Salem, MA

Salem is a super popular destination city north of Boston. Probably the first thing that comes to most people’s mind when thinking of Salem, are the Salem Witch Trials. And because of this Salem is a very busy place around Halloween. But there are a a number of other interesting activities including the Salem Maritime National Historic Site and the Peabody Essex Museum that are great year-round.

We happened to visit on a lovely sunny day in late December. Some sites in the Salem Maritime NHS are closed in the winter and some are only open by tour year-round, but we did find the Custom House and the Friendship of Salem open the day we visited. Both are quick stops, with a few displays set up on the ground floor of the Custom House and only the top deck of the boat open to wander around.

There are lots of great eating options in Salem (see 2018 post on Turner’s Seafood). Sea Level Oyster Bar is right on the water, very close to the Friendship of Salem, with nice views of the harbor. If you are looking for oysters or other seafood, this is a great option. I thought the clam chowder was only so-so, BUT, the chowder fries, a sort of poutine, with fries, cheese, and clam chowder really hit the spot for us. They also had very nice salads.

My family loves the Peabody Essex Museum and goes all the time for a good reason. They have really interesting exhibitions, and it’s an especially great art museum for the whole family, because of the variety, including interactive exhibits. The day we visited, one of my favorites was a table full of clay balls, and you could take a ball of clay and contemplatively form your own ball to add to the table.