Classic Northeastern Shore Towns (Part Two)

Continue from the Part 1 of Classic Northeastern Shore Towns

Newport, Rhode Island

Larger than most harbor towns, Newport is a haven for recreational sailors. For those not arriving by water, a boat tour of the harbor is a great way to get your feet wet.

Tip: Easton's Beach (also called First Beach) is the beginning of the Cliff Walk, a spectacular 3 1/2-mile path, which runs south along Newport's cliffs to Bailey's Beach. The promenade has views of sumptuous mansions on one side and the rocky coastline on the other.

Edgartown, Massachusetts

Once a well-to-do whaling port, Martha's Vineyard's Edgartown has managed to preserve the elegance of that wealthy era. Lining the streets are 18th- and 19th- century sea captains' houses, many painted white with black shutters, set among well-manicured gardens and lawns.

Tip: While Edgartown's South Beach reigns as the town's most popular sandy strip, sunbathers in search of a little peace and quiet should head to Little Beach. From here you can look across and see the lighthouse at Cape Poge, at the northern tip of Chappaquiddick.

Nantucket Town, Massachusetts

The center of island activity, just as it has been since the early 1700s, Nantucket Town on the island of Nantucket consists of only a few square blocks of mostly historical buildings, lovingly restored inns, and boutiques and galleries leading up from the pretty harbor and waterfront, where the ferries dock.

Tip: The Steamship Authority runs car-and-passenger ferries to Nantucket year-round. The trip takes just over 2 hours. If you plan to bring a car in the summer or weekends in the fall, you must have a reservation. Book as far ahead as possible.

Provincetown, Massachusetts

Cape Cod's smallest town, Provincetown is a place of liberating creativity and substantial diversity. In the busy downtown, Portuguese-American fishermen mix with painters, poets, writers, whale-watching families, and gay and lesbian residents and visitors.

Tip: Race Point Beach, one of the Cape Cod National Seashore beaches in Provincetown, has a wide swath of sand stretching far off into the distance around the point and Coast Guard station. Because of its position on a point facing north, the beach gets sun all day long, whereas the east coast beaches get fullest sun early in the day.

Camden, Maine

More than any other town along the Penobscot Bay, Camden is the perfect picture-postcard of a Maine coastal village. Exposed as such, the tiny town is uber-popular---don't expect to be savoring that lobster roll down by the harbor solo.

Tip: One of the town's biggest and most colorful annual events, Windjammer Weekend is the single largest gathering of windjammer ships in the world.

Information:fodors.com