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| places to visit in Massachusetts |
Known as the witch capital because of Salem Witch Trials in the late 17th century, Salem Massachusetts is a today, without a doubt, one of the most popular destinations for witch-related tourism in the USA.
Even Salem high school is named ‘The Witches’ so it’s no wonder why the town of Salem is one of the best Halloween destinations in the states.
During the month of October, you can truly appreciate the town’s witchcraft heritage and enjoy all witchcraft-related activities such as shopping at one of the many witchcraft shops, enjoy night ghost tours and attend fun costume parade events.
Halloween is definitely the best time to visit if you want to soak in the Salem's witchcraft atmosphere, although witchcraft isn’t the only thing to do here.
In fact, you can visit many historic buildings and enjoy tours such as a tour of Salem Maritime Site (pictured) which boasts many historic buildings, and visit many cultural attractions and family-friendly attractions.
To give you an idea, I made a list of all the attractions the city has to offer, both witchcraft-related and unrelated attractions. Hope you find it useful!
Salem Visitor Center
If you’re a first time visitor to Salem or are visiting Salem on a day trip from Boston Massachusetts, the Visitor Center should be your first stop, especially if you haven't got much time in your hands. You’ll be able to grab a free map, locate all the main attractions and get helpful and unbiased insights.
The Visitor Center also has interesting free exhibits so it's a still a great place to visit to learn more about Salem’s history and the famous Witch Trials.
Salem Maritime National Historic Site
Salem Maritime is a great example of a witchcraft-unrelated attraction that you can visit in Salem. At the Site, you’ll find a replica tall ship and loads of historic buildings that you can explore on a guided or self-guided tour.
American Marine Model Gallery
If you’re a fan of miniature vessels and would like to check out cool models of historic vessels as well as contemporary ships head to the Marine Model Gallery, just across the street from the Cape Ann Museum.
House of the Seven Gables
If you’re a fan of Nathaniel Hawthorne or his novel “House of the Seven Gables”, you can’t miss a visit to this historic site.
You can tour Hawthorne’s birthplace house which is pretty well preserved, walk around the lovely grounds to enjoy great views of the ocean and tour the replica House of the Seven Gables which includes the secret staircase.
Salem Witch House
The Witch House is located nearby the North Shore Children’s Museum and it’s one of the best examples of untouched landmarks in Salem.
The Witch House itself isn’t a replica but a real period house where witches were trialed. The house actually contains artifacts from the time such as old manuscripts, portraits, etc.
At night, the Witch House offers interesting witch trials re-enactments so it’s another great place in Salem where you can enjoy a nightly spooky time.
Cape Ann Museum
If you’re interested in American art and would like to learn more about contemporary American artists and artists of the time, the Cape Ann Museum is the best place to do this. The museum has permanent collections as well as rotating special exhibits which include artist talks and walking tours.
New England Pirate Museum
The Pirate Museum is located down the road from the wax museum and it’s a great example of family-friendly attraction that you can visit with kids. There are fun and theatrical pirate performances on offers, and you can learn more about New England’s most famous pirates and check out interesting pirate exhibits.
Salem Wax Museum
The Wax Museum is another family-friendly attraction worth checking out if you’re looking for more interesting places to visit in Salem MA with the family. You can spend an hour or so taking photos of wax figures, while kids have a bit fun in the kiddie’s section part of the museum.
Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery
The Nightmare Gallery is a stone-throw away from the Wax Museum and another of the places to visit in Salem MA for a spooky time, especially at night when the gallery turns into a hunted place attraction.
If you’re into horror movies, you’ll definitely love visiting this place, if anything to check out the scary wax figures!
Peabody Essex Museum
The Peabody Essex Museum is located a short walk from Hocus Pocus tours and it’s, without a doubt, one of the top places to visit in Salem MA.
The museum is totally unrelated to witchcraft and it’s more for the history and art enthusiast. You can see interesting Native American art exhibits and paint collections such as a portrait of the Kennedy family, as well as a replica of a Chinese merchant house which you can tour.
Ghost Tours
A trip to Salem MA wouldn't be complete without hearing haunted stories, exploring the haunted places, learning about ghost legends and walking the night streets of Salem on a ghost tour.
If you’re in Salem for the first time, one of the coolest things to do is taking a ghost tour. Most of these tours can be found in the heart of the town center and they include Salem Night tour, Hocus Pocus tours, Spellbound Museum and Haunted Footsteps Ghost tours.
Salem Witch Museum
The Witch Museum is located a short walk between Salem Visitor Center and Salem Common Park.
This museum is one of the best places to visit in Salem MA if you’re looking to learn more about the early beginnings of witches, the colonial days and the famed Salem Witch Trials. There are cool exhibits and interesting narrated audio guides on offer.
North Shore Children’s Museum
If you have really small kids with you, the Children’s Museum is a great place to visit to let your kids interact with other kids and enjoy fun activities.
The Children’s museum also has a YMCA center which is also a day care center that offers cool programs for families with kids or toddlers.
Witch Dungeon Museum
The Dungeon Museum is another popular tourist attraction in Salem and an interesting place to keep kids entertained for a bit. You get to tour a restored 18th century dungeon and see live re-enactments of a typical witch dungeon and learn the sad fate of witches.
Phillips House
Phillips House is another historic landmark in Salem and a great example of period house that you can visit to get a glimpse of how a typical 19th century family would have lived.
The house is located on the west end of Chestnut Street. You can tour the grounds of the house where you’ll see a few 19th century carriages and vehicles, as well as the interior of the house which still contains personal artifacts and items owned by the Phillips family.
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