Salem

Once a more important port than Boston, and the center of America's prosperous China Trade, Salem retains much of its 18th- and 19th-century architecture, with entire neighborhoods of imposing homes that were built for successful merchants and sea captains. Retained, too, are memories of its grimmer early history as the scene of the Salem Witch Trials. Several of the finest homes are open to tour, furnished with generations of fine antiques and with decorative arts brought from the Far East.

The 1727 Crowninshield-Bentley House and the 1684 John Ward House are part of the outstanding Peabody Essex Museum, whose art and historical collections highlight maritime subjects, the China Trade, and Asian arts. Among its treasures is a fully furnished original 18th-century house from China's Huizhou region. The Salem Maritime National Historic Site includes the docks, a replica sailing ship, the Customs House, warehouses, exhibits, the historic Pickering Wharf, and two historic homes. The fastest and most convenient way to get to Salem from Massachusetts is on the Boston to Salem High Speed Ferry, which departs Boston's Long Wharf and arrives in Salem within a few steps of the House of the Seven Gables.

Location: Essex County, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States

Website: https://www.salem.org/

Distance from Delaware: 35 miles

Travel time: 40 minutes

TripAdvisor Review: 3,016 reviews