Salem is near the northeastern end of Route 128, just before reaching Beverly and Cape Ann. It was home to many wealthy merchants of the China tea trade, and home to Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the earliest successful writers of American literature. 

It was also the scene of the infamous 1692 Salem Witch Trials, which have provided the inspiration for a pro-"witch" backlash movement and market for many years. Salem gets especially busy around Halloween with all sorts of witch-related special events.  

Downtown Salem, near the waterfront has plentiful shopping although a lot of it is dominated by the witch craze. The Peabody-Essex Museum, celebrating the city's role in the China tea trade is particularly excellent. The Friendship is a replica tea clipper that you can tour from a waterfront park off Derby Street.