22 Sights in Salem, United States (with Map and Images)

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Explore interesting sights in Salem, United States. Click on a marker on the map to view details about it. Underneath is an overview of the sights with images. A total of 22 sights are available in Salem, United States.

Sightseeing Tours in SalemActivities in Salem

1. The Witch House

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The Witch House chensiyuan / CC BY-SA 4.0

The Jonathan Corwin House, known locally as The Witch House, is a historic house museum in Salem, Massachusetts. It was the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin (1640–1718) and is one of the few structures still standing in Salem with direct ties to the Salem witch trials of 1692. Corwin bought the house in 1675 when he was 35 and when the house was still unfinished, and lived there for more than 40 years; the house remained in the Corwin family until the mid-19th century.

Wikipedia: The Witch House (EN), Website

2. Willamette Queen

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Willamette QueenDon Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it! / CC BY-SA 2.0

Since the early 1980s, several non-steam-powered sternwheel riverboats have been built and operated on major waterways in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, as river cruise ships used for tourism. Although configured as sternwheelers, they are not paddle steamers, but rather are motor vessels that are only replicas of paddle steamers. They are powered instead by diesel engines. The Lurdine was, when launched in 1983, "the first passenger-carrying sternwheeler in decades to [operate] on the Columbia River". In the case of the 1983-built M.V. Columbia Gorge, the construction and operation of a tourist sternwheeler was led by local government officials who viewed the idea as potentially being a major tourist attraction, giving an economic boost to their area, Cascade Locks, Oregon.

Wikipedia: Willamette Queen (EN)

3. Eco-Earth Globe

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Eco-Earth Globe Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives / Attribution

Eco-Earth Globe, sometimes referred to simply as Eco Earth, is an outdoor sculpture depicting a globe, located in Riverfront Park in Salem, Oregon, in the United States. Completed in 2003, the globe was converted from an acid storage ball with a 26-foot (7.9 m) diameter that previously belonged to Boise Cascade, a pulp and paper company. Conceived by Mayor Roger Gertenrich, the community art project was funded by community members. According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the sculpture "was an opportunity for students, and talented volunteers from Salem's art community to collaborate and create hundreds of ceramic icons that represent and teach about different cultures". Mary P. D. Heintzman, a local art teacher and artist, served as the project's art director.

Wikipedia: Eco-Earth Globe (EN)

4. Salem Diner

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The Salem Diner is a historic diner in Salem, Massachusetts. It is one of two Sterling Streamliner diners left in Massachusetts, and still stands at its original location. Designated car #4106, it was also one of the last made by the Sterling Company before it closed its doors in 1942. The diner body features a wood frame and porcelain enamel exterior. It has a metal hipped barrel roof, and its eastern end features a characteristic shovel nose. The roofline is decorated by a fin shape that serves as a backdrop for the diner's neon signage. It is mounted on a foundation that is predominantly concrete blocks, with some glass blocks interspersed. Its main entrance is centered on the long side, and is now sheltered by a modern glass vestibule added c. 1960.

Wikipedia: Salem Diner (EN)

5. Salem Maritime National Historic Site

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The Salem Maritime National Historic Site is a National Historic Site consisting of 12 historic structures, one replica tall-ship, and about 9 acres of land along the waterfront of Salem Harbor in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Salem Maritime is the first National Historic Site established in the United States. It interprets the Triangle Trade during the colonial period, in cotton, rum, sugar and slaves; the actions of privateers during the American Revolution; and global maritime trade with the Far East, after independence. The National Park Service manages both the National Historic Site and a Regional Visitor Center in downtown Salem. The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States Department of the Interior.

