Salem Maritime National Historical Park | 360° VR Field Trip

Explore Salem Maritime National Historical Park in this immersive 360° VR field trip designed for classrooms, students, and curious learners. 🌊⚓

Salem’s waterfront was once one of the busiest ports in the young United States. From Derby Wharf to the Custom House, this harbor shaped early American trade, global connections, and the development of the new nation.

On this virtual tour, you’ll discover:

🌍 Global Trade Networks
Learn how Salem merchants sailed to Asia, India, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean—bringing back goods like tea, spices, silk, coffee, porcelain, and more.
⚓ Tall Ships & Navigation
See the Friendship of Salem, a full-size replica of an 18th-century merchant ship, and follow the path real sailors took from wharf to lighthouse.
🏛️ Historic Buildings
Visit the Custom House, Derby House, Hawkes House, and West India Goods Store to understand how global trade transformed everyday life in Salem.
📚 Literature & Community Stories
Learn how Nathaniel Hawthorne’s time here influenced his writing, and explore how maritime wealth shaped Salem’s homes, neighborhoods, and culture.
🌅 A Complicated History
Understand the harder truths behind global trade—including the systems of forced labor, colonization, and inequality that connected Salem to the wider world.
🌊 A Harbor That Built a Nation
See how Salem Maritime became the first National Historic Site in the United States, preserved to help future generations learn from its incredible—and complex—past.

✨ Part of The Nomadic Classroom VR Series — bringing National Parks, historic sites, and landscapes into classrooms through storytelling, immersive video, and place-based learning.
No headset required — watch using your phone, tablet, Chromebook, or computer and explore every angle by dragging your screen.