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Salem City Hall - Greek Revival Architecture, constructed in 1838 by architect Richard Bond (1797-1861) and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Salem is a city in Massachusetts, New England. The city is well worth a day-trip from Boston, or even a trip in its own right, to see what basically amounts to a three-dimensional textbook of American architectural history.

Understand

Salem is best known for the "Salem Witch trials" even though the hysteria really started in what is now Danvers. Police cars are adorned with witch logos, a local public school is known as the Witchcraft Heights Elementary School, the Salem High School athletic teams are named the Witches; and Gallows Hill, a site of numerous public hangings, is currently used as a playing field for various sports. Tourists know Salem as a mix of important historical sites, New Age and Wiccan boutiques, kitschy Halloween, witch-themed attractions and a vibrant downtown that a large number of restaurants, cafes and coffee shops. The 15th Annual Retailers Association of Massachusetts awarded Salem as the best place to shop in 2012.

Home to Salem State University, the Salem Willows Park and the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem is a residential and tourist area which includes the neighborhoods of Salem Neck, The Point, South Salem and North Salem, Witchcraft Heights, Pickering Wharf, and the McIntire Historic District (named after Salem's famous architect and carver, Samuel McIntire who connected many of the homes he had built to the smuggling tunnels in the city). Salem was one of the most significant seaports in early America and during the American Revolution, Salem became a center for privateering. Although the documentation is incomplete, about 1,700 Letters of Marque, issued on a per-voyage basis, were granted during the American Revolution. Nearly 800 vessels were commissioned as privateers and are credited with capturing or destroying about 600 British ships. By 1790, Salem had become the sixth largest city in the country, and a world-famous seaport—particularly in the China Trade, along with exporting codfish to Europe and the West Indies, importing sugar and molasses from the West Indies, tea from China, and products depicted on the city seal from the East Indies – in particular Sumatran pepper. Salem ships also visited Africa – Zanzibar in particular, Russia, Japan, and Australia. The Old China Trade left a significant mark in two historic districts, Chestnut Street District, part of the Samuel McIntire Historic District containing 407 buildings, and the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, consisting of 12 historic structures and about 9 acres (36,000 m2) of land along the waterfront in Salem. Elias Hasket Derby was among the wealthiest and most celebrated of post-Revolutionary merchants in Salem, and owner of the Grand Turk, the first New England vessel to trade directly with China.

In 1637 the first muster was held on Salem Common, where for the first time a regiment of militia drilled for the common defense of a multi-community area, thus laying the foundation for what became the Army National Guard. President Barack Obama signed into law on the 10th of January 2013 executive order HR1339 "which designates the City of Salem, Mass., as the birthplace of the U.S. National Guard." Each April, the Second Corps of Cadets gather in front of Saint. Peter's Episcopal Church, where their founder, Stephen Abbott, is buried. They lay a wreath, play "Taps" and fire a 21-gun salute. In another annual commemoration, soldiers gather at Old Salem Armory to honor soldiers who were killed in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. On April 14, 2012, Salem celebrated the 375th anniversary of the first muster on Salem Common with more than 1,000 troops taking part in ceremonies and a parade.

Get in

By plane

Logan International Airport, +1-800-23-LOGAN (56426), [1] (BOS IATA) in Boston. Take the subway to the train (see below).

By train

By boat

  • The Salem Ferry, Blaney Street, Phone +1 978-741-0220, [2]. High-speed catamaran between Salem and Central Wharf, Boston at the New England Aquarium. 45 minutes. Easy walk to ferries to Boston Harbor Islands, Hull, Hingham and Quincy or to MBTA subway. The Nathaniel Bowditch, a 92-foot catamaran with a top speed of 30 knots which makes the trip between Salem and Boston in just under an hour.
The Salem Ferry approaching its dock off Blaney Street

Get around

By foot

Salem is a small town with most tourist attractions within a stretch that is roughly a twenty-five minute walk across.

By bike

  • Salem bike sharing program called Salem Spins, that offers bicycles, free of charge, for use around the city. Split between two hubs, at Salem State University and downtown, near the Hawthorne Hotel. Fees are charged to a participant's credit card only if they return the bike late or damaged.

By taxi

By car

Salem has eight stations to charge your electric car. Four are located at the Museum Place Mall near the Peabody Essex Museum and the other four are in the South Harbor garage across the street from the Salem Waterfront Hotel. The no cost will be for two years starting in January of 2013 and the program will allow for six hour of charging.

