Docked in the National Park Service’s waterfront center is a uniquely memorable exhibit: a full-size (171-ft.) replica of a 1797 East Indiaman merchant vessel. The Friendship is open to visitors by guided tour and you can also study it from the shore if you don’t want to climb aboard. Note that the ship has been under renovation and was expected to return to Derby Wharf in 2018. Tours include buildings that touch on Salem’s trade and literary history—author Nathaniel Hawthorne, for instance, worked in the Custom House. If this location is closed, visit the Park Service’s regional center at 2 New Liberty St., a 5-minute walk away.