Museums/Historic Sites
Salem’s premier historic site located on the Harbor! Discover 350 years of stories as you experience this museum and collection of historic buildings. When you arrive at The House of the Seven Gables (a National Historic Landmark District), professional guides will warmly greet you for an unforgettable historical experience.
Immerse yourself in the stories of Real Pirates! The family-friendly pirate experience features the true tale of “Black Sam” Bellamy – the richest and one of the youngest pirates of all time – and Maria Hallett, the love of his life and so-called “Witch of Wellfleet.”
During the early 1700s, Bellamy captured the infamous slave ship Whydah, as well as more than 50 other ships, earning him the nickname the “Prince of Pirates.” Meet the crew and follow their journey as they seek fortune on the high seas, amass the greatest pirate treasure of all times, and ultimately meet their untimely fate when the Whydah sinks in a violent Nor’easter off the coast of Cape Cod
See the world’s only fully authenticated pirate treasure ever discovered – including coins, jewelry, and weapons – retrieved from the wreck, and last touched by the hands of pirates more than 300 years ago.
PEM is the place to come for enjoyment, enrichment, sharing with family and friends, and creative stimulation.
We gain exciting insights about ourselves and other cultures through special exhibitions, weekend festivals and family art-making programs. You are vital to the equation. Your experiences shape the art you look at and the performances you watch, making them more meaningful and transformative.
The Salem Maritime National Historic Site is a National Historic Site consisting of 12 historic structures, one replica tall-ship, and about 9 acres of land along the waterfront of Salem Harbor in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem Maritime is the first National Historic Site established in the United States.Wikipedia
Life-size stage sets, exhibits & tours exploring the 1692 Salem witch trials, plus witchcraft today.
The mood is set from the moment you enter the Witch Dungeon Museum. You are there - in Salem Village in 1692, and you are guaranteed a unique educational experience with a chill or two. You'll experience the acclaimed performance of a Witch trial adapted from the 1692 historical transcripts. Professional actresses in repertory reenact the electrifying scene. Welcome to Salem Massachusetts, where in the year 1692 something very unusual took place. The Reverend Parris' daughter Betty and Niece Abigail began acting very strangely. The minister asked Dr. Griggs to examine the girls, but he could not find anything wrong with them. Abigail and Betty continued their strange behavior and other children began to copy them. Here are some of the odd things they did: Some children would bark like a dog, others would throw themselves on the floor and have fits. One child tried to crawl into the fireplace. Another child said the Devil was after her. The adults now believed that the Devil had come to their little village. The children began to say that some of the people in the village were witches and had cast spells on them. The villagers gathered at the meeting house to find and punish the people who were bewitching the children. The children began to accuse their neighbors. They said they were witches. Fear spread through the village. The Devil had come to Salem. The trials lasted for thirteen months. One hundred and fifty-six people were accused. Nineteen were hanged. One man was pressed to death. Two dogs were hanged because the children said they gave them the "evil eye".
Built in 1930 to mark the tercentennial of Massachusetts, Pioneer Village is America's first living history museum. The village sits on three acres of land and contains various examples of colonial architecture: dugouts, wigwams, thatched roof cottages, and the Governor's Faire House. Culinary and medicinal gardens and a blacksmith shop further interpret early 17th-century colonial life.
Pioneer Village is nestled between the woods and the ocean, a ten minute drive from downtown, in Salem's Forest River Park.
The Salem Wax Museum, celebrating over 25 years, and Salem Witch Village are adjacent to the Witch Trials Memorial and the Charter Street Burying Point. Each boast gift shops with maritime gifts, confectioneries, books, T-shirts, and Pagan & Wiccan supplies. They also host the Haunted Neighborhood during October with 6 of Salem, Mass's best attractions.
The Jonathan Corwin House in Salem, Massachusetts, known as The Witch House, was the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin and is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the Salem witch trials of 1692, thought to be built between 1620 and 1642