One-Tank Escapes: Plum Island, Mass.

42 miles from Boston to Plum Island, Mass.

Wooden walkways wind through protected dunes, tidal flats, and marshlands on Plum Island, an 11-mile-long barrier island off the northern coast of Massachusetts that sits at the mouth of the Merrimack River.

At the 74-year-old Clam Box, in Ipswich, Mass. (Morgan & Owens) [enlarge photo] INTERACTIVE MAP! Use our detailed map to plan a Plum Island escape. • Launch the map

HIGHLIGHTS A variety of shorebirds make their summer homes at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge (parkerriver.fws.gov). Drive or bike the six-and-a-half-mile road through the park, or walk the wooden, one-and-a-half-mile Hellcat Interpretive Trail. Signs identify some of the 350 species of birds that inhabit the area, such as yellow-capped bobolinks and the bufflehead duck, in addition to plants like the beach plum, from which the island gets its name. Local lobsterman Bob Hartigan is the man behind Bob Lobster (978/465-7100, boblobster.com). Pick up one of his signature lobster rolls and then take a seat at a table overlooking the river to scan the sky for birds. It's BYOB—beer and binoculars.

OVERNIGHT OPTION A number of historic clapboard B&Bs, some dating back to the colonial era, line Newburyport's redbrick lanes; one of the best is the 19th-century Essex Street Inn, which has 37 rooms with cherry four-poster beds (7 Essex St., 978/465-3148, essexstreetinn.com, from $100).

DRIVING TIPS Avoid Interstate 95 in favor of Route 1A, which takes on a vintage New England vibe after making its way through the busy seacoast cities of Revere and Salem.

EN ROUTE Make a seafood stop in Ipswich, 30 miles south of the island, at the Clam Box, known for its building, which resembles a takeout container (978/356-9707).

> This story is excerpted from: 7 Perfect Summer Getaways .