RV Rental Salem Maritime National Historic Site, MA

When camping in a rental motorhome at Salem Maritime National Historic Site, be sure to bring along a pair of comfortable sneakers as you’ll be doing lots of walking from one structure to another. Constructed in 1762, Derby House is a fine example of Georgian Architecture. Another interesting structure in the site is the West India Goods Store, which dates back to 1804. It was built to store imported goods from the East Indies.

When you’re into boating, you’re in luck. Salem is home to lots of lighthouses, some of which are best seen from boats off the coast. The Essex National Heritage Area is a non-profit organization offering lighthouse tours to Bakers Island Lighthouse during the summer. The lighthouses are both pictorial and symbolic of New England’s heritage in shipping.

If you’ll be in town for only a short while, save yourself the hassle of running around from one attraction to the other by hopping aboard the Salem Trolley Tour. The tour takes approximately an hour, and it passes by numerous attractions such as the Witch Dungeon Museum and the historic waterfront area. Alternatively, rent a bike and pedal across the town.

Unfortunately, camping at Salem Maritime National Historic Site won’t be possible as the park has no campground. Don’t be on tenterhooks though, as the park is within proximity to a couple of campgrounds. The Winter Island Park Campground in Salem is an ideal park worth considering. Salem campers get access to electric and water hookups on big-rig accessible back-in sites. Additional amenities include showers, a camp store, and picnic shelters.

Alternatively, consider the Cape Ann Camp Site if you’re in search of full hookups to compliment your luxury travel trailer. The park features electric, water, and sewer hookups, which are complemented with several amenities such as restrooms, showers, and a camp store. Even though the RV Park is big-rig accessible, be cautious when approaching the campground with a long motorhome as the winding road is a bit narrow.

After renting an RV in Salem, be prepared to see lots of spooky attractions as Salem is widely regarded as the spookiest town in America. The city is best known for the witch trials of 1692. Learn about the mass hysteria that led to more than 200 people being accused of witchcraft hundreds of years ago at the Salem Witch Museum. If time allows, point your rental RV towards the Howard Street Cemetery, which is one of the three cemeteries associated with the witch trials.

Follow it up with a visit to The House of the Seven Gables, which looks like something straight out of a Netflix horror film. Erected in 1668, the mansion is most popular for influencing Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel by the same name, which was released in 1851. In the novel, the mansion is attributed to fraudulent dealings, witchcraft, and death.

Salem isn’t all about creepy stuff. Are you an art buff? You’ll love it at the Peabody Essex Museum. Dating back to 1799, the museum is one of the oldest in the country. The museum, which is the oldest continuously operating museum in the country, is home to more than 1.3 million art pieces. The museum contains one of the largest collections of Asian art in the country. The museum also includes two massive libraries that hold about 400,000 books and manuscripts.