This park has to be one of the prettiest ones I have been to! It's calm, shady and lush. It's next to the harbor with boats floating freely in the water. Families eating at picnic tables. People sitting in lawn chairs reading their books while soaking up the sun. It couldn't get more magical and relaxing than this. I came here to enjoy dinner at the little seafood joint located in the park. I couldn't have asked for a better setting for my last meal on my vacation. The breeze from the harbor. The sun beaming through the fluffy clouds. I was almost too good to be true to be in such a perfect setting. But I was here, living in that moment. I couldn't have asked for a better park to eat my meal at. Everything I took in will forever be etched in my brain. A memory and feeling I will never forget. read more

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Beautiful place! Lots of benches to sit on and shady areas. Some beach areas as well and a fishing dock. I love all the willow trees as well. The ocean views are nice too. Overall great place to come and hang out! Parking is metered (I think it is .50cents per half hour or hour) read more

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Beautiful waterfront park in Salem. I really enjoyed visiting here yesterday. Salem Willows has lots of shady, grassy areas and several covered picnic pavilions. There are lots of benches where you can sit and watch the water, and there are paved walking paths. The new fishing pier is beautiful and there is a Marina and kayak rentals here as well. The park has restrooms, and even a clam shack restaurant. Other restaurants are also only a short walk away. Parking is very reasonable at just 50 cents per hour. The park is clean and very pretty - a true gem! read more

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Trolley stopped by this locaiton during my tour with them, I came back around to get another look. Ocean front views a plenty with some shaded areas as well. Very nice place. Looked like parking was free, and it seems like a good place for locals and tourtists to congreate and keep cool. read more

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This is an incredible park!! The trees remind me of Hilton Head, Beaufort, and Savannah. I love the natural rock formations and small hills throughout. read more

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Nice hidden gem. Plenty of free parking. Stroll along the ocean. Walk on the beach at low tide. The beach itself isn't that great but the water is warm compared to Salisbury. You've got to eat at Salem Lowe, the small Chinese restaurant. Soooooo good and cheap. Owner is so attentive and friendly! read more

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We had a great time here at Salem Willows Park getting in the water playing on the beach climbing up the rocks walk in the walking path and it's just an overall great experience and great fun that we had this afternoon it's definitely a fun little place to check out read more

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Salem Willows Park is located about a 35-40min drive away from Boston. We visited the park 2 days before labor day (Saturday 2pm) and the lots were PACKED with visiting cars. We ended up parking our car a good 6-7min walk away in one of the lots, but it wasn't a big issue as there are always cars leaving and spots opening up on the streets and in designated lots. It was an added plus that parking is absolutely FREE. The park has everything for people of all ages as well as for those with dogs. There was even a stage area for theatrical shows and gazebos where reserved events were taking place. The public restroom (a green house) was located coveniently in the center of the park and kept in relatively clean condition. One could easily spend hours here exercising, having a picnic, reading on the grass, eating a barbecue, taking a walk with loved ones, or simply sitting on a bench and admiring the views. We did not visit the Dead Horse beach located just a few minutes of walking away, but I imagine it's a wonderful location to swim and admire the sunset during the summer days. read more

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Salem Willows is a great location. I take my daughter to the carousel here and I've been doing it for years. It is sort of our special thing. After all these years I just recently noticed that the owner of the carousel has an identical twin brother who works there also. It literally blew my mind. They usually don't work at the same time. The carousel is pretty weathered and beat up but it is a relatively cheap diversion and great for children. The rest of Salem Willows is also pretty weathered and beat up. The people spending time at Willows can be a mixed bag. I definitely keep my eyes open. People are walking pit bulls and Rottweilers at times. A great addition, a few years ago, is the seafood place called " The clam shack." It has legitimately the best fried clams south of Ipswich. The rest of the food in Salem Willows is simply gross. read more

This place is great! It's such a hidden gem in Salem. It has a nice, large, grassy area and several benches for visitors to sit and enjoy the views of the water. There's also a little strip with several arcades, ice cream, boardwalk-type treats, etc. The parking in that area is metered, but there is plenty of free parking if you drive further in. Willows Park is great little space to enjoy the outdoors for a bit. read more

Neat little beach park in Salem. They have a bunch of food vendors, an arcade, picnic areas and great views of the ocean. It gets crowded in the summer. Nice place to go and hang out. read more

