Rockport bustles with fall activity

By ANNIE TAYLOR

Essex County Newspapers

While many set foot in this coastal town during the summer months to enjoy its many beaches and quaint shopping area, Rockport offers even more to do when the leaves start to fall.

New England is touted nationwide for its brilliant fall foliage, and Rockport is no exception. Add the ocean as a backdrop and there are many beautiful sites to see.

Halibut Point State Park on Gott Avenue off Granite Street offers several trails for admiring the fall foliage and ocean vistas, as well as a chance to learn about Rockport's deep-rooted history in granite quarrying.

The park is open from Labor Day to Memorial Day from sunrise to sunset, and offers tours on weekends from Memorial Day through Columbus Day.

Saturday morning the tour includes a guided walk around the park's Babson Farm granite quarry and a demonstration of splitting a block of granite using traditional hand tools. Also included is a short film made in 1935 of the granite cutting operation at the J. Leonard Johnson quarry in Rockport.

Park tours, held Sunday mornings, begin with an introductory video in the park's new Visitors' Center, followed by a guided walk around the abandoned Babson Farm granite quarry, a look at several of the park's natural habitats, and an optional visit to the top of the World War II observation tower for a panoramic view of Rockport's coastline.

Tour participants should wear sturdy shoes and meet at the park's Visitors Center, which is a five-minute walk from the parking lot.

A brochure describing a self-guided walking tour around the quarry also is available at the Visitors' Center. For more information, call (978) 546-2997.

Other ways to enjoy the fall outdoors include walking the Atlantic Path, the boardwalk at Long Beach, or the length of Cape Hedge Beach, Old Garden Beach and Pebble Beach, especially at sunset.

Still others might enjoy playing tennis at the high school on Jerden's Lane, or at Story Street's public Pingree Park. Golfers can find their "cup of tee" at the semi-private Rockport Golf Club off South Street. Tee times must be reserved 24 hours in advance.

For a glimpse of Rockport's art history, walk to the end of Tuna Wharf and capture Motif No. 1, touted as one of the most painted structures in the world. Or browse the wide array of galleries that dot Bearskin Neck and downtown, and the museum collection of local art and special exhibitions at the Rockport Art Association, at 12 Main St.

Through Nov. 11 the association will be open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays and Monday holidays from noon to 5 p.m.

Mid-November the museum will adopt its winter hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Autumn in Rockport also brings about the town's sense of community with a slew of fairs and festivals that leads up to the town's festive holiday season.

Sept. 22, the Rockport Lodge on South Street will host the Chamber of Commerce's eighth annual Auction and Taste of Rockport. The chamber's biggest fund-raiser of the year kicks off with the opening of a giant yard sale at 8 a.m., and culminates in a reception and auction in the evening at 5 p.m. Auction items typically include local services, store and restaurant gift certificates, antiques, event tickets, artwork and getaways.

Sept. 29 brings about Spiran Lodge's annual Harvest Fair at the corner of School Street and Broadway, and a fall rummage sale will be held at 34 Broadway Oct. 19-20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information about these and other events, call the Rockport Chamber of Commerce at (978) 546-6575, or visit the office at 3 Main St.

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