Salem

Salem is a sleepy town with a long history, from the infamous witch trials of 1692 to bygone years of maritime prominence.  The Salem Witch Museum is the most popular museum in town.  With dramatic life size sets and narration, it tells the grim story of the accusations of witchcraft, the hysteria, the trials, and ultimately the executions of 1692.  Gripped with superstitious fear of the devil, the residents of Salem turned upon each other, hanging 19 people and pressing one more to death.  After visiting the museum, take a ghost tour to see if the streets of Salem are indeed haunted.

• Also enjoy the House of the Seven Gables, a landmark which lends its name to the classic Nathaniel Hawthorne novel, who was born just a few blocks away
• Enjoy the Peabody Essex Museum, which showcases a vast array of art from the days of Salem as a shipping town