At the back of the parking lot behind the iconic Essex clam shack, Woodman’s, sit a large rock and a modest wooden bench. Often, Donna Roy, who manages events and catering for Woodman’s, peeks out of her nearby office and sees people sitting on the bench, eating takeout clams, and gazing out over the marsh beyond.
“It’s a great place to sit and reflect,” says Roy, who has lived in Essex since she was 11. “I see people there all times of the year.”
That out-of-the-way bench—right next to a popular destination yet somehow still secluded—is just one of the many hidden gems scattered throughout Essex. Beyond Cape Ann, the town is known primarily for its fried clams and abundance of antiques
