Plum Island, Massachusetts
The best of PI.
Eat, sleep, have a great time...and go home with a souvenir.
Never heard of it? You're not the only one.
Plum Island has to be one of Massachusetts' best kept secrets. Less than an hour north of Boston you will find miles of pristine beaches where you can avoid the crowds and just relax. Great for a day of boating, fishing, bird watching or walking along the shore.
Eat, sleep, have a great time...and go home with a souvenir.
Never heard of it? You're not the only one.
Plum Island has to be one of Massachusetts' best kept secrets. Less than an hour north of Boston you will find miles of pristine beaches where you can avoid the crowds and just relax. Great for a day of boating, fishing, bird watching or walking along the shore.
Take a look
Photos from around Plum Island
The first 9 images 'by cr9245' are mine.
curated content from Flickr
Places to Eat
- Mad Martha's Beach Cafe
- Mad Martha's Beach Cafe has a great funky atmosphere perfect for enjoying gourmet breakfasts and lunches with their signature Portuguese sweet bread. Come in for a Wine Tasting dinner on Fridays or a BYOB dinner on Saturdays, prepared by Brad DeLibero Owner & Chef.
- Plum Island Grille
- A fabulous year round dining destination known for it's sensational food, spirited service, and spectacular views.
- Bob Lobster
- Fish market, lobster pound, and seafood eatery on the way to and from Plum Island. I love their fried scallops and clam chowder. Great lobster rolls too...and there's always room for ice cream.
Places to Stay
- blue, The Inn on the Beach
- Suites and cottages on the dunes of one of the most beautiful beaches on the east coast.
- Plum Island Beach Rentals
- If you are looking for a house to rent this is the place to go. They have places all over the island.
- Barre International Realty
- Thinking of buying your own vacation home? Or want to live on Plum Island year round? This is the website of Newburyport area real estate specialist Jean-Francois Barre.
Things to Do
- Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
- The refuge occupies the southern three-fourths of Plum Island and offers excellent wildlife-oriented recreational and educational opportunities with visitor facilities and programs provided to enhance your experience.
- Sandy Point State Reservation
- Sandy Point is at the very southern tip of Plum Island in Ipswich. The 77-acre park is among the state's most beautiful and popular coastal beaches. This is my favorite spot on PI. As you drive through the gate at the beginning of the refuge let them know you are going all the way to Sandy Point and you won't have to pay for parking.
- Plum Island Lighthouse
- The Newburyport Harbor Light is at the northern tip of Plum Island. You can walk around the grounds all year and they have occasional open houses from May through October. Make sure you wear sneakers if you want to climb to the top. You get a great view of the island from up there!
- Captain's Fishing Parties
- Deep Sea Fishing * Charters * Sightseeing Cruises * Whale Watching * Dinner Cruises
- Plum Island Kayak
- Located in Newburyport. Kayak rentals and guided tours along the Merrimack.
- BoatMA.com
- North shore Tide Charts including Merrimack River Entrance, Newburyport and Plum Island Sound.
- Plum Island Pages
- Plum Island's unofficial website. Or is it official? Either way, there's lots of info and a blog too.
Things to Buy
Plum Island Gifts & Souvenirs
- Plum Island Soap Company
- 100% All natural bath, body and skin care products.
- JCA designs
- JCA designs offers unique, original graphic designs & images on apparel, housewares, gifts and more!
Original * Plum Island * Newburyport * Bermuda * Custom - Plum Island Cookie Company
- The Plum Island Cookie Company specializes in Gourmet French Butter Cookies, hand-made into delicious, delicate sand dollars.
Top 10 Reasons to live on Plum Island
Note:
#2 is just a joke. Please don't hurt the cute little, endangered, Piping Plovers.
They don't have a webpage...
but I can't leave them out.
Plum Crazy: 134 Northern Blvd, NewburyPart convenience store, part restaurant. It's wonderful! The family that owns it is great and the food is excellent. They offer breakfast lunch and dinner...and they have an ice-cream window on the side. :)
(Formerly PJ's)
Jeanne's: 2 Northern Blvd, Newbury
Hamburgers, hotdogs, fried clams, and other good things to eat. Takeout or on the veranda. (This has been closed since the summer of 2007 and I'm not sure when or if it will open again. When I find out I'll post it.)
Mr. Moes Package Store: 14 Plum Island Blvd, Newbury
Beer, wine, video rentals, lottery tickets and more. Buy a PI magnet while you're there ;).