See

Attractions & museums

  • Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery, 285 Derby St, ☏ +1 978-740-0500. Salem's Only Monster Museum Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery & world famous haunted house every October 
  • Witch History Museum, 197-201 Essex St (on the Pedestrian Mall and Heritage Trail), ☏ +1-978-741-7770, . 10AM-5PM with extended hours in October. The Salem Witch Museum is dedicated to the Salem Witch Trials, which took place in New England in the 1600s, and inspired the play The Crucible. While some people may disregard these witches as nothing more than falsely accused people, the town has been permanently marked by the witch trials, and it has become a large part of the town's history. Can get $5 off tickets when you buy with New England Pirate Museum and Witch Dungeon Museum. Adults $8, Children 4-13yr $6, Seniors $7. 
  • Witches Cottage, 7 Lynde St (Griffen Theatre), ☏ +1 978-825-0222. 
  • Salem Museum & Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, ☏ +1 978-744-0007. Attractions & Museums, Gift Shops 
  • Salem Toy Museum, 1 East India Square Mall, ☏ +1 978-473-2988. 
  • Salem Wax Museum, 288 Derby St, ☏ +1 978-740-2929. 
  • Salem Witch Museum, 19 1/2 Washington Square North, ☏ +1 978-744-1692. 
  • National Park Service Visitor Center, 2 New Liberty St, ☏ +1 978-740-1650. National Park Service rangers and volunteers will welcome you to the city and to the Heritage Area, and can help you plan your visit. There are two free movies about New England and a small museum that is also free of charge 
  • Salem Maritime National Historic Site Orientation Center, 193 Derby St, ☏ +1 978-740-1650. You can see a free film that tells the story of New England orientation film, To the Farthest Ports of the Rich East, and for children you can pick up a Junior Ranger program. This is also the ticket office for the Friendship, a 171-foot replica of the 1797 East Indiaman, built in the Scarano Brothers Shipyard in Albany, New York, in 2000. The original was taken by the British in the war of 1812. 
  • New England Pirate Museum, 274 Derby St, ☏ +1 978-741-2800. 
The Peabody Essex Museum
  • Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St. The Peabody Essex Museum is a leading museum of Asian art and culture and early American maritime trade and whaling; its collections of Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese art, and in particular Chinese export porcelain, are among the finest in the country. Founded in 1799, it is the oldest continuously operating museum in the United States. The museum owns and exhibits a number of historic houses in downtown Salem. In 2003, it completed a massive $100 million dollar renovation and expansion, designed by architect Moshe Safdie, and moved a 200-year-old 16-room Chinese home from Xiuning County in southeastern China to the grounds of the museum. Adults $15, Seniors $13, Students $11 Youth (16 and under) and Salem, Mass. residents admitted free; $5 plus the basic admission price for the 200 year old Yin Yu Tang 200-year-old Chinese merchant's house. 
  • Witch Dungeon Museum, 16 Lynde St, ☏ +1 978 741-3570, . 10AM-5PM with extended hours in October. Has witch trial reenactments. Can get $5 off tickets when you buy with New England Pirate Museum and Witch History Museum. Adults $8, Children 4-13yr $6, Seniors $7. 
  • New England Pirate Museum, 274 Derby St, ☏ +1-978-741-2800, . 10AM-5PM with extended hours in October. The museum includes a walking tour that consists an artifacts room, a recreation of life down by the docks where the pirates did their recruiting, and reenactments and representations of such famous pirates as Sam Bellamy, Captain Kidd, and Blackbeard. Can get $5 off tickets when you buy with Witch Dungeon Museum and Witch History Museum. Adults $8, Children 4-13yr $6, Seniors $7. 
  • Salem Smugglers' Tour, 35 Derby Square (Meet on the steps of Old Town Hall facing Front Street.), ☏ +1 978-578-9238, . 4PM and 8PM Thursday through Monday. We are the Salem Smugglers' Tour which is an above ground tour tracing the route of the smuggling tunnels in town engineered by the son of America's first millionaire and first National Guard Unit for a series of politicians who shaped our country to avoid paying taxes in 1801. As we take you through town we show you images of the tunnels on a tablet and tell you the history of the tunnels which is full of murder, ghosts, pirates, conspiracy theories, sex, political intrigue, and lots of humor. It is a hour and a half tour. The tour is based on the book Salem Secret Underground:The History of the Tunnels in the City. $15. 

