1. Salem Waterfront Hotel & Marina
City: Salem, MA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (978) 740-8788
Address: 225 Derby St.
Description: The waterfront location and views only slightly outshine the pleasant accommodations of this 6-story hotel, which features sunny rooms and a smart decor with contemporary furnishings, flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, and a soothing taupe and beige palette. The Regatta Pub is a cozy spot for a casual meal or late-night bite; then you can unwind in the indoor heated pool or hit the fitness room. You can’t beat the location on Pickering Wharf—Salem’s sites are just a short stroll away.
2. Scratch Kitchen
City: Salem, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (978) 741-2442
Address: 245 Derby St.
Description: This cheery 40-seat eatery is open for lunch and dinner, serving innovative sandwiches piled high on oven-fresh bread. It’s hard not to love the North Carolina–style pulled pork sandwich, and the cider-brined turkey with cranberry shallot marmalade and Gouda is a favorite of tourists. Check out the chalkboard for the wine and beer (draft and bottled) offerings to have with the house-cut fries with blue cheese fondue while you wait. Closed Mon.
3. Jaho Coffee & Tea
City: Salem, MA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (978) 744-4300
Address: 197 Derby St.
Description: If you need a jolt of java, the 2 Jaho Salem shops offer steady, reliable espresso drinks made from their own perfectly roasted beans. If you’re adventurous (and patient), Jaho offers pour-over, press, siphon, or Chemex-style by-the-cup preparation. Both branches are spacious with lots of cafe seating; a second location (60 Wharf St.; 978-745-8322) houses the roastery and has a more hipster aesthetic, while the Derby Street location has sidewalk seating, is open later (until 11 p.m.), and attracts a more varied cross section of customers. Both branches serve pastries, gelato, and sandwiches, too.
4. Harbor Sweets
City: Salem, MA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (978) 745-7648
Address: 85 Leavitt St.
Insider Pick:
Description: The bewitching aroma of rich chocolate is intoxicating at this small redbrick factory. This artisan New England chocolate maker has been churning out confections since 1973 and is best known for its iconic Sweet Sloops, a sailboat-shaped butter crunch covered in white chocolate with a dark chocolate hull. Public tours are given Tues and Thurs at 11 a.m. The store stocks a full array of Harbor Sweets chocolates and all visitors are offered a full-size chocolate sample. Closed Sun.
5. House Of The Seven Gables
City: Salem, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (978) 744-0991
Address: 115 Derby St.
Insider Pick:
Description: “Half-way down a by-street of one of our New England towns, stands a rusty wooden house, with seven acutely peaked gables facing towards various points of the compass, and a huge, clustered chimney in the midst.” As immortalized in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s spine-tingling novel The House of Seven Gables, there’s nothing staged about the spookiness of this house. Overlooking Salem Harbor, this rambling 1668 mansion was well-known to Hawthorne; at one time it belonged to his cousin Susannah Ingersoll. Tours of the house are by guided tour; save some time before or after to admire the neatness of the seaside parterre garden featuring colonial-era plants.
6. Salem Maritime Historic District
City: Salem, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (978) 740-1650
Address: 193 Derby St.
Insider Pick:
Description: Tea, rum, molasses, spices, and fish—at the height of trade with the Far East, between the end of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, as many as 200 cargo ships were seen daily in Salem Harbor. This harborside park includes 9 historic buildings and 3 wharves that tell the tale of Salem’s rich maritime history. At the visitor center see the orientation film and pick up maps and brochures for a self-guided visit or check the schedule for free ranger-led tours. Moored at Derby Wharf, the handsomest vessel in all of Salem Harbor is the Friendship, a wood replica of a 1797 three-mast square-rigged “East Indiaman” merchant ship. In the summer the boat is open for self-guided tours; during the rest of the year visits are restricted to those who take the ranger-led guided tour. In the early part of the 19th century, trade in pepper with the island of Sumatra made Salem the center of the world’s spice trade. Peruse the shelves at the West India Goods Store (164 Derby St.) for whole and ground spices from around the world to add some oomph to your cooking. The shop also sells Salem-related souvenirs, penny candy, and period trinkets.
7. Salem Witch Trials Memorial
City: Salem, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Insider Pick:
Description: Salem’s tribute to victims of the witchcraft hysteria was dedicated in 1992 and is located behind the Peabody Essex Museum. The small, shady park is surrounded by a low stone wall with 20 rough-hewn granite benches, each inscribed with the name and execution date of a victim. It’s a peaceful and contemplative place to consider the consequences of intolerance and justice gone awry.
8. Peabody Essex Museum
City: Salem, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (978) 745-9500
Address: 161 Essex St.
Insider Pick:
Description: Boston is not the only city in Massachusetts with a world-class museum. Founded in 1799, the Peabody Essex Museum is considered the oldest continuously operating museum in the country. PEM underwent an impressive expansion in 2003; the museum’s sweeping light-filled central atrium space evokes both ships and the sea. The museum is a treasure trove of artifacts, ship models, and paintings that tell the story of Salem’s golden age of maritime trade with the Far East, Africa, and Oceania. Recent blockbuster temporary exhibitions have included “Ansel Adams: At the Water’s Edge” and “The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City.” Be sure to visit Yin Yu Tang, a 2-story, 200-year-old home that was transported lock, stock, and barrel from China. Free family events, usually involving storytelling and drop-in workshops, are organized on weekends and school holidays. The museum is set to get even bigger when new galleries open in 2017. Open Tues through Sun (and some holiday Mondays).
9. Vic’S Boathouse
City: Salem, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (978) 745-3400
Address: 86 Wharf St.
Description: The liveliest happy hour on the North Shore may be at this Salem waterfront hangout where everyone seems to know everyone else’s name. Come more than once, and the bartenders will know your name, too. Vic’s is part of the Victoria Station restaurant; it offers a full bar with craft brews and a traditional pub menu with a few modern twists like flatbread pizzas and turkey burger sliders. There’s live music 3 nights a week and karaoke and open-mic nights the rest of the week. In warm weather the patio or the dock is the perfect excuse for an après-dinner drink (or two).