Sometimes you don’t know how badly you need to get away for a weekend until the Thursday night before and it’s far too late to book a flight. Luckily, we live in one of the most beautiful areas of the country and have plenty of weekend getaways available to us all within an hour’s drive from downtown Amesbury.

Travel with us over to the coast and down to our beloved Beantown as we map out our favorite spots to run to when we’re looking for that last minute getaway.

Portsmouth, NH

Photo Credit: @theunplannedcreative via Twenty20

Our first stop is a quick 30-minute drive up the coast, just over the state line to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We love Portsmouth for it’s bustling downtown area, filled with boutiques stocked with locally made goods, breweries with delicious and locally-brewed beer, and an array of restaurants.

Leave Amesbury on Saturday morning and grab lunch on the water at the iconic BG’s Boat House, before heading into downtown for some shopping. Visit Inside Out for some locally-sourced apparel and gifts, and then take a breather with a beer at Earth Eagle Brewing.

Turn in for the night at The Water Street Inn (or at your Airbnb, if the hotel doesn’t have any vacancies) and get a cozy night sleep.

Plum Island

Photo Credit: Kate Donovan Photography

Plum Island is a beautiful barrier island off the coast of Newburyport that allows visitors a little paradise away from home to play, relax and everything in between. Just 30 minutes by car, a quick visit to Plum Island whisks you away to one of those dreamy old fashioned New England beach towns that can be hard to come by these days.

Book your stay at Blue, a coastal modern inn on Plum Island Beach (if they don’t show availability on their website, give them a call to see if they have any last minute cancellations!)

Rockport

Photo Credit: Kate Donovan Photography

Rockport is one of our favorite North Shore destinations because of its simple old fashioned New England charm. Just 50 minutes away from Amesbury, Rockport is one of those quaint Massachusetts villages that offers whatever kind of experience you’re looking for: a day of shopping, a day of eating fresh lobster, or just walking around hand-in-hand, taking photos in front of quiet harbor vistas and historic homes.

If you can get in, book your stay at Addison Choate, a modern boutique hotel that perfectly reflects the coastal New England charm of Rockport.

Salem

Photo Credit: @VictoriaBaker via Twenty20

Inching a little further down the coast and only 40 minutes from Amesbury is a delightful small town favorite, Salem. Known worldwide for the Salem Witch Trials, we see it as so much more than that (the The Witch House is totally worth checking out though.) Salem has excellent breweries, restaurants and walks – all a worthwhile way to spend a last minute weekend away.

After some shopping downtown, stop in for a beer at the local favorite, Notch Brewery & Taproom and then catch a sunset on the wharf with a cocktail and plate of oysters from Sea Level Oyster Bar.

Boston

Photo Credit: Kate Donovan Photography

And if you’re looking for a more cosmopolitan weekend, drive 46 minutes south of Amesbury, down to Boston.

If you’re visiting in the summer, catch some live music and shopping in Faneuil Hall and then head over to Rowe’s Wharf for dinner on the harbor. Close out the evening with a nightcap at one of the many waterfront bars in Boston’s Seaport district, before heading back to your room at The Omni.