Coming from El Paso, Texas where mountains and desert are the only views you have everywhere you looked, Salem, Massachusetts is definitely a place where the water meets maple trees. This area is a mix of coniferous and deciduous forests with Salem Harbor on the other side. Although the beach may sound nice during the summer, the Atlantic water will give you frostbite the minute you dip your toe in! As for now, there is plenty to see and many historic houses to walk through like Derby House, Hawkes House, Custom House, and St. Joseph Hall. But the Derby Wharf is definitely the place to be to feel the ocean breeze and walk through history. Or maybe you could step on history on the Friendship of Salem ship where it is docked right on Derby Wharf. