Salem Heritage Trail
About
The Salem Heritage Trail is a self-guided walking route that links many of Salem’s historic sites, museums and neighborhoods through more than 400 years of history. Marked today by a yellow line, it covers themes including local Indigenous Peoples, Colonial Salem and the 1692 witch trials, the Age of Sail, industrial heritage, abolitionism and African American stories, immigrant experiences, religious diversity and contemporary Salem.
The trail was created in the 1980s and, inspired by Boston’s Freedom Trail, was first marked with a red line painted on city sidewalks. In 2020 it was reimagined with a renewed focus on inclusivity and community engagement, switching to the yellow line and expanding its connections. The route runs through downtown to the edge of the McIntire Historic District and along the Essex Street pedestrian way to Derby Street and the waterfront, passing sites like the Witch House and the House of the Seven Gables.
What to Know
- There is no official start or end point, so visitors can join anywhere.
- A mobile app guides walkers along the trail.
- A 360-degree virtual experience is available for people who can’t visit in person.
- Salem Common and the Roger Conant statue are among the stops.
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