Located on the corner of Peabody and Congress are the stacked containers and incredible art display…read morethat screamed totem. How happy to find out that is the title. The bright colors simply draw you in, powerful spirituality emanates. All the faces of spirit guides and ancestors seem to gaze upon you and your hope takes flight! Art can invoke so many emotions, so many images beyond what you are seeing with your own eyes. This one is a treasure. Title: Totem Where: Corner of Peabody and Congress Artist: Ledania Medium: Spray Paint Date: July, 2019

This is all Billy Bass gate and he lives in the bushes right outside the lobster shanty. This is…read moresome kind of lost public art but I'm not sure what they were going with but I like it. Salem has many weird unique awesome features and this is just one of them. This is just all Billy Bathgate hiding in the bushes looking out trying to scare children and the people to walk bye pretty cool

This mural is right next to the Policebots mural on the side of a parking garage off Congress St…read more The mask of the lady liberty's face is both disconcerting and insightful, the many figures of people turned in different directions- the combination of the two. Like all of us are Lady Liberty or none of us are- it's all fake. The Statue of Liberty is supposed to be the gateway for immigration- I can imagine the ships sailing past full of people who endured the seas to come to America. Land of the free where nothing is actually free. Wow~ that's a deep dive that just keeps going! I love art and all the thoughts it can provoke- even if some are not happy thoughts and feeling. Art that can get you thinking or feeling is powerful indeed. Untitled Where: 10 Congress St Artist: HYURO Medium: Acrylic Paint Date: July, 2019

An unexpected surprise! While not a particular fan of the horror genre there were so many nicely…read morecollated objects, models, masks and wax works of recognizable characters, from early Bram Stoker, Christopher Lee, all the at upto contemporary figures like the demagorgon of Stranger things fame. No pics allowed which somehow made it more enjoyable.

A Horror Fan's Dream Come True! As a massive Pet Sematary…read morefan, visiting this place was an absolute dream. The character Pascow used to haunt my nightmares, so seeing a photo actually signed by the actor completely blew me away! That incredible piece of memorabilia is what first caught my attention. It was so cool to see Stephen King's work honored alongside such a huge variety of different horror characters all brought to life under one roof!

Very informative about the salem witch trials. Began with a show of what a trial would look like…read moreand then shows what the dungeons would look like and talk about the accusations of the witch trials in salem.

This is a cute little performance-based museum. You see real actors alongside wax figures act out…read morethe Procter trial. Then you get to tour a dungeon that is replicated off of the original dungeons. The tour guide does a nice job going over the different cells and how you could pay to have more space. You could also pay to have hay to sleep on but most people couldn't afford it. It's a truly sad sight to see these dungeons that are based on real experiences.

Through out the United States, there is only a handful of registered Satanic Temples. And the…read moreSatanic Temple/ Art gallery in Salem Massachusetts does not disappoint. It was easy to make reservations for the visit, the temple is well managed, staffed, and maintained. They offered an excellent selection of swag and merchandise for the believers and haters alike. The art presentations were beautifully done and well presented. The merchandise was priced fair and was plentiful. If it's your thing.. make the visit, learn a thing or two and schedule your Marriage, Un-Baptism, or your divorce at this location!

My daughter and I made our first trip to Salem this weekend, and a visit to TST was at the top of…read moreour list of things to do. It did not disappoint. We spent several hours looking at the art on display, viewing the exhibits, and spending time in the library watching the documentary while flipping through books in their extensive collection. We both enjoyed the documentary, and it gave us both a greater appreciation for the important work TST does. If you've seen their online store, you know what to expect in the gift shop. I've ordered things online several times and always received my items promptly. The staff onsite was equally helpful in assisting my daughter select some jewelry that she loves. If you don't know what the temple stands for, I encourage you to stream the documentary "Hail Satan?" or read the FAQ on their website. TST is probably not at all what you think it is and the work they do is more important now than ever before.

I visited the Salem Witch Museum with my mom when we spent a day in Salem a week or so ago. Yes,…read moreit's entirely kitschy, cheesy, and dated. But I didn't have a terrible time, and it does tell the story of the Salem Witch Trials in a way that is a pretty good introduction to the history if you haven't heard it in a long time! So why are the reviews so bad? The name of the business is probably a mistake, because museum is the wrong word for this experience (they did tell us when we walked up that they are not a traditional museum and explained what the experience was like, so people should be aware if that is their standard process). The Salem Witch Museum is really a two-part experience. The first room is a square room that functions as a theater. As the story of the Salem Witch Trials is told, different tableaus around the room are lit up. They don't move, and a narrator (a dated 1960s-sounding British narrator) uses that tableau to explain the next part of the story. The mannequins are clearly old - you can see some are not in great condition when the tableau is lit up. But I hadn't read about the Salem Witch Trials in so long that I didn't remember much of the story, and that first experience wasn't a bad introduction! And I do like a little kitsch! The second experience is more like a museum. A guide that works at the museum walks the group to different displays, using them to explain different parts of the history of witch trials. Then there's a big gift shop where you can all kinds of things relating to witchcraft and the Salem Witch Trials. I don't think this experience is bad. I do think it's cheesy and dated and not for everyone. But I think it's possible to get something out of this experience, too. I hope this review helps people figure out if the experience is right for them!