Historic homes

Located in the Samuel McIntyre Historic District - 34 Chestnut Street by Samuel McIntire (1800)
9 Chestnut Street in the Samuel McIntyre Historic District by Samuel McIntire (1805)
Located on one of the most historic streets in America at 80 Federal Street in the Samuel McIntyre Historic District (1782)
  • House of the Seven Gables, 115 Derby St, ☏ +1 978 744-0991, fax: +1 978 741-4350, . One of the oldest surviving 17th century wooden mansions in New England. Made famous by the Nathaniel Hawthorne story. 
  • Salem Witch Museum, Washington Square North, ☏ +1 978 744-1692. Daily 10AM-5PM (Until 7PM July, August). The museum includes a narrative on the history of the trials in 1692 and also an exhibit on witchcraft through the ages. $6.50, under 14 $4.50. 
  • Historic New England's Phillips House, 34 Chestnut St, ☏ +1 978-744-0440. Attractions & Museums, Functions & Meeting Space, Gift Shops 
  • House of the Seven Gables, 54 Turner St, ☏ +1 978-744-0991. Attractions & Museums, Government 
  • Salem Willows Amusement Park, 167 Fort Ave (off of route 114), ☏ +1 978-745-0251. 11AM-Hours subject to change due to weather. 
  • The Gedney House, 21 High St. is a historic house museum built circa 1665 and is the 2nd oldest house in Salem. 
  • Hamilton Hall, 9 Chestnut St. Hamilton Hall is located on Chestnut Street, where many grand mansions can be traced to the roots of the Old China Trade. Hamilton Hall was built in 1805 by Samuel McIntire and is considered one of his best pieces. It was declared a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 1970. 
  • The Witch House, 310 Essex St. The Witch House (also called the Jonathan Corwin House), was the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin and is the only structure still standing in Salem, Massachusetts with direct ties to the Salem witch trials of 1692. The house was bought by Judge Corwin in 1675, when he was 24 years old, and he lived there for more than forty years. Corwin is buried in the nearby Broad Street Cemetery. The house remained in the Corwin family until the mid-19th century. The Witch House is located at 310 Essex Street, at the cross streets of North & Summer in the Chestnut Street District of Salem. The house is now a museum operated by the City of Salem, and is open seasonally. As a local magistrate and civic leader, Corwin was called upon to investigate the claims of diabolical activity when a surge of witchcraft accusations arose in Salem and neighboring communities. He took the place of Judge Nathaniel Saltonstall, who resigned after the execution of Bridget Bishop. Corwin served on the Court of Oyer and Terminer, which ultimately sent nineteen to the gallows. All nineteen refused to admit to witchcraft and maintained their innocence. The house is an excellent example of 17th-century architecture, but historians have not come to a conclusion as to precisely when it was built. Jonathan Corwin's descendants claim the house was built in 1642. Some Victorian scholars alleged that the house was built between 1620–1630, and that Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island resided in the house in the 1630s. However most historians now believe the house was built in the 1660s or 1670s. Despite rumors to the contrary, no interrogations or trials were ever conducted in the Witch House. There are no documents in which an accused is demanded to be brought to Judge Corwin's home, nor is it likely the judge would have used his own home as a place to conduct legal proceedings of this nature. Interrogations were done at either the Old Meetinghouse or Ingersall's Tavern. The house was moved about 35 feet (11 m) to its current location in the 1940s when the adjacent street was widened. At this time the house was restored to look as it would have in the 17th Century and the gambrel roof was altered. 
  • Pickering House, 18 Broad St. The oldest continuously lived-in house (by the same family) in Salem 
  • Salem Witch Village, 282 Derby St, ☏ +1 978-740-9229. Attractions & Museums, Gift Shops 
  • Witch Dungeon Museum, 16 Lynde St, ☏ +1 978-741-3570. Attractions & Museums, Gift Shops 
  • Witch History Museum, 197-201 Essex St, ☏ +1 978-741-7770. Arts & Entertainment, Attractions & Museums 
  • Salem Visitor Center, 2 New Liberty St, ☏ +1 978 740-1650. Daily 9AM-5PM. Film on the history of Essex county. Rest rooms. Free walking maps, and other historical information. A good place to start. 
  • Salem Maritime National Historic Site, 193 Derby St, ☏ +1 978 740-1660. Daily 9AM-5PM. Salem's maritime and Commercial history should also be sure to take in the operated by the National Park Service, which features tours of the historic custom house (1819), two colonial residences (dating to 1672 and 1761), and a full-scale replica of the 1805 ship the "Friendship." 
  • Architecture. Salem, one of the largest towns in the British American colonies, was the sixth largest city in the United States in 1790 and the richest per capita due mostly to its early involvement in post-Revolution international maritime commerce, especially with India and the Far East. Due to this rich history, and Salem's subsequent decline from its post-Revolutionary pre-eminence, the city is a treasure trove of post-medieval, Georgian, Federal, Greek-Revival, and Victorian architecture (the French Second Empire Style in Particular). There are many historic districts in Salem, the largest is the The Chestnut Street District, a historic district bounded roughly by Broad, Flint, Federal, and Summer Streets in Salem, Massachusetts, also known as the McIntyre Historic District that was created in 1981 and containing 407 buildings and is the city's largest district. This historic district is named after Samuel McIntire. Samuel McIntire had a house and workshop that was located 31 Summer Street, at the intersection of Chestnut Street where many grand mansions designed by McIntire and others display the profits of the Old China Trade. A short 10 minute walk from the Chestnut Street District, the Salem Maritime National Historic Site consists of 12 historic structures and about 9 acres (36,000 m2) of land along the waterfront in Salem, Massachusetts. Other historic districts that are nearby are the Federal Street District, Salem Willows Historic District, Downtown Salem District, Charter Street Historic District, Crombie Street District, Derby Waterfront District, Bridge Street Neck Historic District, Essex Institute Historic District, Old Town Hall Historic District and the Salem Common Historic District. Those planning a trip to Salem to see architecture should consider consulting Architecture in Salem by Tolles and Tolles.

