Located quite close to Newburyport and Rockport (which you can check out in one of our previous posts here), Ipswich is another coastal Massachusetts gem that you can’t miss if you’re in the area.
Pair a stroll around the adorable town center with a visit to beautiful Crane Beach or Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, and you can’t go wrong.
For our guide to the best day trip to Ipswich and the Crane Estate, read on!
Founded in 1634, Ipswich is one of the oldest communities in Massachusetts, boasting a surprising amount of beautiful period architecture still inhabited by residents today.
In fact, Ipswich is known as “America’s best-preserved Puritan town” due to its large quantity of First Period houses, or houses built between 1625 and 1725. Ipswich actually has more First Period houses than any other town in the entire United States– for a complete list, see the town’s curated list here.
If you’re interested in architecture from this period, check out the Meeting House Green, South Green, East End, or High Street areas. Many houses have large plaques next to the front door denoting what year they were built, and several have the name of the original or most-famous inhabitant as well. They are all beautifully preserved, and have lovely decorations, gardens, and paint colors to admire. The town has an excellent self-guided walking tour, available in webpage and PDF formats, here. It starts at the beautiful Ipswich Riverwalk Mural.
Ipswich isn’t just known for its houses, though– town lore claims that Ipswich was actually the first town in the 13 Colonies to resist taxes imposed by the British– all the way back in 1687! For this reason, Ipswich’s town motto (seen on its town seal) is “The Birthplace of American Independence, 1687.”
Other Things to Do in Ipswich
Ipswich is also home to several farms and apple orchards, including Russell Orchards and Appleton Farms.
While apple picking specifically is a fall activity, these farms also offer seasonal berry-picking and flower-picking, wine tastings, and other activities (such as Friday Night Dinner at Appleton), and have neat country stores to visit. Appleton Farms is actually one of the nation’s oldest operating farms– don’t miss their adorable Jersey cows and their walking trails.
Note: If you’re in the mood for some local fare for lunch or dinner, the ubiquitous Clam Box (yes, shaped like a box of clams!) is a must-visit.
If you’re interested in bird watching, the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is a must-visit. Established in 1942 to provide “resting and nesting” places for migratory birds, the refuge is located on the Atlantic Flyway, a major north-south artery. that starts in Greenland and ends in the Caribbean. This refuge in particular is thought to be vital for a variety of species of migratory birds.
For more birdwatching and other wildlife, check out the Sandy Point State Reservation and the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, which is part of the Audubon Society. If the beach is more your scene, Ipswich conveniently includes the southern part of Plum Island, and has some magnificent beach options, including Pavilion Beach, Clark Beach, Steep Hill Beach, and of course Crane Beach (but more on that below!)
Crane Beach + Castle Hill on the Crane Estate
If you can believe it, the area where the grandiose Crane Estate now sits was actually a saltwater farm for hundreds of years.
However, this all changed rapidly when Chicago industrialist Richard Crane purchased the land from the Brown family, who had owned the land for several generations.
Crane envisioned a luxurious summer retreat for his family, and had the Estate designed in what would become known as the “American Country Place Era” style, which highlighted a confluence of indoor and outdoor spaces in a way that felt relaxed and genuine.
However, the Estate didn’t completely lose its farming roots, and the family kept livestock and gardens active for many years, leading to the creation of a compound-like vibe that was totally self-sufficient and self-sustaining.
Interestingly, the Cranes first built an Italian-style villa in 1912, but had it replaced not too long after in 1928 with the 59-room English-style house that still sits at the top of the hill today. The land and buildings were bequeathed to the Trustees of Reservations in stages, starting in 1945.
Top 5 Crane Estate
- On Castle Hill itself, don’t miss: the Great House; the Terrace (home to a bowling green, grass tennis courts, and a maze at various points in time); the Grand Allée (or Grand Mall) and its Statuary; the Rose Garden; and the Italian Garden.
- Around the Estate, there are a variety of walking trails, such as the Woodland Trail and the area around the Reservoir.
- Other period buildings dating back to when the Crane family first lived at the Estate include: Chauffeur’s House and Garage; the Casino Complex (not for gambling, but rather the Italian meaning of casino, meaning “small pavilion”); and the large complex of stucco farm buildings and gardens.
- There are also a few buildings that pre-date the Crane family, including the Brown Cottage and the Inn at Castle Hill (first built in 1843), which is a fully-operational luxury B&B today.
- Crane Beach + Crane Wildlife Refuge: these are super fun areas both for wildlife and conservation as well as for plain-old fun. You can swim in the beach (note: it’s very cold year-round, as many New England beaches feel to us transplants!), canoe along the waterways, and visit small islands like Choate Island and Long Island.
Tips for a Successful Visit:
- Note that you cannot enter the Crane Estate without a pass. There is a gatehouse area where they scan your pass, and it is a timed-entry. We really recommend getting these passes in advance, as the Trustees only sell a set amount per hour. To get your pass, see here. As it merits mentioning again, you absolutely need a pass– you cannot sneak or walk in.
- Relatedly, if you want to spend the day at Crane Beach (and not visit the Estate), you can get your parking pass here, valid for the full day. Note that there are tons of beaches along the coast of Massachusetts and Cape Ann that are accessible by commuter rail or have cheaper parking prices– $45 to us seems quite steep for just one day. We particularly recommend the beaches in Gloucester!
- Your timed-entry pass gives you 3 hours to enjoy the grounds. However, it seems to us that they are fairly flexible about your entrance time if you arrive early and they aren’t full. We arrived at 10:30 with 11 AM passes and they let us go inside.
- If you visit in summer, prepare yourself for that fickle coastal New England weather! It was sunny and lovely when we arrived, but within 10 minutes of getting there it was super foggy and overcast– so much so that we couldn’t see the beach from the Grand Allée. This was disappointing, but the fog lent the grounds an eerie feeling that was delightful in its own way.
- Another note on summer visits– the mosquitoes are absolutely brutal here. We got absolutely eaten alive– we would recommend dousing yourself in bug spray before getting out of the car. Dogs are not allowed anywhere on the grounds.
Have you been to the Crane Estate? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!
Don’t forget to pin this guide for future reference, here:
4 comments
This was so informative thank you. Such a great read.
Another great place to visit next time I visit Boston. Thanks!
I love Ipswich! We visit Massachusetts yearly in the summer and I can’t wait for the pandemic to be over so we can cross the border to visit once again. Thanks for the suggestion about Crane Estate. It looks beautiful!
Hope you can visit again soon! Ipswich is so beautiful!
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