Salem (Massachusetts)

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 now 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.
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 an executive order in 2013 "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. In 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.

By plane

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

By train

Take the Newburyport/Rockport line on the MBTA Commuter Rail to the "Salem" station. is only a few blocks north from the center of town.

By boat

• The Salem Ferry, Blaney Street, +1 978-741-0220. 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.

By foot

Salem is a small town with most tourist attractions within a stretch that is roughly a 25 minute walk across.

By bike

• Salem bike shareThere are 10 stations, but bikes can be returned at any bike rack in Salem area. Riding costs $3 per hour, and you'll need a smartphone to use the system.

By taxi

• Salem Taxi

  phone: +1 978-741-2235
  address: 3 Harbor St p m b 1190

By car

Salem has eight stations to charge your electric car. Four are 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.

Attractions & museums

• Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery

  phone: +1 978-740-0500
  address: 285 Derby St
  Salem's only monster museum every October.

• Witch History Museum

  phone: +1-978-741-7770
  address: 197-201 Essex St
  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. You can get $5 off tickets when you buy with New England Pirate Museum and Witch Dungeon Museum.

• Witches Cottage

  phone: +1 978-825-0222
  address: 7 Lynde St

• Salem Museum & Old Town Hall

  phone: +1 978-744-0007
  address: 32 Derby Square
  Attractions & museums, gift shops.

• Salem Toy Museum

  phone: +1 978-473-2988
  address: 1 East India Square Mall

• Salem Wax Museum

  phone: +1 978-740-2929
  address: 288 Derby St

• National Park Service Visitor Center

  phone: +1 978-740-1650
  address: 2 New Liberty St
  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

  phone: +1 978-740-1650
  address: 193 Derby St
  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.

• Peabody Essex Museum

  address: 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 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.

• Witch Dungeon Museum

  phone: +1 978 741-3570
  address: 16 Lynde St
  Has witch trial reenactments. You can get $5 off tickets when you buy with New England Pirate Museum and Witch History Museum.

• New England Pirate Museum

  phone: +1-978-741-2800
  address: 274 Derby St
  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. You can get $5 off tickets when you buy with Witch Dungeon Museum and Witch History Museum.

• Salem Smugglers' Tour

  phone: +1 978-578-9238
  address: 35 Derby Square
  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 the U.S. to avoid paying taxes in 1801. As you go town, the guide will 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.

Historic homes

• House of the Seven Gables

  phone: +1 978 744-0991
  address: 115 Derby St
  One of the oldest surviving 17th-century wooden mansions in New England. Made famous by the Nathaniel Hawthorne story.

• Salem Witch Museum

  phone: +1 978 744-1692
  address: Washington Square North
  The museum includes a narrative on the history of the trials in 1692 and also an exhibit on witchcraft through the ages.

• Historic New England's Phillips House

  phone: +1 978-744-0440
  address: 34 Chestnut St

• Salem Willows Amusement Park

  phone: +1 978-745-0251
  address: 167 Fort Ave

• The Gedney House

  phone: +1 978 744-0440
  address: 21 High St
  A historic house museum built circa 1665 and is the 2nd oldest house in Salem.

• Hamilton Hall

  phone: +1 978 744-0805
  address: 9 Chestnut St
  Hamilton Hall is 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

  phone: +1 978 744-8815
  address: 310½ 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 sent 19 people to the gallows. All 19 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

  phone: +1 978 744-4777
  address: 18 Broad St
  The oldest house in Salem that has benn continuously lived in by the same family.

• Salem Witch Village

  phone: +1 978-740-9229
  address: 282 Derby St
  Attractions & museums, gift shops.

• Salem Visitor Center

  phone: +1 978 740-1650
  address: 2 New Liberty St
  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

  phone: +1 978 740-1660
  address: 193 Derby St
  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 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 at 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 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.

• Salem HarborwalkExtends from the area of the Salem Fire Station to the Salem Waterfront Hotel.

• Misery IslandsA 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 about two dozen cottages. The island is now uninhabited.

• Pioneer Village

  phone: +1 978-744-8815
  Created in 1930, was America's first living-history museum and now features a 3-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 IslandPark and historic point of the U.S. Coast Guard in World War II for U-boat patrol.

• Salem Athenaeum

  phone: +1 978 744-2540
  address: 337 Essex St
  The oldest private library organizations in the United States. The Athenaeum is located 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 now occupies, at 337 Essex Street, which was dedicated in 1907 and the collections include over 50,000 volumes on diverse topics.

• Old Salem Jail

  address: 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 3-story brick, Federal-period building that was 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. The Old Salem Jail complex was renamed and is now private property, with private residences.

• Salem WillowsAn 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

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.

• Friendship of SalemA 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 BowditchA 92-ft 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.

