Summer is such an exciting time to come to Salem and The House of the Seven Gables.

There is so much going on from fresh seafood at local restaurants to shopping in unique stores full of handcrafted goods to entertainment for all ages – day and night! You can dine al fresco, wander with ice cream, and take in all of the histories of this city-by-the-sea.

This weekend, we’ll be offering our Living History Labs from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. This is a great chance to test your history skills whether you are young or young-at-heart. It’s also a great chance to take in the atmosphere of the historic Hooper-Hathaway House.

Our preservation and maintenance team has been hard at work over the past few weeks. We’ve had to take care of a few drainage repairs around the site, fix up some window framing, and touch up paint on a few of our historic buildings. Our groundskeeper and gardeners have the historic garden in tip-top condition. Now is a wonderful time to soak in some warm weather and check out the dozens of heirloom varieties at their peak.

We’d like to give a shout out to our interpretation staff and visitors over the past six weeks. We have been testing out a number of histories to share in The Gables, especially in the attic and dining room chamber. We’re in the process of compiling feedback from our staff and visitors to help guide us to the best permanent experience in those spaces.

We’ve also officially opened our Research Library! This is open for our staff and members and contains hundreds of books, documents, and other materials related to the long history of The House of the Seven Gables.

Lastly, our first Hawthorne in Hollywood event is just a few days away. We are excited to kick off the series with the 2018 The House of the Seven Gables. Ben Wickey has captured the gothic romance of Hawthorne’s novel in a 30-minute stop-animation film. Individual tickets are available or you can get a POP! Pass for all three films. The pass includes entry and refreshments.