Day trips on the North Shore

Art appreciation in and around Gloucester – There’s a reason why one of America’s oldest continuously working art colonies developed on Rocky Neck, a peninsula in Gloucester Harbor: It’s gorgeous. The light is spectacular, and the lobster boats and fishing trawlers provide ever-changing scenery.

So it’s no surprise the Rocky Neck Art Colony (Rocky Neck Avenue, 978-282-0917, rockyneckartcolony.org) has attracted artists such as Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer, and that artists still flock there today. During the summer, a walking tour of the area’s two dozen or so studios and galleries is a perfect centerpiece for an artistic day trip.

As a warm-up for the artsy treats ahead, stop first in Beverly at Atomic Cafe Coffee Roasters (265 Cabot Street, 978-922-0042, atomicafe.com) for a hit of caffeine. Its “black phantom’’ features five shots of espresso, or you could go for a latte, chai, or fruit smoothie.

As a warm-up for the artsy treats ahead, stop first in Beverly at Atomic Cafe Coffee Roasters (265 Cabot Street, 978-922-0042, atomicafe.com) for a hit of caffeine. Its “black phantom’’ features five shots of espresso, or you could go for a latte, chai, or fruit smoothie.

From there, it’s onto Gloucester and Rocky Neck, where you can grab a brunch of hash and eggs or linguica Benedict in the old-school — and colorful — spirit of the place at Sailor Stan’s (1 Wonson Street, 978-281-4470).

To get a sense of the diversity of artists working here, check out the Sigrid Olsen Gallery (34 Rocky Neck Avenue, 978-281-1766, www.sigridolsenart.com) for bright and cheerful mixed-media pieces by the famed former fashion designer and Rocky Neck Gallery (53 Rocky Neck Avenue, 978-282-0917, rockyneckgallery.com) for a medley of oil paintings, watercolors, photography, jewelry, pottery, and sculpture.

If you’re staying in town for dinner, you can try local oysters and a glass of prosecco or pan-seared fluke with fresh lobster at Gloucester’s Franklin Cape Ann (118 Main Street, 978-283-7888, franklincafe.com), an outpost of the cozy South End institution.

Or you can leave earlier and head to Marblehead, about a 40-minute drive away, to browse the chic racks of clothing by designers such as Massimo Alba and Alberto Aspesi at French + Italian (129 Washington Street, 781-639-5129, frenchitalian.com). Or check out the John Derian trays and Dash & Albert rugs at C’est la Vie (7 Pleasant Street, 781-639-2468).

Beverly and beyond for active types – Imagine someone on a stand-up paddle board (smiling, probably) with the sparkling ocean below and a gorgeous blue sky above, riding a wave or cruising around a harbor. Cool, right?

That could be you, about 40 minutes from Boston. If you want to try — or get better at — the current “it’’ water sport, book a lesson or tour with Surfari Stand Up Paddle and Surf in Manchester-by-the-Sea (26 Central Street, 978-704-9051, standuppaddlesurfari.com). The shop offers private and group lessons for adults and kids and tours from one to three hours long.

Fuel up for your athletic endeavors with a healthy breakfast in Beverly at the Organic Garden Cafe (294 Cabot Street, 978-922-0004), where the “live granola’’ comes with sprouted grains, nuts, fresh fruit, and almond milk and the Get Your Greens smoothie blends kale, barley greens, apple, and banana. You can also take food to go (say, a sea vegetable salad or sunflower-sesame falafel wrap) for a beach picnic.

Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea (119 Beach Road, 978-526-7276), with its soft sand and beautiful rock formations, is one of the prettiest anywhere, but parking can be a major pain. There is metered parking in town, but you’ll have to look for it. Or you can fork over $25 to the Boy Scouts for a spot at the train station. If you’re up for an evening picnic, though, the beach lot is open and free between 7 and 10.

So now you need something fun to do during the afternoon — and there are lots of options. You could try surf-ski paddling at Beverly’s Kayak Learning Center (Lynch Park, 978-922-5322, kayaklearningcenter.com), which also rents stand-up paddle boards ($15 for 90 minutes) if you want to hone your skills.

Or you could drive the 20 minutes from Manchester to Rockport and take a two-hour kayak tour to Straitsmouth Island with the North Shore Kayak Outdoor Center (9 Tuna Wharf, 978-546-5050, northshorekayak.com). While in Rockport, you might try eating at Roy Moore Lobster Company (39 Bearskin Neck Road, 978-546-6696) and shopping at Milk & Honey (1 Main Street, 978-546-6546, milkandhoneyrockport.blogspot.com) for sustainable clothes, home goods, and accessories, like the recycled sail tote bags by Gloucester-based Again and Again.

Or you could drive the 20 minutes from Manchester to Rockport and take a two-hour kayak tour to Straitsmouth Island with the North Shore Kayak Outdoor Center (9 Tuna Wharf, 978-546-5050, northshorekayak.com). While in Rockport, you might try eating at Roy Moore Lobster Company (39 Bearskin Neck Road, 978-546-6696) and shopping at Milk & Honey (1 Main Street, 978-546-6546, milkandhoneyrockport.blogspot.com) for sustainable clothes, home goods, and accessories, like the recycled sail tote bags by Gloucester-based Again and Again.