Driving northeast out of Boston will take you up a little bit of the New England coast to Salem and Cape Ann, to places where you can take the kids out to sea on whale-watching cruises, visit one of the major landmarks of American literature, and see where suspicion and prejudice led to the infamous Salem witch trials.
In Salem, tours are available through most of the year for the original House of the Seven Gables made famous in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel. This Web site also has a handy history section outlining the events that shaped Salem and its place in the development of America.
And, of course, the city has a museum dedicated to the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, the community hysteria that led to the executions of 20 men and women.
But modern Salem also has other attractions for visitors, and Destination Salem supplies plenty of details under “Museums &Attractions,” including the Salem Maritime National Historical Site and more places connected to the witch trials. And given the city’s long ties to the sea, there’s a section with directories of boat charter outfits and whale-watching cruises. Destination Salem would like you to download the whole “Visitor Guide &Maps” but it’s a file long enough to try the patience of anyone with a slow dialup Internet connection, so you might want to order a copy by mail.
One of the places Destination Salem lists without much fanfare is the Peabody Essex Museum, which has major collections of New England art and architecture, Indian culture, and Asian art and culture. Explore “Exhibitions” and “Collections” for descriptions and photographs, and look for “Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese Home” for the interactive guide to a Chinese house that has been reassembled inside the museum.
Up the coast on Cape Ann, the city of Gloucester is the nation’s oldest fishing port, established in 1623. You” ll have to look for the tiny link to “Tourism,” hidden under the link to the mayor’s office. But once you’re there, you’ll find links to info on land and sea tours, campgrounds, whale watching and fishing.
Keep going to explore some of the rest of Cape Ann, a place to take the kids to the beach, treat yourself to shopping or a romantic dinner with fresh-off-the-boat lobster, or put everyone aboard a boat for a whale-watching tour. Shopping? Yes, art galleries, antiques shops and all your necessary beach wear and souvenirs. You might have seen parts of Cape Ann in some of your favorite films, including “A Perfect Storm” and “State and Main.” Click on “Arts &Culture” and look for the movies guide.
Roger Petterson, Associated Press
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