Spring Returns to the Table: Cape Ann's Dining Season Stirs Back to Life

There is a stretch in late March when Cape Ann starts to turn over. The days get longer, restaurant doors prop open, and Main Street picks up the kind of foot traffic that signals the season is shifting. That stretch is now.

Here is what it tends to feel like at this time of year on the coast.

Main Street Wakes Up

Through late March and into April, the restaurants and shops that take a winter pause start to reopen. Some were closed all winter. Some ran on shorter hours. What you see this time of year is Main Street, in both Gloucester and Rockport, coming back to a full rhythm over the course of three or four weeks.

Sugar Magnolias is one to note this spring. The Gloucester breakfast and lunch spot reopened at 64 Main Street after a long pause that followed a burst pipe at their old location. International comfort fare, rotating seasonal specials. Worth building a morning around.

If you are planning a visit, this is a lovely time to come. The downside is that reopen dates are not always firm. The easiest move is to reply to your confirmation email and ask us what is open the week you are arriving. We will send you a short list of what is actually running.

Easter Weekend on Cape Ann

If your visit falls around Easter, there are typically a few options worth knowing about. A couple of the seafood restaurants that reopen in early April put together Easter brunch menus. Beauport Cruiselines runs harbor brunches out of Gloucester when the weather cooperates. Both tend to book early when they run.

We will tell you what is actually on the schedule this year when you ask. It varies.

On the Water

Spring is when the ocean-facing side of Cape Ann starts to come back to life.

The whale watch boats out of Gloucester Harbor begin their season in late April and early May. Cape Ann Whale Watch runs a catamaran with a heated cabin; 7 Seas Whale Watch operates the larger Privateer IV out of the same harbor. Half-day trips head to Stellwagen Bank, one of the most productive marine habitats in the North Atlantic. Humpbacks, finbacks, and minkes are the most common sightings, and by mid-May the activity is typically consistent. Both have sighting rates above 99 percent, which is about as close to a guarantee as this kind of trip gets.

Fishing picks up as well. Water temperatures climb into the mid-40s through April, and haddock fishing on the offshore banks improves quickly. By May, striped bass begin moving into the Annisquam River and along the rocky shoreline. Several charter operators run trips out of Gloucester through the fall.

Great Blue Herons are back along the shore, the striper migration maps are showing movement, and the water gets a little more active each week.

A Good Time to Visit

Spring on Cape Ann is quieter than the summer months, and that is part of the appeal. The beaches are open and uncrowded. Restaurants are not yet running at peak capacity. The late afternoon light is the same light that has drawn painters to this coastline for over a century. If you have been considering a trip to the North Shore, the next few weeks are a good window.