15 Best Things to Do in Ipswich (MA)

Located on the North Shore, this amazingly preserved town has more first-century homes than any other community in the United States.

Ipswich has about 60 houses built before 1725, many of which are open to the public as historic museums and restaurants.

The newest is Crane, an unusual coastal area where an industrialist built his luxurious country estates in the early 1900s.

You can tour the house and gardens on Castle Hill, while the beach and adjacent reservation are nothing short of stunning.

1. Castle Hill on the Crane Estate

In the early 1900s, Chickaw industrialist Richard Taylor Crane Jr. built himself a luxurious country estate on the Drumlin waterfront, surrounded by sea and salt marshes.

This 2,000-plus acre tract was given to the trustees of the reservations by Crane and his wife, by the Olmsted Brothers, with a stunning beach, sand dunes and massive pine trees.

Cresting Castle Hill is a 59-room Jacobean-style mansion with sweeping views of Grande Allee and Ipswich Bay.

You can take an informative guided tour of the Great House and admire the splendor of the Italian Garden and Rose Garden.

In summer, the gardens become a beautiful setting for a Thursday evening concert series.

2. Crane Beach

Crane State Beach has one of the best beaches in the Northeast. Crane Beach is four miles long and lined with majestic sand dunes and maritime pine forests.

When the tide goes out, there is a wide field of sandbars, which in summer form lagoon-like pools of warm water.

The scenery is also breathtaking, and on the north side of Ipswich Bay you can see the sandy beaches of Plum Island. Crane Beach is a nesting site for the piping plover, a shorebird that was on the verge of extinction in the 1800s.

Their nesting areas are marked by fences and an area of washed-out organic debris known as The Wrack.

3. Downtown Ipswich

A great way to experience Ipswich is on foot, around the historic center and along the banks of the River Ipswich where there is a path that runs past the town hall.

This walk may take some time, as four historic districts meet in the city centre. These are Meeting House Green, South Green, High Street and East End, and are filled with residential, public or commercial architecture from the 17th to 19th centuries.

The layout of these neighborhoods has changed little over the centuries, and if you look at the historical photographs at Ipswich Museum, you'll be surprised at how little the buildings have changed.

The starting point for the tour is Meeting House Green, the Town Hill being the early center of Ipswich in the 1630s.

4. Ipswich Museum

Located just off the city's South Green, Ipswich Museum features three historic homes open for tours during the summer season. The organization dates back to 1890, when it was founded as the Ipswich Historical Society.

The museum's stock, displayed in two main houses (Heard House and Whipple House), includes the largest single collection of works by the Ipswich-born landscape painter Arthur Wesley Dow (1857-1922).

On the north side of S. Main St. There is the Heard House, built in the Federal style in the late 19th century.

This grand two-story mansion has 35 rooms and 18 fireplaces, and is decorated with period furniture, decorative arts, and costumes.

To the south, the Whipple House dates back to 1677 and was once the home of one of the city's richest men, later becoming one of the country's premier historic house museums when it was restored in the 1890s and opened to the public. to

Nearby, Alexander Knight House is a rare example of modest dwellings from the mid-17th century.

5. Clam Box of Ipswich

Ipswich's most famous restaurant is the New England Seafood Shack, a local landmark since 1935.

Generations of visitors have enjoyed the fresh, local seafood at Ipswich's Clam Box, and the reputation of this counter-service restaurant has been spread by the likes of the Food Network and Yankee Magazine.

The building is also a minimalist work of art, an inverted trapezoid forming an openable enclosure, and was designed by founder Richard J. Greenleaf Jr.

His brother was an oyster merchant based in Ipswich and gave him his first dose of oysters. Nearly 90 years later, there are still lines for fried oysters in the signature crispy batter, and other menu options include onion rings, lobster rolls, fried haddock, and fried scallops.

6. Wolf Hollow

On a weekend getaway in Ipswich, you see a pack of gray wolves in the semi-wild, at a sanctuary run by the North American Wolf Foundation.

Founded in the late 1980s, starting with a group of five cubs donated by conservation facilities across the country, Wolf Hollow has long been dedicated to protecting the gray wolf and its habitat, engaging in long-term campaigns.

On a pre-booked visit, you can observe the hierarchy of wolf packs, learn about wolf biology, the history of human-wolf interactions, and the challenges facing future conservation efforts. I can know.

7. Hall-Haskell House

A good place to start a walking tour of the city centre, this beautiful Federal-style house was built in 1820 on the Middle Green near the Ipswich Museum.

The Hall-Haskell House, often referred to as the Little Red House, was owned by a former sailor who lived upstairs and ran a general store with his wife downstairs.

The building was in danger of collapse until the 1980s, when the city bought it and restored it over several years in the 1990s.