We randomly visited Salem Willows Park while in the area, and it was amazing! We were exploring the area and happened onto the park and decided to stop and walk around. The views were phenomenal! Salem Willows is a scenic seaside public park. The views of the boats and harbors were breathtaking. We sat on a bench for a while and just took in the sites, then decided to get some food at a little spot called the Clam Shack that's located in the park next to the water. The park has plenty of picnic areas, lots of walking paths, and a pier that you can walk out onto. If you find yourself in this area I highly recommend checking out Salem Willows Park! The views alone are worth the trip. read more

I grew up a short car or bike ride from here (or a beautiful seaside walk away). The Willows is great. Tennis courts, basketball courts, two beaches, a pier, shady areas for picnics, picnic tables, gazebos, and beautiful views abound. Along with that, comes the strip of ice cream shops, cheap Chinese, fried dough, pizza, carousels, arcade, and a tiny mini-golf course. Parking is metered, though there is some free street and lot parking. It is always the coolest place in the city on a hot summer day, though of course, that means that everyone else will be there too, and lines will be long. But the Willows is always worth it. read more

I visit Salem, MA at least once a year and this is one of my favorite spots. As you pull into the park, one side has an old-time feel with store fronts that remind me of an old beach city. Plenty of parking to be had in this location or as the road curves around in the park. Tennis courts are located here if you wish to play. The thing I like most is the green grass, tall trees and a great view of the water (okay, that's three things). A nice place to sit and watch the boats or just the tide. A few year ago I ran the Salem Wicked half marathon and the final stretch went through Salem Willows and ended at the school. Believe me, the park was a welcome sight that day! If you are ever in Salem, take a break, pull up a picnic table or park bench, stare at the water and relax in the park. read more

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Small and cute place for a stroll. Whole town of Salem is very dog friendly. Parking is free and the arcade is fun.

As a Salem resident, leaving a review of three stars for this location feels almost like heresy or something of the sort. However, I feel it is more important to be honest. It is my opinion that Salem Willows is over-hyped. It is a small, slightly hilly park, walkways, benches, one of the tiniest beaches I have ever seen, and a pier (lovely spot for a foldable chair). There is a line of businesses with food or other miscellaneous attractions (mini-golf, arcade) Salem Lowe and E. W. Hobbs are well-liked favorites, but their reviews will be on their own pages. Anyways, a small park away from the downtown area, with everything you can expect from a park, and food the locals are always chatting about. Bring Cash, if you are going to buy food, you will need it. There is no ATM that I noticed. Points for good bathroom facilities, nice views, and free parking. All in all a small park popular with locals with nothing special except perhaps food. read more

I came here with the summer camp I volunteer with. From the advertising I had seen I thought this place was going to be a lot bigger and nicer. The park and views were nice (but smaller than I thought it would be) but the arcade and food area just reminded me of a dumpy beach boardwalk. The food was meh at best, though my cherry Richie's slush was fantastic. I don't think the kids really cared whether it was dumpy though- they LOVED the arcade. I think this is a good place to go to if you want to take your kids to the arcade or get fair food, but if you're looking for a peaceful experience in nature go to an actual park. read more

In all my years of going to Salem Willows I had never walked over to the park or water or dock area. Its actually got tons of things other than arcades... Its soo pretty & such a nice walk around the place & I honestly just LOVE the Willow trees! read more

Love coming here every year. The park and beaches are beautiful natural resources to walk around, and the food and games are always good. You can easily spend a few hours playing, eating, and walking around. The only downside is that the arcade areas aren't what they used to be. They used to have a far better selection of games and prizes, and the midway used to be fantastic. read more

Found this hidden gem on a recent trip to Salem. Unfortunately all of the attractions were closed down for the season, but we were able to walk around and take in the amazing scenery. There are several markers throughout the area that give a little bit of history about the area. There is a large metered parking lot, so parking was not an issue. The only downside was with everything closed down, there was no place to get change for the meters, so we didn't stay as long as we would've liked. It seems as though this place is great during the spring and summer months with a lot of places to picnic and enjoy outdoor activities. read more

Plenty to do here for families with young kids. Me, I like to come and photograph the scenery, especially at sunset. While it may be loud and crowded while the arcade is open, you'll find it pleasantly quiet and relaxing when it isn't. The Willows at one time was much more thriving park. It dates to the mid 1800s and enjoyed its heyday and "golden age" in the early 1900s. Duke Ellington actually performed here in 1923. The carousel is original (dating to 1866), although the horses themselves have been replaced. Aside from that, much of the infrastructure here is a bit run-down and in need of a face-lift. read more

