Things To Do In B

Long Hill :The Trustees of Reservations cares for this 114-acre estate that was the summer home for the Sedgwick family from 1916 to 1979. Long Hill was purchased by Atlantic Monthly editor Ellery Sedgwick (1872-1960). The gardens are open to the public and were designed by Ellery’s wife Mabel Cabot Sedgwick, who was a noted horticulturist and wrote the book, The Garden Month by Month. On five acres and designed in an informal style, the gardens are made up of a sequence of “rooms” and feature amazing botanical diversity and a kaleidoscope of colors. Long Hill also has more than 100 acres of wooded grounds, crossed by a tangle of trails that lead you to children’s gardens and an apple orchard

 John Cabot House: The nonprofit organization, Historic Beverly maintains three beautiful and historically rich houses around the city. The largest of these is the Late Georgian John Cabot House, built in 1781 for the namesake ship owner and businessman, a prominent figure in 18th-century Beverly. For most of the 19th century the John Cabot house served as the main office for the Beverly Bank, the tenth oldest bank in the country. Today the building is the headquarters for Historic Beverly, containing a museum chronicling different aspects of the city’s past, from maritime industries to the witchcraft delusions of the late 17th century and the military. There’s also a room richly decorated in the style of the early 19th century, with hand-carved paneling, a pianoforte, a clock from 1800, a teak chair brought to Beverly from India by a merchant and a pine and mahogany secretary desk.

North Shore Music Theatre: This award-winning theatre in the round in Beverly has wowed audiences with Broadway-quality productions since 1955. The North Shore Music Theatre is one of the best attended in New England, bringing in 250,000 people each year, and garnering lots of recognition, including Elliot Norton Awards, IRNE Awards and the Rosetta LeNoire Award from the Actors’ Equity Association. Under new owners, the 1,500-seat theatre bounced back from a fire and eventual closure in 2009, putting on an annual five-show subscription series and a beloved production of A Christmas Carol. Among the acclaimed shows from recent seasons are Oklahoma!, Hairspray, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors and Kinky Boots.

The Cabot:Passing the Cabot Street Cinema Theatre, you wouldn’t realize the masterpiece that sits behind that relatively unadorned exterior. This movie palace, one of just a few to still show movies, was built by the North Shore’s Ware Brothers in 1920, and can seat 1,450 in its splendid auditorium. The Cabot was run by Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company from the 1970s to 2012, and became a multifaceted performing arts center in 2014. Come for concerts by top recording artists, classical music, live comedy, children’s entertainment and regular movie shows. Parents should look out for the $1 Family Film Series, normally on Wednesdays, with tickets sold at the box office upon entry.

Dane Street Beach: The top public beach in Beverly has been a favored summer escape for well over a century. One of the many advantages of Dane Street Beach is the free public parking, which sets it apart from many beaches on the North Shore. There’s a southeast-facing ribbon of sand, dotted with some impressive outcrops and bathed by calm waters. Lifeguards are on duty throughout the summer months, while you can visit for a walk year round to do some beachcombing. On the foreshore behind is a spacious grassy expanse home to one of Beverly’s most popular play structures for children.