New England : Salem, Massachusets

I'm going to go with somewhere a little closer to home for this post – Salem, Massachusetts in the USA. I’ve actually been here, too, so I’m speaking from experience on this one.

 

Salem is a charming town known for its character, its beautiful architecture and its dark history. You may have heard of the Salem Witch Trials, which took place here during the 1600’s. The town’s people basically went hysteric, believing and accusing their neighbours of being witches. (People were a lot more superstitious back then…)

  

What to do? Today, Salem uses its history to draw in tourists. There are all kinds of museums, “magic shops,” and psychic fairs  or tourists as well as "modern practisers of witchcraft" (legit? idk), along with Haunted Walks and night-time tours of the town. Salem really goes all out with these around Halloween.

 

You can take the Salem Trolley, a guided one hour tour of the town, or else a self-guided walking tour around the centre of the city which will take you past a number of historical locations and museums. My favourite part of the trip was just walking and exploring the streets – there are all kinds of great little shops, and I loved just seeing the houses, which are Victorian or traditional New England architecture – tall, narrow, colourful with decorative porches and towers. Many of the houses are at least a century old.

 

You can check out the “magic shops” and psychic readers if you’re into that kind of thing. I passed, but it probably would’ve made for an interesting experience.

 

Another fun thing to do is go down to the waterfront, where there are more shops and some great restaurants. The waterfront is home to an original, restored sailing ship which still actually sails (although it is not open for the public to explore).

 

 Salem is quite close to Nahant beach, from which you can see the Boston skyline. You can also go to the Singing Beach, one mile away, which gets its name because the sand squeaks when you walk on it.

 

What to eat? There are some great restaurants and pubs down on the waterfront in Salem. If possible, ask a local to recommend one –they know where the best food is. Make sure you get some New England Clam Chowder, it's famous and you have to get it if you go to New England. I went to the Victoria Tavern, which had a delicious menu and a deck right on the water overlooking the harbour.

 

I would definitely do Salem again! I had a great time just walking and exploring the city, and probably could’ve spent more than just a day there.

http://www.salem.org/