Sights in Salem
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Salem Maritime National Historic Site
The witch phenomena obscures Salem’s true claim to fame: its glory days as a center for clipper-ship trade with China, started by Elias Hasket Derby. The Salem Maritime National Historic Site comprises the customhouse, the wharves and the other buildings along Derby St that are remnants of the shipping industry that once thrived along this stretch of Salem. In all, the site comprises ten different historic locations within a two-block area. Start at the visitors center to pick up a map and to see the informative film To the Farthest Ports of the Rich East. Of the 50 wharves that once lined Salem Harbor, only three remain, the longest of which is Derby Wharf. Visitors ca…
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Tall Ship Friendship
Of the 50 wharves that once lined Salem Harbor, only three remain, the longest of which is Derby Wharf. Visitors can stroll out to the end and peek inside the 1871 lighthouse. The most prominent building along Derby St is the Custom House, where permits and certificates were issued and, of course, taxes paid. Other buildings at the site include warehouses, the scale house, and Elias Hasket Derby’s 1762 home. Stop by at the West India Goods Store, a working store with spices and other items similar to those sold two centuries ago. You can also board the replica of the tall ship Friendship to see how the sailors lived.
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House of the Seven Gables
Salem's most famous house is the House of the Seven Gables, made famous in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel of the same name. As he wrote: ‘Halfway down a by-street of one of our New England towns stands a rusty wooden house, with seven acutely peaked gables facing towards various points of the compass, and a huge clustered chimney in their midst.’ The novel brings to life the gloomy Puritan atmosphere of early New England and its effects on the people’s psyches; the house does the same. The admission fee allows entrance to the site’s four historic buildings, as well as the luxuriant gardens on the waterfront.
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New England Pirate Museum
Relive the adventures of Captains Kidd and Blackbeard at the fun-filled Pirate Museum. The museum includes an artifacts room with authentic pirate treasures, interactions with pirate characters in costume and a walking tour through the port and a visit to a pirate ship. Get a discount if you purchase tickets to the Pirate Museum, the Witch History Museum and the Witch Dungeon Museum together.
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Peabody Essex Museum
The exceptional Peabody Essex Museum reflects Salem's rich maritime history. The museum was founded upon the art, artifacts and curios collected by Salem traders during their early expeditions to the Far East. As the exhibits attest, they had deep pockets and refined taste. In addition to world-class Chinese and Pacific Island displays, the museum boasts a fine Native American collection.
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Stephen Phillips Memorial Trust House
Lovers of old houses should venture to Chestnut St, which is among the most architecturally lovely streets in the country. One of these stately homes is the Stephen Phillips Memorial Trust House, which displays the family furnishings of Salem sea captains, including a collection of antique carriages and cars.
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Yin Yu Tang
Predictably, the Peabody Essex Museum is particularly strong on Asian art, including pieces from China, Japan, Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia. The collection from preindustrial Japan is rated as the best in the world. Yin Yu Tang is a Chinese house that was shipped to the museum from Huizhou province.
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Witch House
Best of Salem's other 'witchy' sites is the Witch House, the home of the magistrate who presided over the trials. To dig deeper, read Arthur Miller's The Crucible, which doubles as a parable to the 1950s anticommunist 'witch hunts' in the US Senate that resulted in Miller's own blacklisting.
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Salem Willows Amusement Park
Less than 2 miles northeast of Salem center is Salem Willows Amusement Park, with beaches, cheap children’s rides and games, and harbor cruises. Admission is free but you pay per attraction.
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Pickering House
Furnished in antiques, Salem’s Pickering House is said to be the oldest house in the USA continuously occupied by the same family.
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Forest River Park
Two miles south of the town center, Forest River Park has two beaches, picnic areas and a saltwater swimming pool.
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