Renting A Car In Salem, Massachusetts

The entire state of Massachusetts is rich with colorful and exciting history, and is a great place to visit for the history buff and the non-history buff alike. With so many places to see and with so many things to do while in Massachusetts, one thing that you definitely want to look into is renting a vehicle. My wife and I found that the best way to see a vacation spot is to rent a vehicle, so we have the freedom to travel around as we please, without worry of keeping a strict schedule. When visiting Massachusetts, one city that my wife and I found to be a must see is Salem. As we always do, we got our rental car and started to explore the city of Salem.

Roger Conant established the settlement in 1626, and Salem quickly became one of the most significant sea ports in early America, trading with all major ports in the world, such as China, Sumatra and the West Indies, among many others. One of the major influences to come out of this time of prosperity was a wealth of exquisite architecture. There are many buildings from that period that you can see when you pay a visit to Salem. Although the architecture is one of the many reasons to visit Salem, there is one reason in particular that makes Salem much more dark and intriguing, and it involves witchcraft.

After my wife and I drove around and visited some of the most fantastic building we’ve ever seen, we decided to take our rental car and visit Salem Village. Salem Village is the site of some of the darkest times that ever fell upon the occupants of Salem, known as the Salem Witch Trials. The infamous trials accused certain members of the city of practicing witchcraft. Although many of the accused were women, there were also a fair amount of men that were accused as well. It was very interesting to learn how the courts tried these accused witches, often using harsh tactics to force a confession. After this gruesome period was said and done, over 39 people were executed at Gallows Hill, under the crime of witchcraft.

Although Salem Village was an interesting experience, we decided it was time to jump in the rental car and mosey on down to Salem Harbor, the oldest National Historic location managed by the National Park Service. Being one of the most significant ports in America at the time, the harbor boasts many interesting historical exhibits. The port is home to a recreation of a three mast trading ship known as the Friendship, which in her day called Salem her home. She made more than twelve trips to various ports around the world, until she was finally stripped and sold by the British.

My wife and I had a terrific time on our visit to Salem, Massachusetts, and having a rental car at our disposal made our trip that much more enjoyable. We were able to go anywhere that we wanted, anytime that we wanted to. Be sure to add Salem, Massachusetts to your list of places to see.