Things To Do
Peabody Essex Museum
True to the spirit of its past, PEM is dedicated to creating a museum experience that celebrates art and the world in which it was made. By presenting art and culture in new ways, by linking past and present and by embracing artistic and cultural achievements worldwide, the museum offers unique opportunities to explore a multilayered and interconnected world of creative expression. It has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating and collecting museum in the United States.
The House of the Seven Gables
For more than a century, The House of the Seven Gables has been a welcoming, thriving, historic site and community resource that engages people of all backgrounds in our inclusive American story. Hawthorne’s visits to his cousin’s home are credited with inspiring the setting and title of his 1851 novel, “The House of the Seven Gables.”
The Witch House at Salem
Witch House was the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin (1640–1718) and is one of the few structures you can visit in Salem with direct ties to the Salem witch trials of 1692.
Salem Witch Trials Memorial
Located just off Charter Street, on Liberty Street, is Salem’s simple yet dramatic memorial to the 20 victims of the witch trials of 1692. Four foot high granite walls surround three sides, with granite benches representing each victim cantilevered inward from the wall. Etched on each bench is a name, means of execution, and execution date. One can read, on the stone threshold of the memorial, words of the accused taken directly from court transcripts. Visitors will note that the words – among them, “God knows I am innocent” – are cut off in mid-sentence, representing lives cut short and indifference to the protestations of innocence.
Salem Witch Museum
The Salem Witch Museum examines one of the most enduring and emotional events in American History, the Salem witch trials of 1692. The museum consists of two presentations. The first provides an immersive look into the events of 1692. Visitors experience the drama of that dark time though thirteen life-size stage sets, figures, lighting and narration as they are witness to the web of lies and intrigue of the Salem witch-hunt.