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I've been coming here since I was a kid. The money machine are my money. I went over and explained the situation to a woman who refused to give me her name but claimed she was the owner. All she said when I asked for my money back was "that's not how this works" she would only give me the tokens I did not want but refused to give me my money back and was told I was being unreasonable. This experience ruined my childhood memories of this place and probably will never come back here again.l. read more

I don't understand how this has such a high rating--must be from all the leftover childhood nostalgia. If you didn't grow up in Salem, I don't recommend you go here. It's the definition of ghetto. Most of the games don't work, and they all look like they could give you tetanus. The popcorn is supposed to be fantastic, but since I have a serious peanut allergy, I couldn't try in because they fry it RIGHT next to it, if not in the same fryer. It's definitely packaged in the same place on the counter. I went on a Friday evening (about 7) and it was TEEMING with people...like hard to walk there were so many people. And during my 30 minute stay I saw two different fights. Everyone had their shirts off or was wearing a bikini (It was a hot day but I'm talking in the arcade and everything), and come on, do you really want to carry an ice cream cone through the shirtless throng? The beaches were pretty gross, and overall the park and boardwalk were really littered and dirty. Maybe I just came on a bad night, but I have no clue why people would recommend this place. read more

I can't even believe no one has review this. Ok so, it's a park on the edge of Beverly Bay-and Willow trees are everywhere. You got your paths, shade, plenty of breeze on most days. There is a bathroom open till sunset...and metered parking ($1/hr) near the arcade and eateries across the street. You can swim here-be careful, I only saw a rocky beach... Honestly, this place really deserves 4.5 to 5 stars, but the town needs to put in recycling bins and trash covers. There seemed to be a lot more trash than there should be...and there were trash barrels, but the covers were off or there were none. The metered parking pays to keep up the park-which is great-but put some retiree out there who would do the job practically free. Great spot, but pick up your trash, oh and watch out for dog poop-clearly not everyone cleans up after their pooch. Overall, cheap fun if you bring a picnic lunch or you can keep your spending to a grilled cheese and parking. read more

Salem Willows Park has been around for a long time they have a small beach if you can call it a beach.........they have plenty of parking but it fills up quick they have a pier where people go fishing or you can watch the boats go by they have a arcade where the kids can play games etc they have this place called Peppy's never seen a bigger slice of pizza before it's huge... They have places where you can get a bite to eat and plenty of ice cream places we have been here many, many times we bring our grille with 6,7 people and enjoy the cookout while we watch people fight over parking spaces. read more

What a great area! Beautiful! Arcade, shops and restaurants too. The Clam Shack is the best! read more

The park is far away from Salem Centre, which would be great if it was worth it. I once rode my bike there and regretted it. The last time I came was for the dreaded seafood fest. It was the worst "festival" I've ever been to. I give the willows three stars because it's fun for kids because there is an arcade and popcorn, etc. I like that you can walk over to a clam shack and get some decent eats. The view from atop the hill is quite nice, but there really is no "beach" and the people congregating there are not my crowd. At all. All-in-all, if you can snag metered parking, take a trip out to the willows one time in your life. That'll be enough. read more

I am a frequent visitor of Salem Willows. I've been there twice this week. Once for the Horribles Parade and then again just to hang out and play games. While the kids always have fun here, I couldn't give it five stars because half of the games were not working...I'm also not really impressed with the new midway attractions. My favorite place to visit at the Willows is Hobbs. Ice Cream is great and my family LOVES the pink popcorn. Highly recommend visiting if you get the chance. There are concerts sometimes as well, makes for a nice relaxing day. Maybe next time I'll get to take a boat ride with the kids :) read more

Cool, old time seaside park. There's a "boardwalk" type of strip, but it's not an actual boardwalk. It's is a little seedy, just like it should be. You can get the junk food of your choice, stop in at the arcade for some skee ball, and drop a dime to see the Musical Monkeys. What more could you ask for? The Clam Shack, across the street from the arcade serves up tasty fried seafood. The willow trees provide nice shade and there's a great breeze coming off the water. Wonderful ocean view too. read more

