Salem Custom House, where Nathanial Hawthorne once worked, is a stop of the October 24 walking tour.

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Salem, Massachusetts, the site of the famous Salem witch trials, is the place to be around the Halloween season. And what better way to learn about the town’s fascinating history than through a walking tour? The Boston Center for Adult Education is offering a walking tour of Salem and the Peabody Essex Museumon October 24, 2010.

If you’re staying in Boston, Salem is only a half-hour train ride away: Just head to North Station on Causeway Street in Boston and take the commuter rail train to Salem. The tour will depart the Salem train station at 9:45, and will head to the waterfront, where you’ll see Derby Wharf, the Custom House (where Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of the Scarlett Letter, worked), and the Salem Common.

After the walking tour, you’ll go to the Peabody Essex Museum to see one of the newest exhibits — a Chinese house from the 1800s that was actually taken apart and reassembled at the museum. There’s free time to visit the museum and have lunch, and then you’ll return to the train station for a ride back to Boston.

Advance registration for this walking tour is required: Visit www.bcae.org or call the Boston Center for Adult Education at 617-267-4430 to sign up. Visitors to Boston may consider staying at the Onyx Hotel, the Bulfinch Hotel, or the Millennium Bostonian, all of which are a short walk away from North Station!

–Jodi Grundig of Family-Friendly Boston and Multitasking Mommy

[Photo Credit: Flickr/Mr. Ducke]