Wikipedia: Salem Maritime National Historic Site (EN), Website, Heritage Website

6. Mahonia Hall

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Mahonia Hall is the official residence of the governor of Oregon, located in Oregon's capital city, Salem. The building was acquired by the state in 1988 with private donations. It is also known as the T. A. Livesley House or Thomas and Edna Livesley Mansion, after its original owners. The house was renamed Mahonia Hall after the scientific name of the Oregon-grape, Mahonia aquifolium, Oregon's state flower. A naming contest was held by The Oregonian in 1988, and Eric Johnson, a 13-year-old from Salem, came up with the winning entry. Other finalists were The Eyrie, Trail's End, The Oregon House, and The Cascade House. Governor Neil Goldschmidt and his family were the first official residents.

Wikipedia: Mahonia Hall (EN)

7. Nathaniel Bowditch House

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The Nathaniel Bowditch House, sometimes called the Bowditch-Osgood House and the Curwen-Ward-Bowditch House, is a historic house and National Historic Landmark at 9 North Street in Salem, Massachusetts. With a construction history apparently dating to 1759–60, the house is distinctive as having been owned by three families important in the maritime history of Salem. Its landmark designation in 1965 stems from its association with Nathaniel Bowditch (1773–1838), the founder of modern navigation, who lived here from 1811 to 1823. The house now serves as the headquarters of Historic Salem, Inc., which was responsible for its rescue from demolition and eventual restoration.

Wikipedia: Nathaniel Bowditch House (EN), Heritage Website

8. Friendship of Salem

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The Friendship of Salem is a 171-foot replica of the Friendship, a 1797 East Indiaman. It was built in 2000 in the Scarano Brothers Shipyard in Albany, New York. The ship usually operates as a stationary museum ship during most of the year. However, it is a fully functioning United States Coast Guard-certified vessel capable of passenger and crew voyages, which makes special sailings during various times of the year. The Friendship of Salem is docked at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, established in 1938 as the first such site in the United States. The site, which includes several structures, artifacts and records, is operated by the National Park Service.

Wikipedia: Friendship of Salem (EN), Website

9. Salem Downtown State Street-Commercial Street Historic District

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Salem Downtown State Street-Commercial Street Historic District

The Salem Downtown State Street – Commercial Street Historic District comprises a portion of the central business district of Salem, Oregon, United States. Located on the Willamette River transportation corridor and near Jason Lee's Mission Mill, Salem's downtown area was first platted in 1846. Subsequent development patterns closely reflected the drivers of Salem's growth as an important agricultural and commercial center. Surviving buildings represent a wide range of architectural styles from the 1860s through the 1950s. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Wikipedia: Salem Downtown State Street – Commercial Street Historic District (EN)

10. Hallie Ford Art Museum

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The Hallie Ford Museum of Art (HFMA) is the museum of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is the third largest art museum in Oregon. Opened in 1998, the facility is across the street from the Oregon State Capital in downtown Salem, on the western edge of the school campus. Hallie Ford exhibits collections of both art and historical artifacts with a focus on Oregon related pieces of art and artists in the 27,000 square feet (2,500 m2) facility. The museum also hosts various traveling exhibits in two of its six galleries.

Wikipedia: Hallie Ford Museum of Art (EN), Website

11. Capitol Center

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The Capitol Center is a high-rise office building in downtown Salem, Oregon, United States. Finished in 1927, it was originally known as the First National Bank Building and owned by Salem businessman Thomas A. Livesley. The eleven story building was designed by architect Leigh L. Dougan and is the tallest office building in Salem. Located at State and Liberty streets it is part of Salem's downtown historic district and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as the Old First National Bank Building.

Wikipedia: Capitol Center (Salem, Oregon) (EN)

12. Canobie Lake Park

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Canobie Lake Park Canobie Lake Park / Fair use

Canobie Lake Park is an amusement park in Salem, New Hampshire, located about 31 miles (50 km) north of Boston. It was founded as a trolley park on the shore of Canobie Lake in 1902. Three local families currently run the park, which draws visitors from throughout the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions. Canobie Lake Park's age and history inspired author Stephen King to use rides and elements from the park in his Joyland novel. It is one of only thirteen trolley parks still operating in the United States as of 2021.

