Visiting Salem MA with Youngsters

December 14, 2022

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Salem, Massachusetts is greatest recognized for the Salem Witch Trials which passed off on this Coastal Massachusetts city over 325 years in the past. Right this moment, a couple of million individuals go to Salem annually, particularly throughout October, for all issues witchy. However this charming seaport city doesn’t should be spooky or creepy. The truth is, there are many issues to do in Salem with children that don’t have something to do with witches.

Personally, we aren’t into the macabre, spooky, or haunted; nor am I drawn to the Halloween-themed retailers or New Age and Wiccan boutiques scattered all through the city. Nonetheless, we do benefit from the historical past of the city, the museums, the harborfront, the lovable retailers, and the nice eating places. Collectively, these make Salem an incredible day journey vacation spot.

Situated simply half-hour north of Boston, Salem is a straightforward day journey from Boston, Portland, ME, Portsmouth, NH, and even our residence in Rhode Island. It’s also possible to mix it with a day in close by Gloucester.

What’s the Finest Time to Go to Salem, MA?

If you happen to do like all issues spooky, Salem remains to be an incredible Halloween vacation spot through the city’s month-long “Haunted Happenings” in October, with occasions like parades, road festivals, household movie nights on the widespread, lantern excursions, costume balls, haunted homes, reside music, and chilling theatrical performances.

Personally, we like to go to in September or early November, when the leaves are altering shade and the Salem Frequent is lined with yellow Ginkgo leaves. Simply needless to say in case you go to through the low season, a number of the city’s prime sights, just like the Salem Trolley and harbor boat excursions on the Schooner Fame will likely be closed for the season.

Issues to do in Salem with Youngsters

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Salem Maritime Nationwide Historic Website

One in all our favourite issues to do in Salem with children is spending time on the waterfront. I might advocate stopping into the Salem Customer Heart while you arrive and join a tour of the Friendship of Salem, a reproduction of a 1797 East Indiaman crusing vessel now operated by the Nationwide Park Rangers.

They solely permit 25 individuals at a time onto the Friendship on guided excursions solely so it’s a good suggestion to make the Customer Heart your first cease in Salem to get signed up. It’s also possible to decide up a Junior Ranger booklet to finish and return for a Junior Ranger badge.

The Salem Maritime Nationwide Historic website can be an incredible place for teenagers simply to run round and have enjoyable. We have been fairly bewitched by the wharf and ended up spending at the least an hour right here chasing pigeons, taking within the view, and exploring all the tutorial displays alongside the wharf that specify the location’s historical past in commerce and cotton manufacturing.

Salem Witch Museum

As a result of Salem’s principal draw is the witch trials, we now have made the compulsory cease on the Salem Witch Museum. Whereas there are various museums in Salem devoted to the witch trials — the Witch Home, the Witch Dungeon Museum, the Witch Trials Memorial, the Witch Historical past Museum — the Salem Witch Museum is heralded as Salem’s most visited museum.

Not fairly a museum within the conventional sense, while you first enter you be a part of a “presentation” that begins at common intervals. I’ve to say, it wasn’t in any respect what I anticipated. My assumption was that there can be some type of film or interactive presentation that advised the historical past of witch trials with out sensationalizing or over-dramatizing the satan worship/witchcraft facet because it was later confirmed to be all a falsehood began by a gaggle of women that have been both bored or caught up in mass hysteria.

As an alternative, after we entered the presentation we have been seated in chairs set surrounding a witch’s circle in crimson on the ground within the heart. The lights exit and the soundtrack comes on, lighting up a sequence of dioramas on the outskirts of the room. The presentation begins out by highlighting a statue of Devil with a creepy voice speaking about satan worship and witchcraft — dramatic and a bit a lot for youthful children.

It then goes on to speak briefly about how they assume the rumors of witchcraft began, the trials, the circumstances within the prisons, and the way the accused have been tortured after which hung or pressed to demise. It concluded with a dialogue about how the accuser later recounted and the victims have been declared harmless.