Do

  • Salem Harborwalk. Extends from the area of the Salem Fire Station to the Salem Waterfront Hotel. 
  • Misery Islands. A nature reserve that was established in 1935 and located in Salem Sound and is managed by the Trustees of Reservations. The islands' name come from shipbuilder Robert Moulton who was stranded on the islands during a winter storm in the 1620s. The island, in the past, has been home to a club with a golf course and subsequently about two dozen cottages. The island is now uninhabited. 
  • Pioneer Village. Created in 1930, was America's first living-history museum and now features a three-acre re-creation of a Puritan village and allows visitors the opportunity to participate in activities from the lives of Salem's earliest English settlers. 
  • Winter Island. Park and historic point of the U.S. Coast Guard in WW2 for U-boat patrol 
  • Salem Athenaeum, 337 Essex St. The oldest private library organizations in the United States. The Athenaeum is located at in Salem, Massachusetts in the Chestnut Street District. The Salem Athenaeum was founded in 1810 by the merger of two antecedent organizations: the Social Library, founded in 1760, and the Salem Philosophical Library, founded in 1781. The first president was Edward Augustus Holyoke. The Athenaeum's first permanent building was constructed in the 1850s with a large bequest from Caroline Plummer. In 1905 the Athenaeum sold that building, known as Plummer Hall, to the Essex Institute (now the Peabody Essex Museum), and with the proceeds constructed the building it currently occupies, at 337 Essex Street, which was dedicated in 1907 and the collections include over 50,000 volumes on diverse topics. 
  • Old Salem Jail, 50 Saint Peter St. An active correctional facility until 1991, once housed captured British soldiers from the War of 1812. It contains the main jail building (built in 1813, renovated in 1884), the jail keeper's house (1813) and a barn (also about 1813). The jail was closed to prisoners in 1991 when Essex County opened its new facility in Middleton. One feature of the reconstruction is the jail keeper's house, a three-story brick, Federal-period building originally built in 1813. The project went into a long phase of stagnation when in 1999 the county government was dissolved, resulting in the sale of Salem Jail by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to the City of Salem for . The Old Salem Jail complex was renamed and is now private property, with private residences. 
  • Salem Willows. An oceanfront neighborhood and amusement park. It is named for the European white willow trees planted there in 1801 to form a shaded walk for patients convalescing at a nearby smallpox hospital. The area became a public park in 1858, and in the twentieth century became a summer destination for residents of Boston's North Shore, many of whom escaped the heat of the city on newly popular streetcars. The beaches are also a common place to watch the 4th of July fireworks since you can see three sets of fireworks; Salem, Beverly, and Marblehead. The Willows also has a famous popcorn stand, Hobbs, which is known around the North Shore as one of the best places to get popcorn or and ice cream. 

Salem Waterfront at the National Historic Site

The Friendship of Salem docked on the Salem Waterfront at the National Historic Site

On March 17, 1938, the Salem Maritime National Historic Site became the first national historic site in the National Park System and consists of 9 acres of land, 12 historic buildings, and a visitor center along the Salem waterfront. The Salem Maritime National Historic Site, a vital cog in the wheel of the infamous Atlantic triangular trade between Europe, the west coast of Africa and the Caribbean during the colonial period; the role of privateering during the Revolutionary War; and international maritime trade, especially with the Far East, which established American economic independence after the Revolution.

The Custom House in Salem
  • Friendship of Salem. A 171-foot replica of the 1797 East Indiaman, built in the Scarano Brothers Shipyard in Albany, New York, in 2000. The ship usually functions as a stationary museum during most of the year, however the ship is a fully functioning United States Coast Guard certified vessel capable of passenger and crew voyages, and will set sail during various times of the year. The first American National Historic Site is run by the National Park Service and is the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, this is where the Friendship of Salem is docked. The original was a three-masted East Indiaman trading ship, originally built in 1797, which travelled the world over a dozen times and returned to Salem after each voyage with goods from all over the world. The original was taken by the British during the War of 1812, then stripped and sold in pieces. 

