King Suite until dinner.

Grove Rowley

Where do I even begin with this one, from start to finish it was a great experience. IO had been previously and had been impressed as I said above, but this was my first sit-down dinner here and it was so delicious. We tried a couple of things between us and then shared a glorious dessert. The inside has high ceilings, beautiful twinkling lights, and when golden hour hits it is magical!

Cheese board

Burger

The next morning we checked out of Briar Barn Inn and headed out to our adventures for the day.

Little Wolf

I love exploring new coffee shops wherever I go because I love the vibe plus I am obsessed with coffee. We found this shop in Ipswich and we checked it out before we headed to Newburyport to roam around. We bought some delicious lattes that were so fun and unique plus I took some coffee beans to go. It is legit one of my favorite coffees now!

Changing Tides Cafe & Donut Shop

We took a nice scenic drive to Newburyport and ended up relaxing and walking around. We of course checked out a local favorite donut shop of mine and hung out in their outdoor patio seating until a lunch reservation. Their donuts as always were yummy and I downed a kombucha.

Unfortunately, our lunch reservation was a bust and disappointing, so after lunch, we wanted to walk around and we found a couple more gems before heading home.

Oldies Marketplace

We stumbled across this fun spot while looking for the waterfront park. IT IS SO CUTE. Antiques, vintage goods, and more. It was so fun and roam around with my mom and take some cute photos. Definitely, a must-visit if you’re in the area and love roaming around antique shops.

Newburyport Waterfront Park

We found this walkway right after the Oldies Marketplace and walked until we reached the main downtown area. it was lovely, there were some swings we found and took photos on and it was a nice walk before heading out for the day.