Visited: Saturday, August 26th, 2012
We'd planned to visit Salem Maritime earlier in our journeys, but for various reasons had put it off. And - it wasn't really worth the wait. I was particularly disappointed that a significant portion of the visitor center was focused on - the witch trails, and on general Salem tourism. I strongly suspect, based upon the information that was available, that a better job (defining better as better-for-me) could be done with the site. I'd love to have seen more information about the history of trade coming from Salem; some of the stories hinted at were fascinating.
But, on the whole, it's one of the less interesting sites I've been to. I suspect a greater interest in the witch trials would have helped. And not getting a migraine at the end of the trip couldn't have hurt. But still - Saugus Iron Works is a _far_ better option, nearby.
I agree, a witch-free Salem would be a fascinating place to visit. I always wonder if the people who persecuted the supposed witches in Salem would have believed that the longest-lasting result of their work was boosting a particular aspect of Salem's tourism. :-)
ReplyDeleteI suspect that the tourism result would be the least of their concerns... B^)
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