Reviews of Salem Maritime National Historic Site (Park)

Leslie McEntire

My my my! What a wonderful place. We visited what seems like a long time ago but the memories are so fresh. I hope it’s still as amazing as it was then. I really recommend it. Everyone we encountered was so friendly and the history of the area was astounding. I hope to go back one day for fresh memories.

star bar

Such a cool place to wander round. Lovely old buildings, cute little shops. Nice views out from the jetties

Stephen Smith

If you have kids be sure to ask about the Junior Ranger program. It’s fun and they can get a Junior Ranger badge. It’s fun here and you get to walk on an actual ship and see what it would feel and look like. I recommend dropping by the Salem visitor Center first and watching their 30 minute video that explains the history of the town. It helps explain everything.

Ridhdhi Parekh

A nice spot for a casual day out on a summer day.. history dating back to the time when Boston and NYC harbors were being popular in comparison to the shallow waters of Salem.

S. Emery

A favorite!! The rangers are always very friendly and love the dogs.

Courtney

Rangers were wonderful and loved being able to go aboard nice informative attraction

Dick Harris

Historically important area, lots to do and see. Great opportunities for sea trips, great food, drinks and shopping

Jane Beecher

Wasn't open when we were visiting. However the area was vey pretty. Still enough to see in the locality to be entertained.

Mary Powers

History and Beauty wrapped into one

Fraida Levine

The shop is great for kids we even learned how to make a rope

Lisa Inlow

Great history!

Patricia Small

Had a perfect September day to finally see the old Customs House, warehouses, and the Friendship -- what there is of it. The information was fascinating, and the docent in the Customs House an able teacher. Very sad to see the derelict condition of both ship and house. The ship has been variously out for repairs over the last few years, and is still not done. Looks kind of woeful without her masts. And the paint inside the venerable old Customs House is peeling badly. It's just sad to see what is happening to historic monuments such as these due to the budget cuts to the National Park Service.

Bruce Caisse

We love the Salem waterfront. It is rich with history and natural beauty. Get out and walk these old streets and get in touch with old New England! For a wonderful maritime experience, take in a sail on the Fame Schooner docked at Pickering Wharf. The crew is awesome and you can help with raising the sails and even spend some time at the tiller! There are also some great seafood places on the waterfront.

Trevor Sands

Well maintained park. Hours are a little shorter that usual so make sure you get there with enough time (2 hours) to enjoy it all.

Alex Gueno

An interesting find on Salem! All you hear about Salem is the history of witches, it was refreshing to hear other facts about this part of Boston.

Liam Joyce

Very scenic area.

Joan Stearns

Ranger on board the Friendship was very helpful with handicap accessibility.

Stacy

Very scenic and historic area. Great for walks or to sit down and enjoy the views. Museum and restaurants are close by.

Tatyana Fill

Everything Salem gets 5 stars from me. I LOVE Salem!

Linda Q

Totally not worth the pit stop. There's really nothing to see there.

Jay Dunham

Great history, venue and National Park staff. Thank you.

g oChristopher Gessling

Loved it! Take your time & stroll around.

Bui Banh

Large complex, friendly and helpful staffs.

Arun Verma

Hailing from the land of maritime heritage where we have Portsmouth, Plymouth, Southampton as great world renowned maritime ports to name a few I have high expectations when it comes to Maritime heritage sites. Salem though falling short of the venue's I've already mentioned offered a lovely heritage maritime site with 'rangers' dotted around to provide insight and context to some of the sites and enjoyable albeit small site.

Stacie Rockhill

Went in February. Not much to see but in spring or summer it's probably great

Peter Badciong

Pretty cool, found some crabs on the beach

Allen Gitlin

Very interesting and informative.

Christine Scannell

Beautiful place to walk around.

Terry Tuttle

Just Cool to see

Nataly Kochetov

Historical site on the shore on Salem, if you come there drop in

Dan Noonan

Beautiful, and easy to navigate

Yuta Takano

Informative personnel, nice to get out of the center of Salem and witches for something a little different

Katie Stuempfle

Good place to go when it is a nice day. Small rocky beach, a cute little lighthouse, and sometimes the Friendship is docked there. Right next door is my favorite shop in Salem, Waite & Pierce.

Matthew Gavin

This is quintessential Salem, but damn do I miss our resident tall ship, the Friendship! Once it returns this will be an amazing photo opp again. In the meantime, it's fun to wander out to the small lighthouse and read about the history of Salem as you walk.

davduke8

Nice place & location... currently ships in dock for repairs. Take a walk out to the lighthouse it's all beautiful.

Van Gugi

Salem it is a really nice and sad history city.