Dick's Variety: 29 Plum Island Blvd, Newbury
Groceries and The New York Sunday Times.
Surfland Bait and Tackle: 28 Plum Island Blvd, Newbury
Rods and reels, lures and bait.
Plum Island Airport: 24 Plum Island Turnpike, Newbury
Not exactly on Plum Island, but they offer scenic air tours over the area.
PITA Hall: Plum Island Boulevard, Newbury
The Plum Island Taxpayers Association Hall is available to rent for special events.
Phone: (978) 463-0670
Plum Island clothing and gifts
JCA designs: Plum Island
All things Plum Island! (Newburyport, Newbury, Rowley, and Ipswich MA.)
If you live on the island or just wish you did, there is something here for you.
If you live on the island or just wish you did, there is something here for you.
PI - Organic Cotton Tee
3 Depictions of Plum Island. Colorful graphic maps of Plum Island from The Basin to Sandy Point.
Price: 24.99 
Plum Island and beyond
JCA designs: Newburyport
PI, Joppa, Newburyport
If you live in town or like to visit, there is something here for you.
If you live in town or like to visit, there is something here for you.
Postcards of Newburyport (Package of 8)
Newburyport Massachusetts. Photographs include Market Square, The Firehouse Theater, Oldies Marketplace, Shirley's Place on Inn Street, and the Maritime Museum
Price: 7.99
What a cute little island it is
From Amazon.com
Merrimack River & Plum Island Sound, MA River Chart
Side A: Plum Island Sound and Ipswich Bay Side B: Merrimack River to Haverhill2 points
Plum Island: The Way It Was by Nancy V. Weare
I scanned my copy of this book and added it to Amazon as a customer image. If you click on the link you will be able to see the cover of this book.1 point
Sea Kayaking Coastal Massachusetts: From Newburyport to Buzzard's Bay by Lisa Gollin Evans
From the rocky shores of Newburyport, to the southern waters of Nantucket Sound, Sea Kayaking Coastal Massachusetts details more than 40 ideal sea kayaking trips.1 point
Weather in Newburyport
From one end...
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byWeather in Ipswich
...to the other.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byGoodies from Plum Island Soap Company
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Which do you enjoy most about PI?
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The Latest PI News
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byVintage Postcards
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byDayTrippers on Plum Island
I found a video podcast. :)
This is a short clip as two people walk along the beach down to Sandy Point. Click on the link labeled DayTrippers001.m4v to download and view.
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For all you Squid fans
Did you know that the 3rd giant squid ever seen on U.S. soil was found on Plum Island in 1980?It's true!
It was 9 ft long and weighed 440 lbs. It's still on display at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.
(Photo by Carla Skinder, Feb. 1980)
SO...what are you waiting for?
Book your flight to Boston ;)
Save up to 70% off published airfares on major Airlines with Airfare.com.
Clicking on image will open up a new page.
Taste of PI
The annual Taste of Plum Island was held Friday, May 15th 2009 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at PITA Hall, 8 Plum Island Blvd., Newbury MA. Food was sampled from more than 25 local restaurants.
All proceeds from the event go to support beach reclamation at Plum Island and the upkeep of PITA Hall.
Restaurants at previous years' Taste of PI
From Newburyport: Alden Merrell, Black Cow, Bluwater Cafe, Buttercream Bakery, Bottega Tuscana, Domino's, Giuseppe's, Gram's Ice Cream, The Grog, Jewel in the Crown, Leary's Fine Wines, Not Your Average Joe's, Park Lunch, Purple Onion, Starboard Galley, Starbucks, Simply Sweet, and Szechuan Taste
From Plum Island: Bob Lobster, Mad Martha's Cafe, and Plum Island Grille
From Newbury: Newbury Butchery
From Salisbury: Angelina's, and Mapow Sushi
All proceeds from the event go to support beach reclamation at Plum Island and the upkeep of PITA Hall.
Restaurants at previous years' Taste of PI
From Newburyport: Alden Merrell, Black Cow, Bluwater Cafe, Buttercream Bakery, Bottega Tuscana, Domino's, Giuseppe's, Gram's Ice Cream, The Grog, Jewel in the Crown, Leary's Fine Wines, Not Your Average Joe's, Park Lunch, Purple Onion, Starboard Galley, Starbucks, Simply Sweet, and Szechuan Taste
From Plum Island: Bob Lobster, Mad Martha's Cafe, and Plum Island Grille
From Newbury: Newbury Butchery
From Salisbury: Angelina's, and Mapow Sushi
Been to PI? Live there? Come and say hi.