There are several boutiques in the downtown area that cater to the occult, including the Magic Parlour, the Broom Closet, and Crow Haven Cornerthe 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

  phone: +1 978-744-9904
  address: 180 Essex St

• A Beautiful Corset

  phone: +1 978-740-2922
  address: 10 Derby Square
  Authentic steel-boned Vollers corsets. Custom and stock for all sizes. Private fittings by appointment.

• Crow Haven Corner

  phone: +1 978 745-8763
  address: 125 Essex St
  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.

• Harrisons Comics and Pop Culture

  phone: +1 978 741-0786
  address: 252 Essex St
  Comics & collectables.

• Derby Square Book Store

  phone: +1 978 745-8804
  address: 215 Essex St
  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.

• Flirt

  phone: +1 978-219-4127
  address: 63A Wharf St
  Flirt Boutique is a new and resale store specializing in one-of-a-kind clothing and accessories. Flirt carries handbags, vintage and new jewelry pieces, and new scarves, hats, gloves, scarves and sunglasses.

• Magic Parlor

  phone: +1 978-740-3866
  address: 213 Essex St
  Books on magic, paranormal, spirits, psychic readings, costume wigs, masks, makeup, gadgets, jokes, gags, bumper stickers, funny stuff, and some very nice jewelry and figurines.

• Magika

  phone: +1 978-741-9297, +1 978-740-9297
  address: 63R Wharf St
  Lori Bruno is a psychic medium & Tarot reader with over 50 years experience. Readings in person, phone & private events. Classes are also offered.

• Glass and Etc.

  phone: +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

  phone: +1 978 666-0765
  address: 246 Essex St
  Authentic witchcraft for everyone from curious visitors to experienced practitioners, including candles, incense, jewelry, Voodoo dolls, potions, broomsticks, and spell kits

• J. Mode

  phone: +1 978-744-7007
  address: 17 Front St
  Contemporary clothing boutique. Brands include: Vince, Trina, Turk, Nicole Miller, Three Dot, Velvet, Joe Jeans, and XCVI. Testament.

• Nu Aeon

  phone: +1 978 744-8668
  address: 88 Wharf St
  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

  phone: +1 978 745-2900
  address: 185 Essex St
  European-inspired boutique featuring fine wines, craft beer, kitchen gadgets, gourmet food and gifts. Specialty gift baskets available. Free tastings every Saturday 2-4PM.

• Peabody Essex Museum Gift Shop

  phone: +1 978-745-9500 x1623
  address: 161 Essex St

• Penelope's Pet Boutique

  phone: +1 978-745-0566
  address: 99 Washington St
  Pet boutique with natural bakery treats, pet clothing, The Salem Collar, leashes, carriers, ID tags, and cookies.

• Pickering WharfA quaint harborside village featuring a variety of shops, boutiques and restaurants, Salem Waterfront Hotel & Pickering Wharf Marina.

• Treasures Over Time

  address: 139 Washington St
  Jewelry, Skagen watches, crystals and minerals, vintage gold and silver coins.

• The Picklepot

  phone: +1 978 744-6678
  address: 75 Wharf St
  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

  phone: +1 978-744-4663
  address: 40 Front St
  Home accessories, books, bath & body, jewelry, baby, cards, and gifts.

• Rouge Cosmetics

  phone: +1 978 740-1044
  address: 322 Derby St
  Beauty products and makeup applications. NARS, Stila, Bare Minerals, Darphin, Caudalie, Mario Badescu and Bumble and Bumble.

• Salem Wax Museum and Salem Witch Village

  phone: +1 978-740-2929
  address: 282-288 Derby St
  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

  phone: +1 978 745-5556
  address: 86 Wharf St
  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

  address: 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

  phone: +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

  phone: +1 978-745-7648
  address: 85 Leavitt St
  Enjoy a free sample when you visit the factory and shop. Watch chocolates being handmade. New England gift chocolates.

• Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie

  address: 122 Derby St.
  Visit the oldest candy company in America. Established in 1806.

Restaurants

• A&J King Artisan Bakers

  phone: +1 978 744-4881
  address: 48 Central St.
  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

  phone: +1 978 594-183
  address: 155 Washington St.

• 62 Restaurant and Wine Bar

  phone: +1 978 744-0062
  address: 62 Wharf St.
  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

  phone: +1 978 825-9911
  address: 107 Essex St.
  Opened in 1996 and serving Italian food.

• Bill & Bob's Roast Beef

  phone: +1 978 744-9835
  address: 9 Bridge St

• Boston Hot Dog Co.

  phone: +1 978 744-2320
  address: 60 Washington St.

• Brodie's Pub

  address: 215 Derby 76 St.
  Fantastic food, 25 years in business by the Votto family. Beer and wine, too.

• Cafe Polonia

  phone: +1 978 745-0045
  address: 118 Washington St.

• Caffe Graziani

  phone: +1 978 741-4282
  address: 133 Washington St.
  Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Italian and American food.

• Cafe Kushco

  phone: +1 978 745-6996
  address: 128 Washington St.

