Picnic Area

Ravenswood Park offers 600 acres for solitude and quiet contemplation of nature. Whether you prefer to surround yourself with snow-covered hemlocks, experience spring emerging in a burst of color and aroma, or escape the summer’s heat – you’ll find a refuge here. The park is a testament to one man’s conservationist philosophy, and to all those who have cared for this special place.

*The map marker shows the entrance and parking area.

Salem Common began as the town's common pasture land, to which each Salem citizen could bring a cow to graze.

The Common is now Salem's large, pleasant central park, with the Hawthorne Hotel at its southwest corner.

MA Route 1A passes right along the edge of the Common via the streets named Washington Square North and Washington Square West.

This Park is the historic site of Gloucester's first settlers in 1623. Dorchestermen set up fishing stages on this land. Two beaches are located in Stage Fort Park - Cressy's Beach and Half Moon Beach . Half Moon is a sheltered sandy beach that is more like a lagoon. Cressy's Beach is a rocky, more natural beach.