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    • Guided Tours

Guided Tours and Programs

Tours of Friendship are among our most popular offerings.

NPS photo

Our current schedule for September 2016, is as follows:

Visit the Custom House: 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM (10 AM to 4 PM Saturdays and Sundays)

Tour of the Derby House and Narbonne House at 2:30 PM (11:00 AM and 2:30 PM Saturday and Sunday) Reservations Required (limit of 8)

For reservations: Call: [phone]

Movies showing at the Visitor Center:

Where Past Is Present A history of Salem 27 minutes Shown at 9:25 AM, 10:15 AM, 12 PM, & 4 PM (Free)

To the Farthest Port of the Rich East Salem Maritime history 17 minutes Shown at 2:00 PM (Free)

Salem Witch Hunt A History of the Salem Witch Trials Shown at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM (prices: Adult $5.00 Seniors/kids $3.00)

The Friendship of Salem is currently undergoing repairs and routine maintenance at dry dock in Gloucester, Massachusetts. We hope that the Friendship will return to Derby Wharf by November 2016.

Tours, Films and Programs
For information on what's happening at the park call the Visitor Center at 978-740-1650. The Visitor Center is open daily from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

Guided Tour Descriptions
Free ranger-led tours and programs are offered year round. Tickets for tours are free, but require a reservation by calling 978-740-1650 or stopping by the Visitor Center on the same day of the tour.

Groups of 10 or more, should email or call 978-740-1662 to make an advance reservation. Visit the For Teachers page for information on our education programs. Salem Maritime also hosts special events in addition to regular programs.

The US Custom House in Salem

This self-guided tour visits the U.S. Custom House, built in 1819 to house the offices of the U.S. Customs Service. During the height of Salem's East Indies trade, the Customs Service in Salem collected millions of dollars of taxes on incoming cargo, providing vital financial support for the new United States government. For three years, this building was the workplace of the famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne's experiences during his stint in the Custom House inspired his most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter.

The Tall Ship Friendship of Salem

The Friendship of Salem is currently undergoing repairs and routine maintenance at dry dock in Gloucester, Massachusetts. We hope that the Friendship will return to Derby Wharf by October 2016. The Friendship of Salem is a replica of a cargo vessel built in Salem in 1797. The tour visits the main deck and 'tween deck of the vessel to learn about the men who sailed all over the world to bring exotic goods back to Salem during the height of the East Indies trade.

The Derby House and Narbonne House Tour

The Derby House and Narbonne House tour is a ranger led program that takes visitors through two distinctly different historic homes. Tours are limited to eight persons.

The 1762 Derby House was the first home of Elias Hasket and Elizabeth Crowninshield Derby. It is a beautiful example of a merchant's Georgian home, and is furnished to reflect the Derbys' 20 year-long residence in the house.

The Narbonne House, built in 1675, spans nearly 300 years of history as a home of successful businessmen and their families. The Narbonne House is unfurnished, and contains displays of some of the nearly 150,000 archaeological artifacts, which were excavated from the back yard.

Self-Guided Tours and Programs
Audio Tour
Listen to an audio tour and view maps of Salem's historic waterfront.

Walking Tours
View various self-guided walking tours and brochures.

 

 

Exhibit on Display: Climate Change and Salem Maritime National Historic Site

Located in the Visitor Center, "Climate Change and Salem Maritime National Historic Site," is a collaboration between silk painter/environmental planner Susan Quateman and photographer/designer Leslie Bartlett. The exhibit combines photographs, silk paintings, and the latest climate science research to tell the story of how climate change is affecting our national parks, including Salem Maritime. The exhibit will be up through December 2016. View the event brochure to begin thinking about this important topic. Interested in how the National Park Service is responding to climate change and what you can do to help? Learn more about climate change and your national parks.