The first National Historic Site in the country is nine acres of waterfront

**Salem Maritime National Historical Park was established in 1938 as the first
National Historic Site in the United States.** Everything designated under
that category since follows from this nine-acre stretch of Salem waterfront.

The park is twelve historic structures on those nine acres, plus a
downtown visitor centre, set in an urban Salem rather than fenced off from it.
What it preserves and interprets is **over 600 years of New England's maritime
history and global stories** — a span that begins well before the European
settlement most visitors come expecting.

Getting there

It is in downtown Salem, Massachusetts, and is accessible by **vehicle,
commuter rail, bus, ferry, and recreational boat**. The last of those is
appropriate: arriving at a maritime park under your own sail is the way the
place was designed to be reached.

The weather, month by month

New England weather is unpredictable year-round, so averages are the most that
can honestly be offered:

*Degrees Fahrenheit. Location: National Historical Park, Massachusetts.
Source: U.S. National Park Service.*