salem maritime national historic site

881carrieb

Stop here to get my National Parks passport stamped. Nice little museum and a worthwhile stop while you are in Salem.

ygNYC

This site is an essential part of maritime and US trade history. It's also very pretty with great views of the harbor, lighthouse, and a historic ship.

Jeeptimetrav

I have been to Salem Massachusetts many years ago. This time I wanted to get more of a perspective on the maritime aspect that made Salem an important economic area. For the tours you must sign up at the NPS Visitors center. On this particular tour, I went into the Derby and Narbonne Houses.Like always the NPS Ranger Guides are outstanding. The Derby house represents that of a shipping owner and Narbonne house represents that of that of worker and his family. The 2 houses shows the difference in the classes during those early years. The Ranger present a wealth of information on how Salem developed into a huge shipping area that rivaled Boston. Other tours, you can view the Custom House and other areas of the Historic Site. You can also download onto your smartphone self guide audio tours of the area. Walking around the waterfront area is wonderful. At this NPS site, their are no restroom facilities at the present time. You will have to use the visitors center or a local business. Their is more to Salem's history than witches.

401AlexW

Actually there is not much to see. The sailing ship Liberty is there and that is worthwhile. They are closing the exhibit showing ship hardware, rope, etc. which is too bad. The piers are a nice walk out to the lighthouse and views of the harbor.

MLSwift64

If you're a history buff, there's no better place to visit than Salem, with the Maritime National Historic Site topping the list of sites.

TravelGirly23

We toured the Friendship and the Customs House. What a wonderful afternoon! Our guide was absolutely the best but I unfortunately don't remember his name. We were provided with lots of information about the sipping industry of Salem which many people aren't familiar with. Our guide answered all questions and really got the group involved. It was a a great tour.

TWINSPORTS

Heading out of Boston last month - to Acadia NP - we stopped for the day in Salem MA and really had a full day. From the old ships to the storage warehouse to the Visitors Center (btw, best restrooms around) to the period-style eateries, Salem NP has very much to offer for kids of all ages.

20rogerb

Although the park and ship were nice, the hours that you could visit the Friendship and Custom House were too limiting. It was by appointment only on certain days. Disappointing!

Cheersfornow

We took our relatives from Wales on two tours - one of the Customs House, where Nathaniel Hawthorne worked, which was the place where the early American republic garnered import tariffs in order to run the country.Our second tour was of the replica of the Friendship, a three masted ship.Salem, in the 1700's was one of the wealthiest towns in America. There were maybe as many as a hundred millionaires in 1700's dollars. These people were ship's captains, ship owners, importers and exporters.This side of Salem is a lot more interesting than all the witch stuff, which in retrospect, is actually a black mark on the CIty.

SherryH334

My husband & I had been looking forward to visiting this attraction. When we got there, we found out that now it was required that one stop at the Salem Visitor's Ctr to sign up for tours. This was not mentioned in any info, we were very disappointed that we had gotten to the ship and couldn't tour it. I would suggest checking before going to see if this rule still applies. We were told it was due to cut backs. What we did see of it, it's a beautiful ship.

SizzlingSkies

We toured the ship. It was a good tour and it was fantastic that it was free. If you are looking to do something besides just witch trial stuff in Salem, take this tour. Make sure you sign up for it at the visitor's center or they will not let you on the ship.

CatieG630

Seeing the U.S. Friendship was cool, I like that you can board and tour the ship for free. Worth a walk over here. Also, Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie is nearby and is worth visiting/ buying some chocolate.

GwenM100

The Friendship ship is such a gorgeous ship. There was a very nice Park Service employee answering any and all questions.

NCEGirl

Loved seeing the ocean and walking around on this big gorgeous replica of the sailing vessel "Friendship." There are authentic artifacts on site too.

emilyc650

I have been to Salem, MA many times, but with the occasional exception for a stop at the visitor's center to use the facilities, a this was my first time to Salem Maritime Historic Park. What they had wasn't bad. There was the Friendship which was a replica of an early 19th Century merchant vessel that used Salem as a home port. There was a knowledgeable interpreter on the vessel discussing on how it was operatedthere was also a few buildings including the old customs house that visitors can tour, the park rangers there gave short informative talks. Part of the shoreline with some informational panels were also part of the park.Hours were rather limited, and one of the buildings was closed for renovations.Not a mandatory stop in Salem, but not bad if you have the time.