Discover Salem: Parks, Art, and History

Salem combines expansive parkland with nature experiences, art throughout the city, and a distinctive history of civil rights movements. Its park system includes more than 375 acres of land and water. There are also places with very different focuses: a historic park with recreational activities, a nature trail, and sites that make Salem interesting to culture enthusiasts. Before looking for a vacation rental, you can consider which experiences you want to shape your stay.

Parks with a Variety of Recreational Options

Centennial Park is Salem’s oldest park and was established in 1906. Its amenities include a nine-hole disc golf course, an Olympic-size outdoor pool with a capacity of 410,000 gallons, and a splash pad. The options range from a sport-like game to water activities. If you’re traveling with your family, the different interests of your fellow travelers may factor into your day’s plans; which activities suit you depends on your own plans. Salem’s recreation programs are open to everyone who wants to take part.

Waterworth Memorial Park is home to a one-mile nature trail. The park is also a habitat for deer, waterfowl, foxes, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, and many bird species. Travelers who enjoy observing nature and wildlife will find a different focus here than at Centennial Park. The trail’s stated length also gives you a guide when considering how much time to set aside for a walk.

Art and History in Salem

Burchfield’s Footsteps offers a walking tour of downtown. Along the way, visitors can see many buildings painted by Charles Ephraim Burchfield. Art enthusiasts can make the tour an activity in its own right, viewing the buildings with the knowledge that they were subjects of the artist’s work. This walk offers a different way to experience Salem than its parks: the focus here is on the connection between the artist and the buildings he painted.

The history of women’s rights is also closely connected with Salem: Ohio’s first women’s rights convention was held here in April 1850. The Salem Historical Museum displays hundreds of notable artifacts. Freedom Hall features artifacts related to the abolitionist movement and the women’s rights movement. These sites offer different ways to explore the history of these movements. A monument to Coppock also stands in Salem today.

Another way to explore the area’s history is the Salem Historical Society’s Underground Railroad Trolley Tour. It has been included in the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. Along with the artifacts at Freedom Hall, the tour offers a perspective on Salem through the history of the abolitionist movement. Travelers with a greater interest in art, parks, or these historical subjects can give different priorities to each when planning their trip.

Shape Your Stay Around Your Interests

The Orashan Memorial Civic Center is the venue for Salem’s annual summer concerts. So, alongside parks, walking tours, and historical topics, concerts offer another focus for visitors. When choosing a vacation rental in Salem, you can first decide which aspects of the city matter to your trip: recreation in the park, nature watching, art throughout the city, or history. This lets you tailor your search to the stay you have planned, without prescribing a particular itinerary.

More places to explore: East Liverpool, Wellsville.

For the broader travel overview: Columbiana County.