A short boat ride from the Salem Maritime National Historic Site are the Misery Islands, a nature reserve in Salem Sound, which was established in 1935 and is managed by the Trustees of Reservations. The islands' name come from shipbuilder Robert Moulton who was stranded on the islands during a winter storm in the 1620s. The island, in the past, has been home to a club with a golf course and subsequently about two dozen cottages. The island is now uninhabited. A short walk from the Salem Maritime National Historic Site are the Chestnut Street District, Federal Street District, Downtown Salem District, Bridge Street Neck Historic District, Charter Street Historic District, Crombie Street District, Derby Waterfront District, Essex Institute Historic District, Salem Willows Historic District, Old Town Hall Historic District & the Salem Common Historic District. A short distance from the Salem Maritime National Historic Site is Winter Island, an extension of Salem Neck which juts out into Salem Harbor.

  • The original Fame was a fast Chebacco fishing schooner that was reborn as a privateer when war broke out in the summer of 1812. She was arguably the first American privateer to bring home a prize, and she made 20 more captures before being wrecked in the Bay of Fundy in 1814. The new Fame is a full-scale replica of this famous schooner. Framed and planked of white oak and trunnel-fastened in the traditional manner, the replica of Fame was launched in 2003. She is now based at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site at Pickering Wharf Marina, where she takes the paying public for cruises on historic Salem Sound.
  • Nathaniel Bowditch. A 92ft high-speed catamaran that travels from Salem to Boston in 50 minutes from May to October and had its maiden voyage on June 22, 2006. The Salem Ferry is named after Nathaniel Bowditch, who was from Salem and wrote the American Practical Navigator. Ridership increased every year from 2006 to 2010, when it peaked with 89,000, but in 2011 service was cut back because of the dramatic rise in fuel prices. 
Salem - 1820

Buy

There are several boutiques in the downtown area that cater to the occult, including the Magic Parlour, The Broom Closet, and Crow Haven Corner--the last of which was originally opened by Laurie Cabot, the first public Witch in Salem and author of numerous occult books. She no longer owns the store, but operates another on nearby Pickering Wharf called the Cat, Crow and Crown.

