15 Salem sites make top 1,000 list

The Great Places in Massachusetts Commission has released a list of 1,000 sites to see around the state. Fifteen places in Salem made the list from the Witch Museum (pictured) to Winter Island.

The initiative, approved by state lawmakers and signed by Gov. Deval Patrick last year, aims to lure tourists to the state by celebrating its famous, and lesser-known, favorite spots. A commission established by the initiative spent the last few months taking suggestions from the public.


Click on the names below to visit the websites of Salem's Great Places:

Essex Street Pedestrian Mall
House of Seven Gables
Misery Islands in Salem Harbor
New England Pirate Museum
Peabody Essex Museum
Phillips House
Pickering Wharf Light House (Derby Light)
Salem Maritime National Historic Site
Salem Willows Park
Salem Witch Museum
The Charter Street Burial Ground
The Hawthorne Hotel
The Salem Athenaeum
The Salem Witch Dungeon Museum
Winter Island


Great Places can include historic sites, cultural venues and natural landscapes and anything else that is unique about the state. They must be open to the public.

For the complete list of 1,000 places, visit massvacation.com.