Nearly every school kid has heard of Salem, Massachusetts. It was home to witches and those who persecuted them, right?

As with all history/myths it's a little more complicated than that. However, far from shying away from that small period of its history, Salem boasts five seasons a year: the usual plus Halloween, when they go crazy with events from September to November.

All well and good, but you would be short-changing this lovely, historic maritime town if that were the only time or reason you visited. Salem is a year ‘round festival destination or ‘FESTination,’ as I like to call it. It also boasts one of “America’s most beautiful streets,” the country’s oldest continually operated museum, is the birthplace of the National Guard and the first commercially produced candy… you get the idea, this is one of the towns where America started. #StillMakingHistory

The multitude of people who visit throughout the year have many reasons to do so: some have traced a connection to someone involved in the trials; some come for the ‘spooky’ factor; others just want to say they’ve been; and the rest discover what a sweet town it is and fall under its spell… (yes, I went there!) which is what happened to me.

In 2016, I was originally scheduled to spend three days throughout the North of Boston Region, with just a few hours in Salem, but the moment I drove down Washington Street I was hooked. Through the generosity of Destination Salem and the Salem Waterfront Hotel I was able to extend my stay to six nights in Salem and I loved every minute of it (and my rental car had a paid vacation because I walked everywhere!). Afterwards, I created the original Destination Guide and it went viral, being picked up by publications and websites around the world.

Updated February 2020: Four years is a long time in the life of a town, so I decided to return and update it, adding new attractions. This time around, I travelled up from Boston on the commuter train (just $8 and 30 minutes) to explore this eminently walkable town on foot.

Updated October 2023: I returned for a one-night stay on my first post-COVID trip to celebrate The USA 50/50 Challenge 10th Anniversary. I’m happy to say that every place listed here survived COVID due to Salem’s fantastic community spirit and the Hampton Inn opened and is doing a roaring trade.

Experience

Consume

Purchase

Rest

This guide details all of the things The Packed Bag experienced. Please see Destination Salem for more.