October may be an ideal time to visit Salem, Mass., but only if you adore navigating your way through the massive throng of tourists descending upon “Witch City” in the weeks leading up to Halloween. Myself, I prefer this town (less than 20 miles north of Boston) just about any other time of year (that’s not bone-chillingly cold outside.)

One Memorial Day in the mid-00’s, I took the commuter rail from North Station to Salem primarily to visit the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM). This newer wing above was completed a few years before.

However, PEM dates back much further. This 19th Century structure houses a Maritime Art exhibition, one of my favorite sections of the museum mostly because where else are you going find so much of this stuff?

After PEM, I walked a few blocks over to the long and narrow Derby Wharf.

Although a modest square tower lighthouse sits at the end of the wharf, its chief attraction is the Friendship of Salem.

It may be a 1996-built replica of a 1797 vessel (one can view a model of the original at PEM), but it’s still a beautiful ship.

As one walks along Derby Wharf, signs of Salem’s industrial past and present are apparent.

This coal-powered station would be demolished and replaced by a new natural gas-fired one a decade after this was taken. Perhaps the small but colorful sailboat perched in front of it here was a premonition of sorts.

In addition to all of its witch-related culture, Salem has its share of historic buildings, like the 1815-built Custom House, located across the street from Derby Wharf.

Also spotted from Derby Wharf: while not as old, the pink house above is just as interesting a structure to me.

I could post a separate essay entirely devoted to Salem signage. For now, I give you the Russian Aid Society which I can’t find much about online. Salemites, does it still exist?

I know this business still exists–it might be the city’s most infamous and posted-on-social-media landmark, even if a “bunghole” is, according to Wikipedia, “a hole bored in a liquid-tight barrel to remove contents” and “not to be confused with Bumhole.” Still funny if you know the Beavis and Butthead reference, obv.

Closer to the center of town, the Pequot House is, alas, another recreation, built in 1930 to represent life in the Colonial era. It no longer seems to be open to the public.

So, if you do go to Salem in October, plan ahead and take the commuter rail but remember that spring is just as nice of a time to visit (and far less hectic to boot.)