Salem Maritime National Historical Park Park

Address: Salem Maritime National Historic Site, 160 Derby St, Salem, MA 01970, United States

Website: https://www.nps.gov/sama/index.htm

Hours: Visitor center hours vary seasonally; many outdoor areas open daily dawn to dusk.

Admission: National Park standard - free entry to many outdoor areas; paid tours and some historic house entries may charge (e.g., custom house/museum admissions vary).

Salem Maritime National Historical Park protects historic waterfront properties in Salem, Massachusetts, that illustrate the city’s maritime and seafaring past. It is administered by the U.S. National Park Service as a nationally designated historic park.

The park encompasses wharves, warehouses and interpretive museum spaces along Salem Harbor, with exhibits about shipbuilding, trade and daily life in the maritime era. Visitors can walk historic wharves, see period buildings such as the Custom House and view or board historic vessels tied to the park’s interpretation.

The park preserves structures and properties associated with Salem’s prominence in 18th- and 19th-century international trade and seafaring. The Custom House and other preserved buildings are interpreted to show the town’s commercial and maritime roles; the site is part of federal historic preservation efforts.

Located on Salem Harbor in Salem, Massachusetts, the park sits on the North Shore north of Boston and is integrated with the city’s downtown historic district.

• Maritime history: The park preserves maritime structures and waterfront properties that interpret Salem’s 18th- and 19th-century seafaring and trading history.
• Visitor services: A visitor center on the waterfront provides orientation, exhibits and information on walking tours of the historic district and wharves.

What to See#

• Derby Wharf: Derby Wharf extends into Salem Harbor and forms a primary historic waterfront feature with preserved wharf structures and waterfront access.
• Custom House: The Custom House, a historic brick building on the waterfront, interprets Salem’s maritime commerce and is associated with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s work there.
• Friendship of Salem (ship): The historic vessel Friendship of Salem, a replica of an 18th-century East Indiaman, is associated with the site and is berthed at the harbor near the park’s waterfront properties.

The park’s main visitor facilities are in central Salem. From Boston, take commuter rail (Newburyport/Rockport Line) to Salem; the station is a short walk from the historic waterfront. Driving from nearby towns follows Routes 1A/114; parking is available in municipal lots but can be busy in summer and during fall festivals.

• Begin at the visitor center on Derby Street (housing orientation exhibits) to pick up maps and tide schedules - some boardwalks are best visited at low tide.
• Take a guided tour of the historic Custom House or the Friendship of Salem replica when scheduled - the maritime interpretation is strongest with a guide.
• Wear insect repellent in summer: marshes and wharves can be mosquito-heavy at dusk.