Gay Salem! Your Gay Guide to the Witch City!

The Parks and Graveyards of Salem
Salem is buried in its own history, and it can take a little detective work to find some of its more out of the way places. Peppered throughout the Witch City are looming statues, testaments to the bravery of its recipients or memorials to an event we shouldn't forget. Many parks in town were dedicated to such people or times, while others were created to give people a place to relax and gather. Home to some of the oldest cemeteries in the country, these stone markers tell a story from another time.

City Parks
Forest River Park
Here you will find picnic tables, beaches with on-duty lifeguards, and playgrounds for the kiddies. It's also the entrance for the Pioneer Village.

Salem Commons
The largest park in Salem, it sits as the crown jewel in the center of the Witch City. Large Federal style homes surround the park. Many games of volleyball, basketball, and football are played throughout the summer and fall. This is a favorite site for festivals and many City events such as the Latin - American Festival, Kid's night, Salem Streetsweep, Tree Lighting Ceremony, Ice Cream and Chowderfest Contests not to mention the many October festivities that are planned in the commons.

Salem Willows Park
352 Lafayette Street, Salem, MA 01970, (978) 745-0251
Discover family fun at its best! This Oceanside Park features amusements, kiddie rides, restaurants, picnic grounds, pier, beaches and wonderful scenic ocean views. As Mary Hartman would tell us, "those who are in the know say" that the Salem Willows may also be a great place to meet that special someone.

Winter Island Marine Park
Formerly Fort Pickering, features a lighthouse, camp grounds, and walking tours. The views of the coast are amazing from here.

Historic Graveyards
Broad Street Cemetery (near Chestnut Street)
Buried here in 1718 lies the infamous Judge Jonathon Corwin. He also assisted in the conducting of examinations of those accused of witchcraft in 1692. Chestnut street is known for its architectural beauty, and this cemetery shouldn't be missed!

Charter Street Cemetery: Salem's Old Burying Point
Salem's oldest and by far most interesting graveyard. Home to some amazing funerary art in the country as well as the grave site of a pilgrim from the Mayflower!

Howard Street Burial Ground
Overlooked by the ominous Old Salem Jail, the Howard Street Burial Ground was the very same property where Giles Corey, an accused witch in 1692, was crushed with stones for for not pleading and thereby not willing to stand trial. Some say he still walks the property.

Old Burial Hill (Marblehead)
Though located in nearby Marblehead, Massachusetts, it's just a hop skip and a jump away. If you miss this one you will be sorely disappointed. Some of the most amazing colonial gravestone artwork and an incredible view of the shore.

St. Peter's Church Cemetery
A small graveyard that surrounds St. Peter's Episcopal Church. Though the stones are not in their original positions their artwork is amazing.

Statues, Memorials, and Monuments
23rd Regiment Memorial Boulder (Merritt Triangle)
located at the corner of Winter Street and Washington Square, Salem, Massachusetts
This plaque, canon, boulder, and small patch of land is dedicated to the 23rd Regiment Infantry of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry who served in the Civil War. It was dedicated on September 28, 1905.

Armory Park
Located outside the Peabody Essex Museum, this park was dedicated in 2002 and created after the head house of the armory building was destroyed in a fire in 1982. This parks sits outside the Visitor's Center in Salem which was converted in 1994 from the drill shed which was spared from the 1982 blaze.

Hawthorne Boulevard
A bronze statue of Salem's most famous son, Nathaniel Hawthorne stands tall overlooking the large brick hotel which bears his name.

Lappin Park
Lappin Park was thrown into the national spotlight when on June 15, 2005 it became the home of a bronze statue of Samantha Stephens of the famed television series Bewitched, donated to Salem by TV Land. A must see on a visit to Salem. Makes a great picture to show your friends!

Roger Conant Statue
This is perhaps the most famous statue in Salem. He stands menacingly watching over the Salem Commons and watches each visitor pass by. The founder of Naumkeag, now Salem, Many people know the statue but few know who is he is.

Salem Witch Trials Memorial
Dedicated in 1992 at the tercentenary of the Salem Witch Trials by Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, this memorial features stones benches with each of the victim's name of the trials carved into them.

Theobald Mathew (Father Mathew)
Located at the corner of Washington Square and Derby Street
This statue, dedicated on October 10, 1887, is a depiction of Theobald Mathew. An Apostle of Temperance, Theobald was man who dedicated his life to the idea of stopping the consumption of alcohol. Ironically, this statue appears right across the street from the Salem Beerworks!

Gay Fabulous!
(These places are especially welcoming to gay and lesbians. We are in the process of evaluating every listing on our site to determine their "fabulousness." Let us know if you feel a listing should be designated as Gay Fabulous or to suggest a listing we might have missed entirely!)