Kristen Bruno

A neat little place with a nautical theme. Cashier was very knowledgeable in the history of Salem and was helpful in information on the ships I could tour and things going on in the harbor the day I went. Items in the store are pricey but very cool. They have model ships and small nautical gadgets, toys for kids, rope toys for dogs and a very cool collection of different teas. The store is worth stopping in and exploring

Deniz Bulut Ture

Lovely historic waterfront and period homes. It is definitely worth your time in visiting Salem. The waterfront area is very nice for sight seeing, just take a stroll along the jetty up to the little sea light. There is a little house for souvenir shopping with very helpful and knowledgeable clerks. It is a complete nautical site with the opportunity to get on board to explore Friendship of Salem and the visit the historical naval repair shop that has been transported from Marblehead.

Michael Martin

Wish they could finish the Friendship

Donna Hopkins

Excellent place to learn about Salem's true history! Great rangers.

Prashant Prashant

Great place to learn about early America. US PARK SERVICE runs it.

Paul Roche

A great place to take a family if you're in Salem.

Annette Szymula

Lovely seaside, historic buildings

Greg

Interesting history that history does teach us ahout Salem's shipping past

Ariel Beals

It was a cool building.

Adrian Alonso

Beautiful site and great background for pictures.

Siva Prasad

Interesting look at how things were in the past. The locations are free to visit and our tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly.

Will Koehrsen

A historical site with a variety of activities and attractions to check out. This is a good stop for anyone with an interest in maritime history.

Michael Peach

Great place love the gift shop.

love travel

Take ur kids to visit on Halloween. It magic

Stephen Feit

Wonderful colonial bildgs, Friendship Sloop, witch house, great place to visit.

Tracy Hershey

Not what I expected but a great learning experience

Joana ferreira

Nice walk out to the light.

Michael Metzler

Could be a lot nicer

Ronald Shekiro

Aweson

Sam Landry

Lotsa learning to be done here, you better believe it

Dizzy Dee

This city is a is a beautiful place to visit, play & live. I always felt/feel at home walking around no matter the time never feeling a need to look over my shoulder or like i needed to be in before dark like i do in Lynn. I lived in Salem for 7 yr during which I explored. There is way more history to Salem then just "Witch Trials". The tourist traps in town center are fun

SGP Versluis

Monument next to an nice pier and reconstructed boat. Nice views over the bay, and a mini lighthouse on the end of the pier.

Joel Richards

Enjoyed the visit. Friendship of Salem is worth the visit. Short walk to the Light Station. Wonderful views of the harbor.

Nope McKee

Nice visit. Not open on Mondays

Bill VanderClock

Really nice spot. Clean and great menu The beer selection is outstanding even if it is all from the same brewer.

Jeffrey McCarthy

ItS BEAUTIFUL AREA FOR a picnic, public restrooms

Beth O'Grady

Beautiful, historic waterfront serviced by the National Park Service. Check in at the visitor center for free daily tours of some of the homes in the park. Visit Custom House where Nathaniel Hawthorne once worked. Previously once of the busiest and richest seaports in America!

bridget highwood

A great starting point for a visit to Salem. Knowledgeable guides to point you in the right direction.

Jeff Phifer

Great 4th of July celebration and fireworks there tonight.

Robert Sanderson

Great to see a home used in a movies

Joseph Ogazie

Great sight to behold. Its natural and historical elements define the beauty.

Owen Saucyn

Very interesting, luckily not ruined by all the witches.

Chris Burden

Well kept cool boat

joe st. germain

Home of the Friendship of Salem. The 171 foot Replica of an East Indiaman ship. Great spot for a sight seeing walk with the wharf, restaurants and shops next door.

Lola Torres

I literally got up at 6 every morning to go for a daily walk in this area. It was the most peaceful and educational walk I've ever had. These areas are generally open so that you can stroll through and learn the history of the Salem Maritime area. Highly highly highly recommended!

M. Ryan Groff

My kids remarked "wow, I didn't know we had any significant landmarks near us!" after I explained that it was a national historicl site. The custom house is visible right from the warf. It's a beautiful stop on a stroll through one of America's earliest and most influential trading ports.

Melissa Pike

This place is really cool. Got to walk the Derby Wharf and learn about the trades that took place there. The water is so calming and I love the boats. Didn't have a lot of time due to meetings but the area is absolutely beautiful and I'd like to visit again.

Salvatore Aluia

Great food, vegetables, fruit etc. A lot to choose fron

Maurice Ancona

Beautiful, quite location with a long walkway out onto a harbor and within walking distance of House of Seven Gables and other historic sites.

Andrew Remillard

Loved walking around and enjoying history

Melissa Leahigh

Really cool spot to visit. Getting to walk through the shop was really awesome. Our teenagers actually enjoyed the whole thing.