After the presentation, the group moved to a second space the place we have been advised in regards to the historical past of witches and the perceptions of witches by means of the ages and reminded how “witch hunts” of varied types nonetheless happen immediately. After chatting with my daughter after our go to, we each agreed that we wouldn’t advocate it for teenagers underneath 10, relying on their maturity and the way simply they scare.

The Salem Witch Museum is situated at 19 1/2 Washington Sq. North, Salem, Massachusetts and is open day by day 10 am – 5 pm, with longer hours in the summertime and through Haunted Happenings. Similar-day tickets are offered on-line solely starting at midnight.

Peabody Essex Museum

The Peabody Essex Museum ought to be in your “must-visit” listing for our day in Salem with children. The roots of this museum return to 1799 and the East India Marine Society, and far of the artwork discovered on the PEM displays these roots, with a wide array of maritime artwork together with mannequin ships, maritime artifacts, and artwork objects from Asia, Oceania, India, and elsewhere.

The Maritime artwork and historical past have been attention-grabbing, however I actually beloved how nicely the Peabody Essex appealed to households. The Dotty Brown Artwork & Nature Heart has hands-on actions, discovery drawers, video games and laptop stations, to have interaction and discover. Complimentary Gallery Discovery Kits sends children on treasure hunts all through the museum. Plus, children underneath 16 are free and there may be even a room for nursing moms.

The Peabody Essex Museum is situated at 161 Essex St in East India Sq..

The Home of Seven Gables

Side exterior of the house of the seven gables

Made well-known by American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel of The Home of the Seven Gables, this residence and grounds is now a Nationwide Historic Landmark District. In-built 1668 by service provider and shipowner John Turner I and his spouse Elizabeth Robinson Turner, you may be taught the complete historical past and tour the rooms of this historic residence on a guided tour.

Formally referred to as the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, same-day tickets can be found on website when not offered out, or they are often bought prematurely on-line.

The Home of the Seven Gables is situated at 115 Derby Avenue, Salem, MA

New England Pirate Museum

This small museum, situated only a brief stroll from the harbor or the Peabody Essex Museum, tells the distinctive and little-known historical past of New England sea-robbers. Guests can take a guided tour and discover pirate artifacts and genuine pirate treasures. You’ll stroll by means of a recreation of a colonial seaport, climb aboard a pirate ship, and discover an eighty foot cave.

Friends will find out about some 60 buccaneers on a 20- to 30-minute strolling tour. This museum is barely open from Could by means of October thirty first.

The New England Pirate Museum is situated at 274 Derby St, Salem, MA

Excessive Tea at Jolie Tea Firm

One of many particular issues I simply found to do in Salem with children is to get pleasure from excessive tea on the Jolie Tea Firm. This beautiful tea store presents a wide array of tea and pastries to in-cafe eating or to go. Nonetheless, the excessive tea arrange is just darling and such a memorable prime off to your time in Salem.

The Jolie Tea Firm presents a Kids’s Excessive Tea at Jolie on Friday afternoons for kids 6-12. It’s also possible to make customary excessive tea reservations at different occasions.

The Jolie Tea Firm is situated at 316 Derby Avenue, Salem, MA

Salem Witch Memorial

Devoted in 1992, the Salem Witch Memorial consists of 20 benches, every engraved with the identify, date of execution, and methodology of execution for every of the wrongly condemned. Exterior the memorial, you will discover a plaque with the phrases of the victims engraved on it. Close by, you may stroll by means of the Outdated Burial Level and Constitution Avenue Cemetary.

It may be a bit spooky visiting right here at night time and I can see why individuals into ghost excursions would get pleasure from coming to Salem.

The Salem Witch Memorial is free to enter and is situated at 24 Liberty St, Salem.

The Witch Home

The Witch Home, which was the previous residence of Decide Jonathan Corwin and is among the few buildings you may go to in Salem with direct ties to the Salem witch trials of 1692. That is additionally the place Roger Williams, founding father of Rhode Island, as soon as stayed earlier than being ousted from Massachusetts.