Salem Willows is an old park, a historical artifact of days gone by. It's possible to meet a centurion that wistfully looks at the same little boars that they once rode in a child. The old popcorn machine was recently updated with one made in the 50's. The popcorn is just as good. The same family maintains the old taffy pulling machine; I watched the current custodian learn from her father and grow up with the machine. The carousel is largely unchanged from a century ago; except the calliope stopped working a few decades ago. The arcades are pretty much what you might expect, except that they still have some old fashioned things like Skeeball and a custom coin fabricator. There are occasional concerts in the amphitheater, a nice little beach, rocks to climb on, tour boats and fishing from the dock. The best of the willows is to sit and listen to the wind in the trees. read more

What a beautiful park. It's so big!! There are plenty of spots for picnics and BBQs including tables, benches, grassy areas under trees, and pavillions. They have a spot to rent kayaks which I plan on doing at some point. I can see this as a great area to stroll along the water, or jog along the park, and stop and sit a spell on the benches and watch the sailboats glide by. Also, at the very tip near the wharf/dock area is a small beach area where you can lay out or go into the water. Too cold for my tastes even in the summer heat. Beautiful lighthouses and homes dot along the coast line as well as small islands out in the distance. Spectacular views. There are also several places for food stuff, like E W Hobbs, as well as the old time Arcade and kiddie rides including a really old antique carousel!! We went on a Sunday in the middle of Summer and it was very crowded. It took us a bit of circling to find a parking space. Also given that it was a Sunday in Summer, the place was swarming with teens who were loud and a bit obnoxious. I would defintely make it a plan to go during the week when it might not be as crowded and hopefully not as many annoying teenages running around. read more

Kind of a neat place to take your kids for a few hours of fun. My kids were to old to do much of the amusement games and rides. They just played the arcade. We did not eat here, it is just regular carnival food. The great part of this place is the ocean is right there and has great views across the bay. The only thing that bothered me was the parking meters, which gives you a time limit...to a point. read more

Grew up in salem and spent lots of time at the Willows. I remeber "Refund Picnics" which we got tickets for at the end of the school year. The tennis courts turned into a buffet line of juck food...FREE to school kids! My favorite ride was the TILT a WHIRL and they had a great craosel! The pizza, chinese food, salt water taffy, etc. was awesome. I make it a point to visit whenever i visit back home. I will be there the end of this month...can't wiat to get to the Willows!!! I used to announce over the park lous speaker...the boat rides and fishing trips off the pier...that was a fun job! read more

Yesterday was my first visit here. I remember at one point thinking... Wow. Can this be any more perfect right now? I really think this a beautiful place to spend the day. Food, arcade, ocean, cliffs, benches, people grilling, boating. Awesome, awesome place! read more

A nice family diversion for a day. Try the old time arcades where you can "win" tickets that can be turned in for kitchy prizes. Reminds me of old boardwalk experiences when I was a kid. Grab lunch at the Clam Shack for some nice fried seafood. read more

Great place to go with young kids! We brought our almost 4 year old here today and it was the perfect day trip. Less than an hour from Newton, but felt like we were on vacation for a few hours. It offers a lot of boardwalk-style amusements, but it's not a boardwalk. Kiddieland has rides excellent for the younger set, like a merry-go-round, cars, boats, a ladybug ride, and a handful of mechanical rides. The arcades have skeeball -- my favorite! -- and a bunch of other classic arcade games. Tons of places for cheap grub. We went for Peppy's Pizza which wound up being quite good. (And cheap, too. We all had lunch for $16 total.) The mini golf course is cute and inexpensive, but unfortunately there was a lot of litter, which was disappointing. Whoever manages the mini golf really needs to clean it up. There were empty cans, wrappers, and even a plastic spoon on the course. The picnic tables are nice and shady and the views of the boats are nice. read more

Lots of fun for kids and adults. Located in a gorgeous area as well. Play some games, get some ice cream and take a walk down to the water and have a seat on a bench and relax. Perfection! Plenty of parking. read more

This was a surprise find while we were in Salem, beautiful ocean view and picnic area, with good and an arcade

Love, love, love the willows! They have a wide variety of food to choose from! Kappys has good seafood & the absolute best onion rings around!! The popcorn from Hobbs is the best you will ever taste!! read more

A really nice park for a couples retreat or a family day. Wide open grass, ocean views, arcade and food. The parking is cheap...the only downfall is that the beach doesnt even qualify as a beach. read more