Hall-Haskell House is now a visitor centre, open in the summer, displaying historical objects, brochures and advice on all that Ipswich has to offer and the art produced in the town.

8. Willowdale State Forest

Much of West Ipswich consists of open public land ready for outdoor recreation. Willowdale State Forest spans several towns and covers some of Ipswich, which surrounds the 100-acre beautiful Hood Pond, a fishing and canoeing destination.

It can be found west of Route 1, while to the east there is a vast forested area with fire roads and single-track trails for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing in the winter.

This is where the Bay Circuit Trail crosses Ipswich on a 230-mile route from neighboring Newburyport to Duxbury.

9. Appleton Farms

Appleton Farms is owned by the Trustees of the Reservations, and its history can be traced back to a land grant to Samuel Appleton in 1638, making it one of the oldest continuously operating farms in the state.

The land passed through nine generations of the Appleton family until it was deeded to trustees in the twentieth century by Francis R. Appleton, Jr. and his wife, Joan Mary Eggleston.

Branching off from the old house are six miles of trails at Appleton Farms that take you through pastures of dairy cows.

There is a network of centuries-old stone walls, a quiet picnic area and a small farm shop selling eggs, meat and fresh produce from these and other Trustees farms.

10. Ipswich Ale Brewery

Anticipating the craft beer craze, Ipswich Ale Brewery has been brewing quality ales and ales since 1991, earning a stellar reputation throughout New England.

In 2016, the brewery opened its own on-site restaurant/tap room, Ipwich Ale Brewer's Table, which has a diverse menu, ranging from seasonal pub fare to New American, with 15 tap lines.

If you're not familiar with Ipswich Ale Brewery's beers, a few must-haves are the Original Pale Ale, Oatmeal Stout, India Pale Ale, Celia Saison, and Route 101 West Coast Style IPA.

You can request a flight for a better cross-section, and some go-to favorites include beer, pancake melts and poutine.

11. Marini Farm Stand

This third generation farm in the Ipswich hinterland is known for its excellent fresh produce, but it also shines for many other reasons.

From spring you can swing into greenhouses for perennials, annuals, herbs, vegetable plants and hanging plants.

The farm stand has been open since early summer, with a changing abundance of fruits and vegetables, as well as delicious baked goods and specialty items.

Then there's family fun at the corn maze in the fall, which attracts visitors from all over New England. Later things get more festive, and you can shop for flowers and frozen furs, as well as charming handmade gifts and decorations.

12. Sandy Point State Reservation

Although it's a long drive, the beach-carved southern tip of Plum Island is within Ipswich's boundaries.

This 11-mile-long barrier island is named after the beach plum bushes that grow on the sand dunes. In addition to being on the migration routes of many birds, the island is an important nesting site for piping plover.

You can see these shorebirds at Sandy Point State Reserve, along with a variety of seabirds such as the lesser tern.

The scenery is another great reason to travel – the panoramic views at sunset are nothing short of magical, and you can see Ipswich Bay from a new perspective here.

When the tide goes out, you'll be surprised at how far you can walk, and there's an endless system of tidal pools to explore.

13. Russell Orchards

Dating back to 1920, this family farm welcomes you to pick its own fruit in summer and fall.

Russell Orchards grow strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, raspberries, currants, cranberries and apples, and your season usually runs from June to mid-October when the last of the apples are ready.

Much awaits you on the farm, including a winery with a tasting room in the main barn, and an in-store bakery, which makes cider cakes, fruit tarts, and tarts using fruit straight from the orchards.

Along with seasonal produce, the farm store carries a wealth of fresh cider, eggs, honey, ice cream and gourmet items from area farms and makers.

14. 1640 Hart House

A 17th-century Ipwich townhouse has opened to the public as a new American restaurant. Located at 51 Linebrook Road, Harthouse is a little smaller than its name, but not by much.

A recent dendrograph survey has shown that the oldest parts of the building date back to the late 1670s, and in the list you can read about the Hart family and subsequent owners of the building over the past 350 years.

Entrees include lamb, bouillabaisse, sesame-crusted tuna, pumpkin ravioli, New England roast, fish and chips, and a rosemary-garlic rack of house-made burgers.

15. 1634 Meadery

There's a lot to love about this artisanal process, where traditional mead is made in small batches.

First, 1634 Meadery supports the local economy, sourcing its honey, fruit and other ingredients from nearby farms and businesses.

More than a dozen types of brews are available in the tasting room, from dry to sweet. Some of the standouts when we wrote this article were Serendipity (pear with ginger), Blueberry Dream, Cranberry (cranberry), and Orange Elision (orange blossom honey).

By chatting with the friendly staff, you'll learn a lot about the process and ingredients, while tours are available upon request.