:)
submit
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- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Aug 17, 2009 @ 5:54 am | in reply to heipet
- Thank you for submitting this lens to All 50 States.
Plum Island is a wonderful place to bird watch. The park rangers offer free bird watch talks. It is one of my favorite places in the world. Peaceful, quiet and serene most of the year.
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- BRianLee BRianLee Jul 8, 2009 @ 6:20 am
- The best place in MA to vacation, better beaches than the cape and none of the traffic. It has everything you could possibly want in a beach town. I will continue to plunk down my hard-earned cash every year for the privilege of staying there.
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- kiwisoutback kiwisoutback Jun 30, 2009 @ 6:01 pm
- I just linked to this lens on my New England road trip lens. There are actually some Snowy Owls that migrate to Plum Island during the winter just about yearly.
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- flowergardener flowergardener Jun 12, 2009 @ 12:48 pm
- Oh Christene, this is BEAUTIFUL :)
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- Christene Christene Jun 12, 2009 @ 10:42 am | in reply to giltotherescue
- Thanks Gil :)
As soon as I saw the theme I ran to this lens to update it. Ha
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- giltotherescue giltotherescue Jun 12, 2009 @ 10:34 am
- Couldn't think of a better lens for the purple theme. Way to go Christene!
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- heipet heipet Jun 8, 2009 @ 11:13 am
- I have submitted this lens to "All 50 States"!
http://www.squidoo.com/50-states
Don`t forget to vote for it.
heipet - SUMMER Group groupmaster
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- Christene Christene Apr 25, 2009 @ 10:34 am | in reply to Aime
- I've already got it on the lens. ;) It's the first listing under "They don't have a webpage". It's called Plum Crazy now.
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- Aime Aime Apr 25, 2009 @ 8:00 am
- Yup--great place! My family moved there in 1974, and mom still lives there. My kids just spent their April school vacation there--and our street is paved now, so they could ride their bikes! You need to add PJs --- or whatever they are calling it now. A store, mid-island that was a landmark forever, then closed for a few years, recently reopened--renamed, but EVERYONE will call it PJs!
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- Jlyn12 Jlyn12 Feb 16, 2009 @ 11:17 am
- Beautiful lens and photographs with lots of interesting links. Absolutely 5 stars!
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- OhMe OhMe Oct 15, 2008 @ 12:02 am
- Well done. I have never even been to Mass. but have wanted to go to Boston for some time. Maybe I will get to visit Plum Island one day. Thanks for all the great info.
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- homedadsuccess homedadsuccess Aug 25, 2008 @ 3:00 pm
- Great lens. My mom used to have a house right on the beach at the beginning of the main drag. I loved going there, especially being next door to some nuns that were always enjoying a few cocktails! I wish my mom never sold the place!
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- miragana miragana Aug 21, 2008 @ 12:04 am
- I like your lens. It is very informative and I also like the scenery on your lens. Hope you could red and rate my lens.
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- newsgirl newsgirl Jul 30, 2008 @ 2:47 pm
- What a lens this one! I really enjoyed reading everything. I cannot add much to this lens, but at least i can leave you my 5*.
Your experience making lens, make me jealous.
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- beachbum_gabby beachbum_gabby Jul 22, 2008 @ 3:31 am
- very peaceful and along the beach, surely I will love this place. :)
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- cleansweeping cleansweeping Jul 20, 2008 @ 11:24 pm
- Ok, I think I need to mapquest Plum Island from St. Louis! We don't have sunrises like yours! And, I want to eat at Mad Martha's!
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- poddys poddys Jul 14, 2008 @ 8:13 pm
- Looks like a neat place to visit, and a very nice lens. 5*****
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- AbbasAbedi AbbasAbedi Jun 10, 2008 @ 2:23 am
- Seems like an excellent place for a vacation!
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- kiwisoutback kiwisoutback May 8, 2008 @ 12:11 pm
- Plum Island is great, it doesn't get enough credit compared to the Cape(maybe that's a good thing?)
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- sandif sandif Mar 28, 2008 @ 2:12 am
- Finally! I see someone mentioned the book by Nelsen DeMille, my favorite writer!
- Load More
by Christene
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