  • Bewitched in Salem, 180 Essex St, ☏ +1 978-744-9904. 
  • A Beautiful Corset, 10 Derby Square (Off Front Street), ☏ +1 978-740-2922. Authentic steel-boned Vollers corsets. Custom and stock for all sizes. Private fittings by appointment. 
  • Crow Haven Corner, 125 Essex St, ☏ +1 978 745-8763. The first Salem Witch store in town. - Salem's first witch shop is home to Lorelei and her staff of talented witches and psychics offering readings using tarot, palmistry and mediumship. Classes also available. - Nightly Witch Walk Tours every October. 
  • Derby Square Book Store, 215 Essex St, ☏ +1 978 745-8804. A beautiful old style bookstore, with nearly wall to ceiling high piles of books. Try not to knock anything over when maneuvering around the small shop. There are stacks upon stacks of books, some of which seem so old that you definitely cannot find them at your local Barns and Nobel. It is run by an elderly man who seems to have a knack for finding the correct book despite the disorder. The store constantly has 50% off sale off of the price of every book inside. Definitely a good find for the avid reader! 
  • Flirt, 63A Wharf St, ☏ +1 978-219-4127. Flirt Boutique is a new + resale store specializing in one-of-a-kind clothing and accessories. Additionally, FLIRT carries handbags, vintage + new jewelry pieces, as well as new scarves, hats, gloves, scarves and sunglasses. 
  • Magic Parlor, 213 Essex St, ☏ +1 978-740-3866. Books on magic, paranormal, spirits, psychic readings, costume wigs, masks, makeup, gadgets, jokes, gags, bumper stickers, funny stuff and even some very nice jewelry and figurines. 
  • Magika, 63R Wharf St, ☏ +1 978-741-9297, +1 978-740-9297. Lori Bruno is a psychic medium & Tarot reader with 50+ years experience. Featured on National Geographic and in The Wall Street Journal. Readings in person, phone & private events. Classes are also offered. 
  • Glass and Etc., ☏ +1 978 745-1900. Local area vintage and antique items and postcards, Salem witch spoons, Parker Brothers games, Wedgwood Jasperware and Fenton Glass 
  • Hex: Old World Witchery, 246 Essex St, ☏ +1 978 666-0765. Authentic Witchcraft for everyone from curious visitors to experienced practitioners, including candles, incense, jewelry, Voodoo dolls, potions, broomsticks, and spell kits 
  • J. Mode, 17 Front St, ☏ +1 978-744-7007. Contemporary clothing boutique. Brands include: Vince, Trina, Turk, Nicole Miller, Three Dot, Velvet, Joe Jeans, and XCVI. Testament. 
  • Nu Aeon (Home of White Light Pentacles & The Cosmic Connection), 88 Wharf St, ☏ +1 978 744-8668. A safe, welcoming, light-filled boutique & occult haven dedicated to the Holy Arts of Magick & the Craft of the Wise. Supplies, presentations, special events, readings and wholesale. 
  • Pamplemousse, 185 Essex St, ☏ +1 978 745-2900. European-inspired boutique featuring fine wines, craft beer, kitchen gadgets, gourmet food and gifts. Specialty gift baskets available. Free tastings every Saturday from 2 -4PM. 
  • Peabody Essex Museum Gift Shop, 161 Essex St, ☏ +1 978-745-9500 x1623. 
  • Penelope's Pet Boutique, 99 Washington St, ☏ +1 978-745-0566. Pet boutique with natural bakery treats, pet clothing, The Salem Collar, leashes, carriers, ID tags, and cookies. 
  • Pickering Wharf. A quaint harborside village featuring a variety of shops, boutiques and restaurants, Salem Waterfront Hotel & Pickering Wharf Marina. 
  • Treasures Over Time, 139 Washington St. Jewelry, Skagen watches, crystals and minerals, vintage gold and silver coins. 
  • The Picklepot, 75 Wharf St (Pickering Wharf), ☏ +1 978 744-6678, . Tu-W 10AM-6PM, Th-Sa 10AM-8PM, Su Noon-5PM, closed Monday. A contemporary arts and crafts gallery selling handcrafted "functional art" (Plates that are designed by local artists but will stand up to being used.) The store represents more than 50 New England artists, in a range of mediums and materials. 
  • Roost, 40 Front St, ☏ +1 978-744-4663. Home accessories, books, bath & body, jewelry, baby, cards, and gifts. 
  • Rouge Cosmetics, 322 Derby St, ☏ +1 978 740-1044. Beauty products and makeup applications. NARS, Stila, Bare Minerals, Darphin, Caudalie, Mario Badescu and Bumble and Bumble. 
  • Salem Wax Museum and Salem Witch Village, 282-288 Derby St, ☏ +1 978-740-2929. Salem Souvenir Factory. Maritime gifts, New England confectioneries and books and a variety of T-shirts. Create your own wax hand and try a free gravestone rubbing. Pagan & Wiccan supplies and gifts. 
  • Salemdipity, 86 Wharf St, ☏ +1 978 745-5556. Salem tees, sweats & souvenirs. Halloween collectibles, witch hats, books on Salem’s history & modern day witchcraft, Salem charms & pentacles, Amy Brown fairy figures, prints, & notecards. 
  • Two Girls Shop, 320 Derby St. Women's apparel and accessories including dresses, jeans,sweaters, hats, scarves, eclectic jewelry, bats, wallets, candles, perfumes and local made honey. 
  • Linda, The Crystal Lady, ☏ +1 978 744-4158. Spiritual Psychic Readings. Linda is a licensed psychic who gives intuitive consultations from her Victorian home. You can call her and book a date and time, or catch her home for an immediate walk-in session. And in the Season of the Witch, October in Salem, you will find Linda Reading at the Witches Faire in the Essex Street Mall almost every day & night. Walk-ins welcomed. 
  • Harbor Sweets, 85 Leavitt St, ☏ +1 978-745-7648. Enjoy a free sample when you visit the Factory and Shop. Watch chocolates being handmade. New England Gift Chocolates. 
  • Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie, 122 Derby St., toll-free: +1-866-393-6533, fax: +1 978-744-1201, . Visit the oldest candy company in America. Established in 1806. 