You possibly can take a self-guided tour of the home, however what many individuals love to do is take a fall photograph in entrance of the home because it offers these good spooky, hocus pocus vibes.

The Witch Home at Salem is situated at 310 Essex St, Salem, MA

Our day in Salem, MA positively bewitched us…nevertheless it was the Friendship, the Wharf, the Peabody Essex, and this quaint colonial seaside city that captivated us…not the witches.

If you’re visiting Salem with teenagers, they could have an interest within the Salem Witch Village, which is guided by a training witch and covers the myths and the details surrounding legends of witches and their craft. You could possibly additionally attempt the Salem Wax Museum. Personally, I discover all wax museums a bit creepy in order that isn’t my cup of tea.

You could possibly additionally attempt a Salem ghost tour with teenagers or you may attempt a self-guided tour of Salem’s Hocus Pocus filming areas.

The place to Eat in Salem, MA

Yellow building of America's Oldest Candy Co.

If you’re hungry for some seafood, head over to Pickering Wharf to Finz Seafood and Grill for a lunch of lobster mac n’ cheese, a lobster roll, calamari, or oysters. On the Wharf, you can too attempt Longboards Restaurant and Bar or Sea Degree Oyster Bar, all of which provide some waterfront views.

If you’re in search of one thing a bit extra informal, cheap, and family-friendly, you may additionally attempt Witch’s Brew or Mercy Tavern for sandwiches, salads, and burgers. It’s also possible to attempt Notch Brewing and Biergarten for a energetic environment.

Bit Bar is one other nice alternative with children because it presents traditional arcade and pinball video games together with consolation meals, and a full bar.

For treats, cease into the Ye Olde Pepper Companie, America’s oldest sweet firm, close to the Home of Seven Gables, or Goodnight Fatty, a cookie bakery close to the Salem Witch Museum.

Often Requested Questions

Is Salem, MA good for teenagers?

Whereas Salem, MA is understood for the Salem Witch Trials and the Haunted Happenings which happen in October, there are many different issues to do in Salem with children together with the Peabody Essex Museum, the Salem Maritime Nationwide Historic Website, the Pirate Museum, excessive tea at Jolie Tea Firm, and video games on the Bit Bar. I might advocate avoiding visiting in October when the city could be very crowded with guests in search of all issues witchy.

Is Salem Witch Museum too scary for teenagers?

I might not advocate the Salem Witch Museum for younger youngsters underneath 10 or these which might be delicate to scary film scenes or subject material. Many of the museum isn’t scary however the preliminary dramatic presentation about satan worship and sorcery is a bit a lot. We went when my delicate daughter was 10 and he or she didn’t like that in any respect and didn’t discover the remainder of the museum significantly attention-grabbing both.

What number of days in Salem is sufficient?

Salem makes an ideal day journey from Boston or neighboring areas. Except you wished to take a night ghost tour and also you have been coming from distant, you don’t want to remain in a single day until you need to go to greater than three sights. In a weekend, you may simply see all Salem has to supply. If you happen to do resolve to remain in Salem, you can too go to close by cities of Gloucester, Rockport, and even Newburyport.

What have been the Salem Witch Trials?

In 1692, 20 harmless women and men have been put to demise as a result of they have been believed to be witches. Whereas this short-term outbreak of hysteria and witch looking was tragic, it pales compared to the variety of “witches” burned on the stake or tortured in Europe through the early Fashionable Interval, but it’s a stigma and a historical past that has hung over the city ever since. These witch trials, which have been portrayed in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, overshadow the city’s wealthy historical past as an vital seaport.

The place to Keep in Salem

Exterior of the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem

If you happen to resolve to remain in a single day in Salem, the Hawthorne Lodge is a good possibility in a central location inside straightforward strolling distance to all the primary sights. One other good possibility for waterfront views and quick access to the Maritime Website, Home of Seven Gables, and the seaport space is the Salem Waterfront Lodge & Suites.