EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO SEE IN SALEM, MA

Planning to travel in 2021? Keep in mind that information found in this article may have been impacted by travel restrictions and other closures. Please check with each state/destination for its current COVID-19 guidelines.

When you think of Salem you probably think pumpkins, witches, Hocus Pocus, and everything in-between! But with Salem only being a 30-minute car ride from Boston it’s the perfect day trip to take this fall! With that being said we headed out early to see everything witchy Salem has to offer!

Visiting Salem, Massachusetts had always been on my bucket list. I’ve had an itinerary for Salem for years now, of course, it would be ideal to visit during the Halloween season but visiting any other time is just fine with me! We only spent a day in Salem so there is a lot to cover in a short amount of time, put on your witch hat and let’s get started!

We began our day by finding street parking between Essex Street and Summer Street. Everything in Salem is within walkable distance so we decided to park and wander through the town.

Ropes Mansion and Garden - 318 Essex St

This beautiful 18th-century Georgian colonial mansion was built in 1727 and they offer daily tours of the inside. The exterior of the Ropes Mansion was shown in the Disney movie Hocus Pocus and used as the family home of Allison.

There is also a garden that is free to visit, and they’re dog friendly! There are a few benches where you can sit and maybe read a book. Visit during the summer months of June through August when all the flowers and trees are in bloom!

First Church in Salem, 316 Essex St

The First Church in Salem is one of the oldest churches in North America, being built in 1635! It’s a beautiful church to walk by if you are coming from the Ropes Mansion and Garden.

The Witch House, 310 Essex St

The Witch House is the only building that is still standing from the Salem Witch Trials back in 1692. The house was home to Judge Jonathan Corwin, the judge who accused the witches during the trials. Nowadays, the Witch House has tours that provide information about the events that happened in 1962 and preserving artifacts from the 17th century.

Tour tickets are sold at the museum gift shop. Admission for entrance is $8.25 per person or $10.25 for a guided tour.

Lappin Park // Bewitched Statue- 235 Essex St

Do you guys remember the 1964 sitcom show Bewitched? If so you might want to stop by Lappin Park to see the Bewitched Statue that was donated to Salem from TV Land in 2005.

Once we got to Washington Street we continued on Essex Street and stopped for breakfast at Fountain Place Restaurant. After breakfast, we grabbed a few postcards at Coon's Card & Gift Shop. Essex Street is full of witchy stores filled with souvenirs and knickknacks, so it’s the perfect place to do a little shopping!

We stopped at Coon's Card & Gift Shop, 226 Essex St, and stopped around for a little while before continuing down Essex Street. If you are in the market for a good spooky book stop by Wicked Good Books, 215 Essex St, they have a great assortment of all sorts of books. Have a quick stop at Polonus European Deli, 176 Essex St, and pick up some Polish sweet treats, you can find a good variety of European treats!

Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square

Walk down the alley next to Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery and see Salem's Old Town Hall, a National Historic Site in central Salem. It was built in 1816, the Old Town Hall is also featured in Hocus Pocus! It’s where they held the Halloween party and the Sanderson Sisters sang to all the parents. Aside from it being in the Disney movie, it’s still very much in use today even though it’s one of the earliest surviving buildings in Salem.

Even if you are not a fan of antiquing you must visit Diehl Marcus & Company, 11 Central St. You’ll find some really interesting oddities, if you’d ever imagined what it was like shopping in the old times then this shop is for you!

Salem Visitor Center, 2 New Liberty St

Whether you decide to follow my guide in Salem or if you rather roam free through the village I suggest stopping by the Visitor Center to get a map to help you navigate through Salem. Plus if you are in town for more than a day then grab a few brochures to continue the fun! We were only in Salem for one day but I think if we were here for a full weekend I would definitely be going on a history tour, or maybe a spooky ghost tour, if you are into that grab more information at the visitor center.

Directly in front of the Salem Armory, there are a few memorials you can visit and relax, maybe look at a few brochures from the visitor center.

John Ward House, 9 Brown St

The John Ward House is one of the finest surviving 17th-century buildings, it was built somewhere between 1684 and 1723. The house has been restored to reflect what the home looked like back in the 1600s and is part of the Peabody Essex Museum with an admission of $20 a person.

Salem Witch Museum, 19 1/2 N Washington Square

This museum consists of life-size stage sets figuring what life was like in 1692 and an interactive narration you witness what it was like during the Salem witch-hunts. Overall this museum is full of information on the background leading to the Salem witch trials which are really fascinating.

