national park service visitor center

Darlene43

A great place to start your tour of Salem. They show a brief video of the history of Salem and another video (fee based) that explains some the history of the Salem Witch trials. Great introduction prior to venturing out on tours with or without a guide. I'd recommend a guide to give you ideas of some of the history which you can easily miss.

627georgec

It is worth stopping in here. They have information on everything that is going on in town.Friendly staff and a really nice facility.It was extremely helpful!They also have brochures neatly displayed with all the attractions in town. We found that really helpful.

bster48

We decided to go straight to the Center upon arriving in Salem.The street signs were confusing at best when you could find them. We were surprised to find there was no street parking available for visitors to the center but conveniently a municipal parking garage directly across the street. Our first experience with the dismal parking situation in Salem. The center was big and had sufficient material, but in my opinion not worth the driving effort to find. I was surpised that they like some of the other merchants didn't validate your parking ticket.

DawnI266

Although the tour we wanted to do was booked, they were very helpful with maps and questions. The gift shop had nice options. And I was told they have the cleanest restrooms.

237DavidN

New to the area we'd heard of Salem.So first stop the information centre. A big room and far too much space. I tried to log on to their Wi-Fi but couldn't connect. After a few minutes I went over and interrupted the two guy's conversation. " No we don't have WiFi. Try one of the cafes in town." "so what should we see in town?""oh, I'm late starting the movie. We have an introductory movie." If you watch that it'll get you started. It lasts 27 minutes, but there's a 45 minute documentary about the witch trials."We'll 27minutes sounded a long time but hey.It was a long time. We lasted til about 1850 before we fell asleep. No, honestly it was that dull.They seemed to have skipped over the witch trials in seconds.All in all a dismal introduction to a dull city.

Dadiva47

Good place to start a day in Salem. Staff are friendly and knowledgable with lots of info and guides available.

kenh140

We were on our last day of our 5 day salem trip before our flight back to Chicago, so we decided to stop in. We did EVERYTHING there was to do so we thought why not. It was alright. The gentleman behind the counter acknowledged us...(I think) or he could have been talking to someone else. He seemed a little grumpy. There were a few exhibits to see which were neat. And there was a movie that had a sign that cost 5 dollars per adult to see which we did not do. The gift shop has some cool things. But rather pricey. I mean I guess if you are in the area and want to stop in and take a look, I wouldn't say not too. But, I found it meh.

DaleAnnV

I went in late October when there was little parking, waiting times for the trolleys, lines/and or waiting times for most attractions,etc The people that work there are EXCELLENT giving tips on what part of the day to do attractions when less busy, and maps with highlighted directions for your particular choice of itinerary (sp?)

EG344

We did a free guided tour of the "Friendship", a replica of an old schooner which is docked at Pickering Wharf. The docent was very interesting and engaging. A week earlier, I did the "self-guided" walk-on tour, which I liked even better; there were very interesting and knowledgable docents posted at different stations throughout the ship to explain and answer questions. In either case, a tour of the Friendship is not to be missed! Highly recommend!

edwardl317

This is a good place to begin you exploration of Salem.Helpful, informative and one of the few things that is free.

cnfox1s

This is an extremely well-designed visitors center, not overwhelming, and conveniently located across from one of the main parking garages. As first time visitors to Salem, it was great to be able to walk right across the street, grab a street map, and get started on our walking tour. The people inside were very friendly as well, and the exhibits on display are a nice mix of maritime history as well as witch history. The gift shop is really nice as well!

439jimw

This is an excellent first stop for any visit to Salem.We were able to acquire lots of information that was very helpful throughout the day.Did not like the fee that was charged for the movie; I expect there are some families that miss this informative piece due to the $$$ to see it!

357gabyc

If you're new to town, definitely stop here first! They have plenty of information as well as friendly staff that can answer all your questions. The center also has some historical exhibits worth checking out while you're there. They also have a clean, accessible public bathroom in case you just arrived from a long road trip (as I did) and don't feel comfortable with using the portapotties around town.

NPT1975

I always try to stop in places like this. Help to support all the parks and historic places. Very welcoming and nice knowledgable staff. Nice little souvenir store. Brochures on any and everything. Clean bathrooms. Some exhibits that were helpful. Try to stop in and show your support.

813simons

Lots of good information and knowledgeable personnel. Nice gift shop. Good place to start your visit in Salem. They have good area maps.