Kathy Lee Futchko

Stunning views and great to just spend a afternoon walking around.

annette grams

It's there and the kiosk are nice. Lacking in public seating and minimum maintenance of lawn. There is so much potential here. Like artist shacks or a few flowers or shrubs. Currently the ships mast is off the boat and horizontal on the ground

Jose Lona

A very nice view of the sound and great picture opportunities.

windy stringer

Very nice national park hopefully the boat will be back soon for tours but very well maintained park .Friendly and helpful staff who enjoy talking about thete surroundings.

Andrew Stephens

A lovely walk with history

A F

There are always dogs to pet and cool boats and the lighthouse is haunted so what's not to like.

Teresa Graham

This place amazed and educated me at the same time. It took me back in time. The spicy scent that lingers in the customs building is a wonderful reminder of when they shipped in crates of tabacco, tea, pepper, cinnamon and other spices from exotic ports.

C Patterson

I loved it here! Had such a.good time. I recamend it highly.

Lisa C

Great place to site see also relax much to do

lisa walsh

The park rangers are engaging and friendly. The ship is being restored (it's actually a replica) and the rangers will tell you what they are working on and why it is significant. One ranger was working on making a bag the day we were there and he walked us through the process and why he was doing it. Tour the ship and the building. Kids 8-12 would really enjoy the ship. Especially all of the ropes and sails because they can actually touch them since they are replicas.

Emil C

Lovely place

David Ashton

Oceanside park and historic maritime outdoor museum + The Custom House where Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote part of his novel The Scarlet Letter and served a surveyor during the early Victorian Era.

Brandon P

A fun area to visit to be able to walk around and see many many sailboats and other ships in the bay. A lot of little shops all around as well as small restaurants to visit with the family and kids. What are the nicer areas of Salem as well as a big area for the whole witch theme.

Nikolaus Odermatt

Nice spot to walk out on the pier at night

Debbie Blatt

The tour guide was very knowledgeable. Wish there was more there.

Amy Manzano

Good walking experience with good shops!

Corrie Hermans-Webster

A great location. It is a beautiful place to look out and see the water. Perfect spot for pictures and enjoying the view.

mary ellen hussey

Kids liked finding the lighthouse and reading about the history. Nice out door activity lots of walking

Colleen Dion

Thought there was a museum the way it is misrepresented by signage. There is sadly no ACTUAL museum, just a gift shop .

Regina Young

I loved it

David Mau

Great place to visit. Wish I saw more can't wait to get back and see the rest my.

William Baker

Alot of fun and information.

Douglas Smith

Great views

Megan Nicolace

Beautiful location. Not much to do, though.

Finley 42

Fun but a lot of walking

David Gurevich

It's good, 40 minute of total presentation time. We'll presented and clear. If you like history you will like this.

Nayeem Hussain

Good place to visit..

David Merson

Best place in Salem for a view.

Susan Zangari

Nice place to walk take in the boats n sea air.

Wim 6

Great place to visit! Docents were so helpful! Loved it!

W Sleiman

Salem in general is too depressing for a family outing. Seems to be strictly for older folks and the gothic crowd. Nothing original but the cemetery, rest is simply a witch themed incense store!!

Waseem Kawaf

Scenic walking area

Sherry Hankinson

It's essentially a gift shop with varying degrees of boats/ships modeled and talked about. The real attraction there is the older gentleman who sits at the help desk. He gave us directions to the must see places. There is a huge parking deck right beside it, $6 for all day.

Debra Patterson

Very peaceful way to spend some time and learn at the same time.

William Kottner

Nice area to stroll, free to tour a reproduction of a 1700s trading 2 masted schooner, the national forest rangers were exceedingly friendly, helpful and informative. Spent a very enjoyable 30 minute period here.

Rhonda Usry

Great history. Really enjoyed it.

SD Kowalski

Spent a perfect day walking around the area.

Ruanjsan Law Firm

Great place to see and learn about Salem's port authority. The park rangers were friendly and informative. They're passionate about the rich history of the town and are more than willing to engage in discussion about the various sites. The best part about the entire experience was that admission was free! Definitely worth a visit the next time you're in Salem.

Rob Heydt

Very interesting little place full of history

JaR-Dz Insanatorium Adventures

I'm in love with Salem's history, friendliness, out of this world views, museums, cemeteries, EVERYTHING!!! I can not get enough of this place. I have been 7 times in 9 months and STILL haven't seen it all!!!

Scott Looney

Nice outdoor festival. Easy walkable place loaded with history.

Shantida Oakheart

Beautiful. Smallest lighthouse I've ever seen, so cute. Great place for relaxing.

