The Great American Road Trip Challenge~4.5 years · 48 states · one loop
New England

Stop 3 · Days 8–10

Salem & Cape Ann

Salem & Cape Ann, MA

Witch-trial history and maritime fortunes in Salem, then the rocky artists' harbors of Cape Ann.

Timing: October in Salem is peak 'Haunted Happenings' — atmospheric but very crowded; go early in the day.

Where to stay

  • The Hawthorne Hotel, Salem

    A 1925 landmark on the common, named for Nathaniel Hawthorne.

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You gotta eat this

  • Fresh fried clams on Cape Ann

    Whole-belly clams at a Gloucester or Essex clam shack — the real thing.

The days here

Each day opens its own hour-by-hour page

  1. 8Day 8 — SalemFull day · 5h 15m planned
  2. 9Day 9 — Cape AnnFull day · 4h planned
  3. 10Day 10 — Drive south to PlymouthDrive day · 1h 35m drive

What this stop is made of

  • Landmarks & Monuments
  • Museums & History
  • Somber & Civil-Rights Sites