Shocked to see such low ratings for this museum, I enjoyed the presentation and found it more…read moreinformative and entertaining than another museum I tried. We walked up minutes before a presentation, so had no wait time. The first presentation was 30 minutes long, and took place in a large room. Different Tableaus of figures lit up to illustrate each scene as a voice over narrated. The narration style and audio quality reminded me of an old school Scooby-Doo episode - I kind of liked the nostalgic feel, and I felt it explained a lot of details of the timeline of events I hadn't heard at other museums or exhibits with great detail and consideration. There were some people talking during this part that made me miss a few lines, which was frustrating- I almost wish staff was stationed around the room visibly to hopefully deter this. I was a little shocked at how graphic the audio and visuals for the pressing event were, I was a little horrified that there were children in the room for this and for the hanging scene as they are quite literal, and the accompanying sound effects are upsetting. I personally would not bring young kids to this for that reason, it would have given me nightmares as a young kid. It's one thing to hear about these troubling events, but seeing it is even harder to forget. The second part of the visit is an approx 15 minute walk through of a small exhibit. One wall has a huge, detailed timeline of all sorts of witchy events, but so many people were in the room that you don't have time to read through it. The guide gives a well rehearsed and animated schpiel, but I would have liked some unguided time to walk through the exhibit and read all the info provided. The gift shop had a wide array of unique items I wasn't seeing in other shops around town (and trust me, I checked out a LOT). There was a whole wall of packets for purchase about descendants of the famous 20 people killed the stories often center on. I got one for my ancestor and haven't even been able to get through all the information yet, it's extremely detailed (and a little dense to read through to be honest). It felt a little weird to have to pay for something like this, but it's one of my favorite things I purchased on my whole trip, so I'm glad it was offered. The gift shop also had the best enamel pin selection in town. The outside of the building is beautiful and a great photo op, although crossing the street right in front of it was tricky since it's so busy. I felt the ticket price was well worth it, but do wish the time in the exhibit space was a bit longer or that there was more to the exhibit. Worth a visit for sure!

Who doesn't love elephants? Pachyderms! I left a shop disappointed and turned the corner and was…read moresurprised by the murals all around- this one being one of the first ones I saw! The entire side of the building lined with elephants parading! The detail was great- the black, white and gray tones give a sense that the mural has been there for a while, not sharp contrasts like some other murals- but a artistic grace that feels timeless. I wish I could find more information on this mural- artist, time it was painted, etc.

One of many murals in Salem. This one is of about four or five different elephants just kind of…read morehanging out doing elephant things. So they are our wall And there is no description of why they are on this wall or what they are doing but I like it because I like all the murals and things that Salem has to offer to make the city colorful

Excellent site to visit! Beautiful views! We had a great docent lead tour. Our guide shared lots…read moreof details and did a great job trying to answer our group's many questions! Learning about the different architectural phases of this property was very interesting. The Secret Staircase is special! Gift Shop was a fun stop! Friendly staff. They have their own parking lot with ample and FREE parking while you visit. Now that's a plus. Everywhere else in Salem is paid parking, including the Peabody Essex Museum (park and hike!) Highly recommend visiting The House of Seven Gables if you are in the area.

My mom and I toured the House of the Seven Gables when we spent a day in Salem a week or so ago,…read moreand it was one of the highlights of our time in Salem. The house dates back to 1668, when it was built for a wealthy sea captain and merchant. It remained in that family for three generations before it was bought by another family. The house is mostly famous for being the setting and subject of a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, who was a second cousin of Susannah Ingersoll, who lived in the home for years. In 1908, the home was purchased again, this time by a woman who made it her life's mission to restore the house, protect it for posterity, and to turn into a museum that could be visited by tourists to Salem. The home was renovated many times (by different owners of the house) - it didn't even always have seven gables, but that's a part of its interesting story! We learned all of the above and more from our tour guide on a guided tour of the house. Our tour guide was great - friendly, informative, and interesting! After our tour, we explored Nathaniel Hawthorne's birthplace home, which was moved to the grounds of the House of Seven Gables to avoid demolition. It was a great way to learn a little more about Hawthorne. There was also a gift shop, where my mom and I both bought copies of The House of the Seven Gables, stamped so we always remember where we bought it. Our tour was interesting, and the house is striking and fascinating. It's well worth a visit if you're exploring Salem.