The Garrison Inn — Newburyport, Massachusetts

A boutique inn inside an 1809 brick mansion in one of New England’s prettiest seaside towns — ghost stories included.

The short version

• A boutique inn inside an 1809 brick mansion in Newburyport, an hour north of Boston.
• A jewel-box pink tea room and a wonderful made-to-order breakfast.
• A walkable seaside town of bookshops and clapboard houses — with a ghost story or two.

What is it?

The Garrison Inn anchors Brown Square in Newburyport, a walkable coastal town of bookshops, clapboard houses, and good food an hour north of Boston. The building dates to around 1809 and is named for the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. It also has a genuine haunted reputation — room 408 is where the stories cluster.

Why stay here?

For the small, lovely touches as much as the address. There’s a vibrant pink tea room — antique portraits, plush velvet, evening tea poured from English bone china — and breakfast is made to order (the Garrison Eggs Benedict is the one to get), a proper sit-down start rather than a tray of pastries. Add a walkable seaside town and easy North Shore foliage, and it’s a weekend base worth slowing down in.

Good to know

• Where: Brown Square, Newburyport, Massachusetts (about an hour north of Boston).
• Don’t miss: the pink tea room (evening tea) and the made-to-order breakfast.
• Good for: North Shore foliage and a town worth lingering in.
• Price: approachable boutique pricing — a charming-inn rate, not a resort one.