After visiting a few museums or just taking a quick look, go for a walk along North Washington Square. We found some really pretty homes along this street, just direct across from the Salem Common.

Salem Common, N Washington Square

This 17th-century park is a great place for a walk, especially if you have a dog, the park is huge! I highly recommend visiting in October when it’s decorated for Halloween.

We came across this street fire alarm box, but how cute is this fire alarm? I did a little research on these fire alarm boxes since I had never seen one before and learned that the first telegraph fire alarm system like this one was actually developed by William Francis Channing and Moses G. Farmer in Boston, Massachusetts in 1852.

The House of the Seven Gables, 115 Derby St

The House of the Seven Gables was built in 1668 along the Salem harbor by John Turner, a ship-owner. Years later the House of the Seven Gables is now best known as the setting for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel, a romance gothic novel full of murder, ghosts, witchcraft, curses and hidden secrets.

Salem Maritime National Historic Site, 160 Derby St

Salem Maritime National Historic Site marks the port where ships from the United States would exit when carrying cargo from the West to Asia. The Salem Maritime shows the development of the Atlantic triangular trade during the colonial period.

The grounds are open 24/7 and free to the public.

Fun fact: The Salem Maritime is the first National Historic Site in the National Park System.

We stopped to read this plaque in the Salem Maritime National Historic Site and it was interesting to see the Custom House in a historical print and in real life.

Derby Wharf Light Station

Walk over and see the Derby Wharf Lighthouse in the Derby Waterfront District. It’s a fairly quick walk and you get a great view of all the ships and make sure to look back to see the Salem Custom House!

There were only a few ships docked at the waterfront but it was nice to check out the old ships and historical buildings.

The Burying Point, 51 Charter St

If you are feeling brave enough to go on a spooky tour of this graveyard I suggest booking a haunted walking tour to get all of the history and information behind every location, especially the scary stories of a cemetery! If you are interested in finding some famous memorials click here.

Fun Fact: Some graves dating as early as 1637. If you are interested in visiting the oldest cemetery in the United States, Myles Standish Burial Ground is just an hour and 20 minutes away from Salem in Duxbury, MA.

Salem Pioneer Village, 98 West Ave

The Pioneer Village is the oldest history museum in the United States and is designed to represent Salem in the year 1630. It’s opened only on the weekend by tours only. Admission to the museum is $6 per person, as of right now the museum is temporarily closed but is planning to open back up on June 6, 2021.

Pioneer Village is just a ten-minute drive from downtown Salem and might be recognized from the movie Hocus Pocus. In the opening scenes of the film Hocus Pocus, you can see the Sanderson sisters having a cottage in the Pioneer Village.

Forest River Park, 32 Clifton Ave

Before heading back to Boston we stopped by the Forest River Park, which’s directly next to the Pioneer Village. This park is a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the view of the waterfront. There is plenty of benches and picnic tables for a nice afternoon at the beach.

Meatlover’s Omelet at the Fountain Place Restaurant

WHERE TO EAT + DRINK IN SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS

Fountain Place Restaurant, 232 Essex St - We had an awesome breakfast at the Fountain Place, it’s conveniently located on Essex Street, and with a window seat, it’s the perfect place to grab breakfast and people watch. I ordered the meatlover’s omelet with a side of fruit and Eric ordered the Maryland eggs benedict which is two poached eggs on an English muffin with house-made crap cakes topped with hollandaise sauce.

Ugly Mug Diner, 122 Washington St - You can’t go wrong with pancakes and waffles! Plus, I didn’t mention they have some delicious thick-cut french toast. They have everything breakfast so check out their menu and scroll through their delicious section of breakfast food.

Red's Sandwich Shop, 15 Central St - They got some really good omelets and not to mention at a super affordable price! This is the perfect place for a hearty breakfast, definitely come with an appetite because their servings are huge!

Boston Burger Company, 133 Washington St - If you are craving burgers, you HAVE to stop by the Boston Burger Company for some insane burgers. All the burgers sound super good, just take a look at their menu, they have some combinations that I would have never thought would go together.

Jaho Coffee Roaster & Wine Bar, 197 Derby St - They have a large variety of pastries and gelato, but if you are into sweet treats they also have boba drinks with delicious flavors!

Red Line Cafe, 188 Essex St - They have a large variety of drinks here both cold and hot, perfect if you want to go enjoy your drink at the Salem Common. Plus they have wraps, sandwiches, salads, breakfast sandwiches, and sweet and savory crepes.