Wikipedia: Canobie Lake Park (EN), Website, Opening Hours

13. Peabody Essex Museum

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The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, US, is a successor to the East India Marine Society, established in 1799. It combines the collections of the former Peabody Museum of Salem and the Essex Institute. PEM is one of the oldest continuously operating museums in the United States and holds one of the major collections of Asian art in the United States. Its total holdings include about 1.3 million pieces, as well as twenty-two historic buildings.

Wikipedia: Peabody Essex Museum (EN)

14. First Church in Salem

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First Church in Salem is a Unitarian Universalist church in Salem, Massachusetts that was designed by Solomon Willard and built in 1836. Before the church was built, around 1635, its members had to gather in houses or a building near the Town House Square. The congregation claims to be "one of the oldest continuing Protestant churches in North America and the first to be governed by congregational polity, a central feature of Unitarian Universalism".

Wikipedia: First Church in Salem (EN), Website

15. Willamette Heritage Center

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Willamette Heritage Center

Willamette Heritage Center is a museum in Salem, Oregon. The five-acre site features several structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places including the Thomas Kay woolen mill, the Jason Lee House, Methodist Parsonage, John D. Boon House, the Pleasant Grove (Condit) Church. The houses and church were relocated to the mill site. The Center also includes a research library and archives of Marion County history.

Wikipedia: Willamette Heritage Center (EN), Website

16. America's Stonehenge

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America's Stonehenge is a privately owned tourist attraction and archaeological site consisting of a number of large rocks and stone structures scattered around roughly 30 acres within the town of Salem, New Hampshire, in the United States. It is open to the public for a fee as part of a recreational area which includes snowshoe trails and an alpaca farm.

Wikipedia: America's Stonehenge (EN), Website

17. Oregon Pioneer

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Oregon Pioneer Andrew Nealon + EncMstr / CC BY-SA 3.0

Oregon Pioneer, also known as Gold Man, is an eight-and-a-half ton bronze sculpture with gold leaf finish that sits atop the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Oregon, United States. Created by Ulric Ellerhusen, the statue is a 22 ft (7 m)-tall hollow sculpture. The gilded piece was installed atop the building in 1938 when a new capitol was built.

Wikipedia: Oregon Pioneer (EN)

18. Dr. John McLoughlin

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Dr. John McLoughlin

John McLoughlin, also known as Dr. John McLoughlin, is a bronze sculpture of John McLoughlin by Alexander Phimister Proctor and completed by his son Gifford MacGregor Proctor. One statue is installed at the Oregon State Capitol grounds in Salem, Oregon; another is installed in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection.

Wikipedia: Statue of John McLoughlin (EN)

19. Gardner Lake State Park

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Gardner Lake State Park John Phelan / CC BY 4.0

Gardner Lake State Park is a public recreation area occupying 10 acres (4.0 ha) on the southern edge of Gardner Lake in the town of Salem, Connecticut. The state park offers opportunities for boating, fishing, and swimming and is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Wikipedia: Gardner Lake State Park (EN), Website

20. Waller Hall

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Waller Hall

Waller Hall is a building on the campus of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, in the United States. Opened in 1867 as University Hall, it is the oldest higher-education building west of the Mississippi River still in use, currently housing the university's administrative offices.

Wikipedia: Waller Hall (EN)

21. Waldo Park

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Waldo Park is a municipal park, located in downtown Salem, Oregon, United States. It is one of the smallest city parks in the world, measuring 12 by 20 feet. The park consists of a giant sequoia surrounded by landscaping and marked with a plaque and sign.

Wikipedia: Waldo Park (EN)

22. Fort Pickering Light

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Fort Pickering Light

Fort Pickering Light, also known as Winter Island Light, is a lighthouse built in 1871 and discontinued by the Coast Guard in 1969. It was relit as a private aid to navigation by the City of Salem in 1983.

Wikipedia: Fort Pickering Light (EN), Heritage Website

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