Special Tours

 

Why is 13 an unlucky number?

 

Why is it bad luck for a black cat to cross your path?

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Why do we throw salt over our shoulders?

 

We still knock on wood, avoid walking under ladders and cringe if we break a mirror.

 

Learn about the origins of myths and superstitions and their influence on modern society.

 

Master storyteller Bob Gautreau will lead this fascinating tour that will get you contemplating why we do what we do. It might make you less superstitious or even more!

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Upon his death, Salem’s Nathaniel Hawthorne asked his friends and family to destroy their correspondence. Few did. The remaining letters will be brought to life in this 90-minute  walking tour that will take you through the Life, Loves and Locations of Salem's most celebrated author who is portrayed by writer/director Bob Gautreau (HBO, America's Got Talent). He will provide insights into the life of the introverted author that will make you chuckle and sigh. There are two acts with a ten minute intermission.

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Our country celebrates 101 years of women’s suffrage this August so we have put together a Salem Women’s Suffrage Tour. The guide will discuss the Declaration of Sentiments, the goals of the movement and the role of Salem women during the movement. Explore who was for suffrage and who was against it in the town that once targeted and executed women for witchcraft in 1692. Learn what famous visitors came to Salem to advocate for women’s right to vote, where they gave their speeches and what they said. Discover the role of women today in the city of Salem. The tour will bring you throughout the downtown area, stopping at historic sites with special significance.

 

Salem is a vibrant community rich in resplendent and varied architecture, spanning nearly four centuries. Explore our historic downtown and myriad architectural styles that are indicative of each century that so transformed this rudimentary colonial village into a thriving contemporary city.

You will visit several houses, including many on Chestnut Street where many merchants built their homes in the early to mid 1800s.

In addition to First Period Colonial and Federal architecture, Salem also has styles in Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, Victorian Gothic, Italianate and Colonial Revival styles.

From first period to post modern, many architectural motifs are well represented in splendid Salem. 

Pictured to the right is the Putnam-Balch House

 

Salem is the home of the world-renowned American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose novels and short stories are still read throughout the world today like The Scarlet Letter, House of Seven Gables, etc... Then there is Arthur Miller, who wrote The Crucible, and many other writers who made Salem their home and yet others who used our city as inspiration for their novels that have driven the imagination of many.

 

Come walk the Oulde Salem Seaport and learn how it used to look back in the 1700s and 1800s and compare how it looks today.  You'll walk where water used to be and be able to visualize the greatness of Salem during the Great Age of Sail.

 

Salem started as a community of strict Puritans, whose intolerance led to the witchcraft trials. Since then, the population has made a 180 degree change and is home to close to 30 churches and just about every religious denomination you can imagine. Some are still here but others have left. We also have the largest Wiccan community in the country. We'll tell you the history of many of the active churches and the previous churches as well as where they were located.