Restaurant Week on Cape Ann -- Oct. 14-19

In earlier blogs, we talked about the thriving restaurant scene on Cape Ann. Almost every guest at the Blue Shutters Beachside visits the area's restaurants -- and we have a great time pointing folks toward our favorite places. Some come for a romantic dinner, some for traditional fare like lobster and steamers, some for cocktails or entertainment along with a bite to eat. It's all here for the "tasting" -- and this month is the perfect time to try out our local eateries. For "six delicious days" from October 14 through October 19, we'll be celebrating Cape Ann Restaurant Week. This first-ever event will make available three-course dinners at participating restaurants for the low price of $24.07. You can work up your appetite (and sleep off that big dinner) at the Blue Shutters Beachside -- all of the restaurants are a short distance from Good Harbor Beach. Check out the Cape Ann Restaurant Week website for more info and a list of participating restaurants.

Fall at the Blue Shutters -- Bird-watching, Kayaking, Doo-wop and More

While there has been a surprising number of beach days this fall (thanks to a string of summer-like weekends) we're beginning to see guests enjoy other activities around the Blue Shutters. A couple from England spent hours bird-watching. Guests down from NH launched a kayak just across the street in the tidal river that empties into Good Harbor Beach. A visitor from Italy used the inn as her starting point for a sightseeing tour of New England (starting with 3 days around Cape Ann). A couple from Reading who were with us this summer returned to the Shutters to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary at the restaurants in Gloucester and Rockport. Many guests have enoyed the whale-watching trips out of Gloucester Harbor (Seven Seas and Captain Bill's are the most popular). We've had a bunch of wedding parties that use the Blue Shutters as an option for their guests (rumor has it that the Blue Shutters is always the favorite). And finally, our doo-wop afficianados from Jersey (profiled in an earlier blog posting) were here for a return visit, and we found them a doo-wop concert in nearby Lynn. There's one common denominator in all these cases -- these guests return from their various excursions and spend time in our main room or on the lawn sharing these experiences with us. These conversations are one of the best -- and most unexpected -- benefits of running the Blue Shutters.