Eat

Restaurants

  • A&J King Artisan Bakers, 48 Central St., ☏ +1 978 744-4881. Winner of the Best of Boston, Boston Magazine 2009 & 2012. Serves fresh breads & pastry, coffee & tea in a traditional cafe setting. 
  • Adriatic Restaurant and Bar, 155 Washington St., ☏ +1 978 594-183. 
  • 62 Restaurant and Wine Bar, 62 Wharf St., ☏ +1 978 744-0062. Modern Italian cuisine. Their chef, Antonio Bettancourt, is known for sourcing local ingredients and using seasonal menu. Excellent wine, beer, and cocktail menu as well. 
  • Bella Verona, 107 Essex St., ☏ +1 978 825-9911. Opened in 1996 and serving Italian food. 
  • Bill & Bob's Roast Beef, 9 Bridge St, ☏ +1 978 744-9835. 
  • Boston Hot Dog Co., 60 Washington St., ☏ +1 978 744-2320. 
  • Brodie's Pub, 215 Derby 76 St.. Fantastic food, 25 years in business by the Votto family. Beer and wine, too. 
  • Cafe Polonia, 118 Washington St., ☏ +1 978 745-0045. 
  • Caffe Graziani, 133 Washington St., ☏ +1 978 741-4282. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Italian and American food. 
  • Cafe Kushco, 128 Washington St., ☏ +1 978 745-6996. 
  • Capt’s Waterfront Grill & Club, 94 Wharf St, ☏ +1 978 741-0555. 
  • Cilantro, 282 Derby St., ☏ +1 978 745-9436. Fusion cuisine. 
  • Coffee Time Bake Shop, 96 Bridge St, ☏ +1 978 744-0995. 
  • Dube's - Fried clams, 317 Jefferson Ave, ☏ +1 978 744-9531. 
  • Engine House Pizza, 71 Lafayette St., ☏ +1 978 745-1744. Engine House Restaurant was established in 1979. Flat screen televisions, booths, high top tables and some fresh coats of paint since its purchase by an employee and his wife in 2004. Serving pizza, subs, pasta, Italian, and American food. 
  • Flying Saucer Pizza Company, 118 Washington St., ☏ +1 978 594-8189. Pizzas and craft beers, with a classic sci-fi movie and tv show theme. 
  • Fountain Place, 232 Essex St., ☏ +1 978 744-9572. 
  • Finz Seafood & Grill, 76 Wharf St., ☏ +1 978 744-8485. 
  • Front Street Coffee House, 20 Front St., ☏ +1 978 740-6697. 7AM daily. Serving bagels, coffee & tea. Fresh soups like fish chowder, chicken noodle or clam chowda & Italian wedding, and sandwich specials like turkey avocado chipotle spread tomato lettuce bacon on a wheat wrap or grilled turkey, avocado, tomato, baby spinach, cheddar cheese and mayo and sometimes a black eyed pea with smoked ham or grilled chicken corn chowda, chipotle spread with turkey cheddar lettuce tomato bacon in a wheat wrap. On cold days, hot pear apple ginger juice. Butternut squash and apple. Scali bread grilled with black beans, roasted red peppers, red onions, tomato, dill havarti cheese, baby spinach and a garlic cracked peppercorn dressing. Other soups of the day are White chicken chili with cilantro. Thai chicken soup with red curry or veg beef barley & cream of broccoli. Every month there are new art exhibits & live music some evenings. 
  • Great Escape, 50 St. Peter 76 St., ☏ +1 978 745-5022. 
  • Grapevine Restaurant, 26 Congress St., ☏ +1 978 745-9335. 
  • Gulu-Gulu Café, 247 Essex St., ☏ +1 978 740-8882. A European-style café that features live music and local art. 
  • Howling Wolf Taqueria, 76 Lafayette St., ☏ +1 978 744-9653. California-style taqueria featuring cuisine inspired by the Southwest. What started as a simple take-out taco joint evolved into much more, as Owners Patrick Schultz and Matthew Gaughan brought in a chef from Guadalajara, and decked out the dining room with wood floors, a fun bar, and colorful artwork. 
  • Lakay Island Restaurant, 168 Essex St, ☏ +1 978 744-2308. 
  • Maria's Place, 10 Jefferson Ave., ☏ +1 978 744-1817. 
  • Medusa's Cafe, 122 Washington St, ☏ +1 978 741-4269. Serving delicious French toast, waffles & pancakes with coffee & tea for breakfast every day (fresh pastry). Traditional New England Lunch served every day from 7AM to 3PM 
  • Nathaniel's at the Hawthorne Hotel (Inside the Hawthorne Hotel on the Common), ☏ +1 978 744-4080. Traditional New England. Also has a tavern. 
  • New England Soup Factory, 140 Washington St, ☏ +1 978 744-0444. 
  • Old Spot, 121 Essex St, ☏ +1 978 745-5656. 
  • Passage to India, 157 Washington St, ☏ +1 978 832-2200. 
  • Polonus European Deli, 176 Essex St, ☏ +1 978 740-3203. 
  • Red Lulu Cocina & Tequila Bar, 94 Lafayette St.. 
  • Reds Sandwich Shop, 15 Central St., ☏ +1 978 745-3527. M-Sa 5AM-3PM; Su 6AM-1PM. Most popular in downtown for breakfast. 
  • Regatta Pub, 225 Derby St. (Inside the Waterfront Hotel). Has a very expensive, yet comfortable feel to it. However, the menu does not have very expensive items at all. You can buy anything from a regular burger, to a whole cooked chicken or a steak. They have a very extensive drink menu, as they are a pub. 
  • Salem House of Pizza, 23 Endicott St, ☏ +1 978 744-0017. Open every day. Fresh pizza, gigantic subs - salads & soda. 
  • Tavern on the Square (189 Washington St.), ☏ +1 978 740-2337. Over 30 flat screen t.v.'s - gigantic sports bar in downtown - open very late - full bar & huge patio - big for sports 
  • Turner’s Seafood at Lyceum Hall (43 Church St.), ☏ +1 978 745-7665. Classic New England seafood dining, a lively oyster bar and Salem's first, fresh, locally-sourced seafood market. In the historic Lyceum Hall downtown. 
  • Thai Place Restaurant, 2 E India Square Mall, ☏ +1 978 741-9086. 
  • Victoria Station, Pickering Wharf (Salem Harbor), ☏ +1 978 745-3400. Offers great steaks, seafood, and salad. 
  • Witch's Brew Cafe, 156 Derby St, ☏ +1 978 745-8717. 