Carlos Rubio

The visit although short is worthwhile

H D M & B Heather Devaney

My best advice is to visit between November and April to avoid the crowds

Christine Abram

So happy we went to the Maritime park! The rangers were all very happy to share their knowledge of Salem’s history. If you’re thinking about visiting the House of the Seven Gables- the National Park tour, Customs House, and Friendship are an awesome way to round out your experience of Salem. Shout out to Peter the Park Ranger, our guide today, who made the 2:30 tour one of my favorite parts of visiting Salem!

Christy Wilkerson

Pretty cool to check out, parking is difficult.

Panny Shelton

Very relaxing place to sit and watch the boats.

Richard Fish

Don't miss the 4th of July here! The Hillyer Festival Orchestra and fireworks make it perhaps the best in Massachusetts!

Gena

Beautiful place, great view of the water and boats

waradmiral1937

This is a nice site to walk around. There are some historical shipbuilding artifacts, a historic building, and a nice walk out on an inlet to a lighthouse. I went on a warm fall day, good place to stroll around with the dog

Ao Liu

Worth a visit. Historical. Parking is hard to find though.

Jessica Marquis

Just beautiful

Jeremy Girouard

Great rangers! And an absolutely beautiful waterfront! A Salem MUST SEE!

Joey Goulas

We ran across this place while walking around and was pleasantly surprised. Very informative staff and very friendly.

Keith Haymon

Not enough ship's to see

Will Janowicz

Beautiful place to walk around at

Lois Devoe

Friend Ship not put together Yet! Why?

Bryan Perry

Neat place to walk around. It was pretty cool to check out the ship and the views were very beautiful.

walter metcalfe

Disappointing as the main attraction was away being refurbished

Maria Mock

A wonderful vantage point of the bay in the downtown area. A collection of buildings and houses to tour, wharves and a tall ship replica (was not present during this visit). Presents a slice of waterfront life from the past (check out the foundtrips pics). Awesome Ranger-directed tours.Double the experience by visiting in October for the various fantasy events (Festival of the Dead, Physic Fair, The Witches Ball, and locals and their pets on parade in costume).

apictor

I really enjoy our maritime history. Many ships were built here. It's a pitty the Friendship isn't in port but that shouldn't stop you from walking this area and absorbing some of New England's rich stories of trade, intrigue and piracy. Like any history not all of it is savory. We shouldn't hide it though or we won't learn from our mistakes. Salem has, over the years become a mult-cultural city that is accepting of all who come to live or visit here. So enjoy a leisurely stroll and get a feel for what has passed here. Our history.

Jared Biancardi

First time in nearly 40 years of living in the area that I've seen someone drive over the curb to park in the middle of the footpath by the lighthouse.

Joe Remy

I love the Maritime museum and all the friendly staff!

Luis Mendez

Excellente place beautifull people

Michael Nee

Good location in downtown Salem. Restaurants nearby. Expensive at $91 a night for a 26 foot boat not needing power hookup.

Ken Rattie

Great exhibit, fantastic for kids ... Hands on ...

Darren Hubbard

Pretty backdrop, and a fun little boat tour.

mary paille

That's a great place for a historical site and everything's just interesting

Faith Girdler

Fascinating sea-faring history!

Peter Goldsworthy

Pleasant old waterfront with decent signage. Nothing spectacular but worth a quick wander before stopping for a drink.

Susan Souza

Beautiful views. Definetely stop by.

Kate Ward

Such a nice little stop after walking around Salem all day...and found tons of sea glass here!

Charles Pugh

Not reall into witchcraft

Chris Elder

Salem is a very cool place to visit, with the occult vibe of New Orleans meshed with a northern seaport town vibe. I spent a few hours walking the city late at night, so I cannot attest to the experience of the museum, as it was closed. The little town has a lot to offer, with bars and restaurants and live entertainment going into the late hours on a Wednesday night.

Lindsay Morsillo

Beautiful place to celebrate 4th of July. Generally needs more trash receptacles.

Scott Pelletier

History lives here still today.

Theresa Hughes

beautiful place can walk all the way out on the pier to the light house

Lila Lewis

We parked here to go to the House of the Seven Gables. When we returned, we wondered what it was so walked around a bit. It turned out to be a mix of sights and placards along the pier that informed of the history of the dock and how some of the original settlers lived. The Customs House was once the source all income for the country. If you wonder around you there’s plenty to see, but I think there is a visitor’s center for those who have time to explore it all.

Angelica H

Always a beautiful way to spend my day by the water.

Michael Becker

Great historically significant spot or if that's not you're thing, great for a picnic! There are a bunch of places within walking distance to get take out

Suzanne Crawford

Great experience ! Loved the place !