• Capt’s Waterfront Grill & Club

  phone: +1 978 741-0555
  address: 94 Wharf St

• Cilantro

  phone: +1 978 745-9436
  address: 282 Derby St.
  Fusion cuisine.

• Coffee Time Bake Shop

  phone: +1 978 744-0995
  address: 96 Bridge St

• Dube's - Fried clams

  phone: +1 978 744-9531
  address: 317 Jefferson Ave

• Engine House Pizza

  phone: +1 978 745-1744
  address: 71 Lafayette St.
  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

  phone: +1 978 594-8189
  address: 118 Washington St.
  Pizzas and craft beers, with a classic sci-fi movie and tv show theme.

• Fountain Place

  phone: +1 978 744-9572
  address: 232 Essex St.

• Finz Seafood & Grill

  phone: +1 978 744-8485
  address: 76 Wharf St.

• Front Street Coffee House

  phone: +1 978 740-6697
  address: 20 Front St.
  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

  phone: +1 978 745-5022
  address: 50 St. Peter 76 St.

• Grapevine Restaurant

  phone: +1 978 745-9335
  address: 26 Congress St.

• Gulu-Gulu Café

  phone: +1 978 740-8882
  address: 247 Essex St.
  A European-style café that features live music and local art.

• Howling Wolf Taqueria

  phone: +1 978 744-9653
  address: 76 Lafayette St.
  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

  phone: +1 978 744-2308
  address: 168 Essex St

• Maria's Place

  phone: +1 978 744-1817
  address: 10 Jefferson Ave.

• Medusa's Cafe

  phone: +1 978 741-4269
  address: 122 Washington St
  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

  phone: +1 978 744-4080
  Traditional New England. Also has a tavern.

• New England Soup Factory

  phone: +1 978 744-0444
  address: 140 Washington St

• Old Spot

  phone: +1 978 745-5656
  address: 121 Essex St

• Passage to India

  phone: +1 978 832-2200
  address: 157 Washington St

• Polonus European Deli

  phone: +1 978 740-3203
  address: 176 Essex St

• Red Lulu Cocina & Tequila Bar

  address: 94 Lafayette St.

• Reds Sandwich Shop

  phone: +1 978 745-3527
  address: 15 Central St.
  Most popular in downtown for breakfast.

• Regatta Pub

  address: 225 Derby St.
  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

  phone: +1 978 744-0017
  address: 23 Endicott St
  Fresh pizza, gigantic subs - salads & soda.

• Turner’s Seafood at Lyceum Hall

  phone: +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

  phone: +1 978 741-9086
  address: 2 E India Square Mall

• Victoria Station

  phone: +1 978 745-3400
  address: Pickering Wharf
  Offers great steaks, seafood, and salad.

• Witch's Brew Cafe

  phone: +1 978 745-8717
  address: 156 Derby St

Desserts & chocolate

• Melt Ice Cream

  phone: +1 978-826-5703
  address: 60 Washington St

• Harbor Sweets

  address: 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

  phone: +1 978-825-9111
  address: 26 Front St.
  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)

• Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt

  phone: +1 978-741-3200
  address: 76 Lafayette St
  Frozen yogurt.

• Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie

  address: 122 Derby St

Markets

• Milk & Honey Green Grocer

  phone: +1 978-744-6639
  address: 32 Church St
  Local urban grocery store focused on quality, community, and sustainability. Food products and grab and go prepared meals.

• Front Street Coffee House

  phone: +1 978 740-6697
  address: 20 Front St.
  Every month there are new art exhibits & live acoustic music.

• Lobster Shanty

• Murphy's

  phone: +1 978-744-8889
  address: 300 Derby St
  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

  phone: +1 978-745-2491
  address: 231 Essex St
  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.

• Tavern at the Hawthorne

  phone: +1 978 744-4080
  Traditional New England - inside the Hawthorne Hotel. Full Bar.

• Tavern on the Square

  phone: +1 978 740-2337
  Over 30 flat screen TVs - the biggest sports bar in downtown - open very late - full bar & huge patio

• The Tin Whistle

  phone: +1 978-741-1912
  address: 241 Jefferson Ave
  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.

• The Salem Inn

  phone: +1 978 741-0680
  address: 7 Summer St
  On the National Register of Historic Places, the inn is comprised of three houses.

• Hawthorne Hotel

  phone: +1 978 744-4080
  address: 18 Washington Square West
  Eighty-nine rooms and six suites.

• Salem Waterfront Hotel and Suites

  phone: +1 978 740-8788
  address: 225 Derby St

• Morning Glory Bed & Breakfast

  phone: +1 978-741-1703
  address: 22 Hardy St

• Northey Street House Bed and Breakfast

  phone: +1 978-397-1582
  address: 30 Northey St

• Amelia Payson House

  phone: +1 978-744-8304
  address: 16 Winter St

• The Daniels House

  phone: +1 978-744-5709
  address: 1 Daniels St

• The Henry Derby House

  phone: +1 978-745-1080
  address: 47 Summer St

*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