Memorial Day Weekend: What's Actually Open
The unofficial start of summer lands this Saturday. Here's what's running, what's still finding its footing, and how to plan a weekend that doesn't fight the crowds.
By Dotti Maguire
Memorial Day is Monday, May 25, 2026. That makes this the first real weekend of the Cape Ann summer, the one where parking lots fill before noon and the ice cream lines start to mean something. We have been waiting for it since February. Here is how we would spend it.
The state of the beaches
Good Harbor and Wingaersheek both go to paid parking for the season starting this weekend. Cash or card at the gate, get there before 10am if you want a spot on Saturday or Sunday, earlier on Monday. The water is still cold. Properly cold. Mid-50s in the harbor, low 60s in the shallow tidal flats at Wingaersheek if the sun has been on them for a few hours. Kids will go in. Most adults will wade to the knees and call it a day.
If you want a beach walk more than a beach day, the rocky stretches around Rockport are the move. Long Beach at low tide gives you a flat hard-sand walk all the way to the Thacher Island view. Half Moon Beach inside Stage Fort Park is small and tucked into the granite, good for a quiet hour with a book.
Check the tide chart before you commit to anything. Wingaersheek at high tide is a different beach than Wingaersheek at low tide, and the difference is about a quarter mile of sandbar.
What is open on the water
Cape Ann Whale Watch has been running since May 2, and by this weekend they are into their full schedule with multiple sailings a day. The whales are out there. Reports from the first two weeks have been good, with humpbacks feeding on Stellwagen. Book ahead for the holiday weekend, especially the Monday afternoon trip.
7 Seas is running, Yankee Fleet is running deep-sea fishing trips, and Beauport Cruiselines has its harbor tours going. For something quieter, the Schooner Ardelle out of Maritime Gloucester does sunset sails this time of year and there is nothing quite like the moment they cut the engine and raise the sails.
If you want to paddle your own boat, North Shore Adventures in Rockport has kayaks for rent. The cove side of Bearskin Neck on a calm morning is about as good as a first paddle gets.
Where to eat without a two-hour wait
This is the weekend the wait times come back. A few honest notes.
The clam shacks will be slammed. Woodman's of Essex, J.T. Farnham's, Essex Seafood, the Clam Box up in Ipswich. All worth it, none of them quick on a Saturday at 1pm. Go at 11:30 or after 2:30. Or accept the wait and treat it as part of the experience, which is what we usually do.
For lobster in the rough, the Lobster Pool at Folly Cove is open and the sunset view from their picnic tables is one of the best dinner views on the cape. Roy Moore Lobster Company on Bearskin Neck is the classic walk-up.
If you want a table indoors with a reservation, Tonno, Franklin Cape Ann, Causeway, 1606 at the Beauport Hotel, and My Place by the Sea in Rockport are all taking holiday bookings. Book now, not Friday. Short and Main is walk-in only and the bar fills fast.
For a slower breakfast, Sugar Magnolias is in its new spot on Main Street and finding its rhythm. Lone Gull and Pleasant Street Tea Co. are both good for coffee and a pastry without a production.
Hammond Castle and the museum question
Hammond Castle opened for the season on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. It is open for the holiday weekend and it is a perfect rainy-day backup if Sunday turns gray (the forecast as of this morning is not promising for Sunday afternoon).
The Cape Ann Museum downtown is still closed for renovation. It reopens Tuesday, June 30, 2026. If you were planning to take grandparents there this weekend, pivot to Maritime Gloucester (open, on the working waterfront, very hands-on) or the Rockport Art Association & Museum.
A note on traffic
128 going onto the cape on Friday afternoon will be slow. Same for Saturday morning between 9 and 11. Coming back into Boston on Monday afternoon will be slow. None of this is news, but every year someone asks. Build it into your plan, leave early, and remember that being stuck on the bridge over the Annisquam with the water on both sides is not the worst place to be stuck.
The parade in Rockport steps off Monday morning. It is small and it is the kind of thing that feels like a town remembering itself out loud. Worth seeing once, worth seeing every year.
