Salem, Massachusetts
Salem Maritime National Historical Park
Photo: Susana M. Tejada, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A half-mile wharf into Salem Harbor with a little solar-powered lighthouse at the end, and the Custom House where Nathaniel Hawthorne worked.
Written for ages 3–12.
Researched from this park's own sources. Nobody's walked it yet.
Read this bit out
Ships used to tie up right here, loaded with goods from around the world. The Derby family kept making this stone wharf longer until, in 1806, it reached half a mile out into the harbor. The little lighthouse at the end still flashes red every six seconds, and now it runs on sunshine. Behind you, the Narbonne House was built in 1675, more than 350 years ago.
One of your three free places, or the Explorer Pass. What that costs
Before you go
- Time there
- Plan on about an hour and a half at the park.
- Parking
- No park lot of its own; NPS points drivers to Destination Salem for parking. The visitor center is at 2 New Liberty Street. Every building and program is free.
- Underfoot
- Derby Wharf and the park grounds are open around the clock, and NPS says all walkways are accessible. The historic buildings open Wednesday to Sunday in season, but every challenge here works from outside.
- Stroller
- A stroller is fine here.
- Bathrooms
- Bathrooms, but only in season.
25 challenges written for this place
A game deals seven to fifteen of them, so no two visits are alike.
6 things to spot, 5 things to work out and 3 ways to find your bearings.
Every game includes this one
The Little Lighthouse
Walk right out to the end of the long stone wharf and find the little lighthouse.
A few of the others
A Light That Runs On Sunshine
This lighthouse runs on sunshine now. Work out how that can possibly work when it only has a job at night.
Where The Land Runs Out
Stand at the very end of the wharf, turn around, and look at the whole town from the water.
Giant Steps Down The Wharf
Walk down the wharf taking the biggest steps you can, counting out loud the whole way.
The Little Brick Building
Find the little brick building that held the scales for weighing everything coming off the ships.
The Writer's Office
Find the big Custom House, where the writer Nathaniel Hawthorne once worked. Work out what his job was.
They Moved A Whole Warehouse
One building here was moved all the way from the next town over. Work out how you move a whole warehouse.
The rest are a surprise — that's the whole point.
Also around Salem
Salem Willows
Salem
A long, narrow park on the water at the tip of Salem Neck, with a new fishing pier, a historic avenue of trees, and the willows it is named for.
Winter Island
Salem
Fort Pickering's 1643 earthworks, a lighthouse at the tip, a beach, a campground and a path along Cat Cove, at the mouth of Salem Harbor.
Play this at Salem Maritime National Historical Park
Free. Works with no signal once you're there.