Desserts & Chocolate

  • Harbor Sweets, 85 Leavitt St.. Handmade chocolates & candies from sweet sloops to delicious handmade gourmet truffles. Valentine gifts, sugar-free chocolates, wedding, party favors & chocolates in bulk 
  • Maria's Sweet somethings, 26 Front St. (Next to Old Town Hall), ☏ +1 978-825-9111. Open every day at 10AM. 32 Flavors of Richardson's Premium Ice Cream, real fruit frozen Smoothies. Variety of truffles, fine chocolates and candies. Indoor and outdoor seating (weather permitting) 


Markets

Drink

  • Front Street Coffee House, 20 Front St., ☏ +1 978 740-6697. Every month there are new art exhibits & live acoustic music. 
  • Lobster Shanty (On Front Street/Artists Row). 
  • Murphy's, 300 Derby St (off of route 1A), ☏ +1 978-744-8889. Loud atmosphere with dancing, this is the place to be. There is also an outdoor patio area that is great to sit down and take a break from all the activity. Drinks are generous and inexpensive and there is usually a college crowd there on most nights. Overall, a good edition to downtown Salem. 
  • Rockafellas of Salem, 231 Essex St, ☏ +1 978-745-2491. M-W- 11:30AM-10PM Th-Sa- 11:30-1AM Sun-11-11. You can enjoy outside dining here in mild weather. At night, Rockafellas is a usual hot spot with local bands. A fun atmosphere with classy taste. 7.00-20.00. 
  • Tavern at the Hawthorne (On the Common), ☏ +1 978 744-4080. Traditional New England - inside the Hawthorne Hotel. Full Bar. 
  • Tavern on the Square (189 Washington St.), ☏ +1 978 740-2337. Over 30 flat screen t.v.'s - the biggest sports bar in downtown - open very late - full bar & huge patio 
  • The Tin Whistle, 241 Jefferson Ave, ☏ +1 978-741-1912. 11AM-1AM everyday. The Tin Whistle is a little hole in the wall with a great family feel, great food, and great service.Juke box, pool table, and dart board, specials almost every night of the week including $2 burgers on Monday nights. They often host events and have many giveaways and are often raising money for charity. A fun place overall. 5-12 dollars. 

Sleep

  • Hawthorne Hotel, 18 Washington Square West (on the common), ☏ +1 978 744-4080, fax: +1 978-745-9842. Eighty-nine rooms and six suites. $100-$310. 
  • Northey Street House Bed and Breakfast, 30 Northey St, ☏ +1 978-397-1582. 

Go next

  • For a fun beach day close-by to Salem, you could head over to Nahant beach which is right off of Route 1A. It is $3 to park for the entire day and the beach is filled with white sand and clear water. Right across the shore you can see the Boston skyline.
  • Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts is One mile from the town center is Singing Beach, so named because the sand comprising the beach squeaks when walked upon (see Singing sand). This beach is quite popular during summer months in particular because it is easily accessible from Boston by a half-mile walk from the MBTA train station. Also located on this historic beach is the famous tourist attraction "Eaglehead", a rock composite that is the focal point of rock climbing and other recreation activities.
  • Devereux Beach - Marblehead.
  • Bearskin Neck is in Rockport with principal attractions of many quaint little studios, shops, and restaurants that line its narrow road that is on the Atlantic Ocean.
  • Wingaersheek Beach - Gloucester
  • Hammond Castle Museum - Gloucester -For the past 25 years, the castle has run a special Halloween-themed haunted house every October.
  • Crane's Beach - Ipswich
Panorama of Crane Beach in September 2007
Routes through Salem
Boston ← Lynn ←  SW  NE  → Beverly → Newburyport/Rockport


This city travel guide to Salem is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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