Essex Coastal Scenic Byway
In March 2011, Essex Heritage completed a Corridor Management Plan (master plan) for the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway. A shorter Summary Report of the CMP serves as the primary use document, while the full CMP is considered a reference resource.
Developed with substantial community and regional stakeholder involvement, the comprehensive Corridor Management Plan recommends strategies for preserving and promoting the byway’s historic, cultural, natural, and recreational resources, including byway’s many businesses and visitor services.
In addition to being a useful planning tool for the communities and the region at-large, the Corridor Management Plan is a prerequisite for designation of the route as a National Scenic Byway.
The Corridor Management Plan was prepared by Brown Walker Planners, Inc. of Newburyport with grant funding from the National Scenic Byways Program and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).
To download Summary Report (.pdf), click here
Download Essex Coastal Scenic Byway Map (.pdf)
Download Essex Coastal Scenic Byway Brochure (.pdf)
Travelers along the 85-mile Essex Heritage Scenic Byway will experience the best of what coastal New England has to offer: historic seaports, colonial era farms, village and city centers, and a wealth of period architecture. Set against the coastal backdrop composed of a rocky shoreline and The Great Marsh, New England's largest salt marsh, the byway traverses thirteen historic North Shore communities.
Situated ten miles north of Boston and located entirely within the Essex National Heritage Area*, the byway can be accessed from the southern gateway city of Lynn, a former industrial epicenter and from the north by the gateway city of Newburyport, a historic shipbuilding and trade port renowned for its intact Federal Period (1780-1830) architecture and restored commercial downtown district.
From Lynn in the south, the byway passes north through Swampscott and Marblehead, quiet, densely settled, historic communities with strong ties to the sea. The port city of Salem became one of the country’s largest during the "Golden Age of Sail" when its ships traveled the globe. Today, the National Park Service showcases the city's maritime heritage at an expansive waterfront location and city-center regional visitor center.
The communities of Beverly and Manchester-by-the-Sea form what became known as "The Gold Coast" in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when wealthy elites from Boston and beyond built large summer estates.
Continuing north on the byway, the communities of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Gloucester, Rockport and Essex comprise Cape Ann, a rocky peninsula renowned for its dramatic coastline, scenic landscapes, and fishing industry. For nearly two centuries artists have flocked to Cape Ann to capture its beauty.
Ipswich, Rowley, and Newbury are among the country's oldest settlements and are well-known for their extant collection of First Period (1625-1725) dwellings and other vestiges of 17th and18th Century rural New England: town "greens", burying grounds, meeting houses, and early maritime and industrial sites.
Together, the 13 byway communities contain over 8,700 properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places as well as several National Historic Landmark properties. The region's unique, nationally significant story is chronicled by the numerous historical societies and house museums found along the byway. Easily accessed from the route are a national wildlife refuge, two state wildlife management areas, and numerous beaches, trails, and parcels of conservation land open to the public.
Essex Heritage-affiliated visitor centers in Lynn, Salem, Gloucester, Ipswich and Newburyport can help the byway traveler discover the region's rich history and culture by car, train, or bicycle.
* The Essex National Heritage Area (ENHA) was designated by the U.S. Congress in 1996 to recognize the significance of the region’s abundant historical, cultural, and natural resources related to three nationally significant themes: Early Settlement (17th Century), the Maritime Era (18th Century), and the Industrial Revolution (19th Century). As the nonprofit management agency for the ENHA, the Essex National Heritage Commission (Essex Heritage) works in collaboration with the Natio
nal Park Service to promote public/private partnerships, and develop programs that enhance, preserve and encourage regional awareness of the Area’s unique resources.
Download Essex Coastal Scenic Byway Map (.pdf)
- Press Release: November 17, 2009
- Press Release: June 22, 2010
- Cover feature from Stoneridge Properties: Winter 2011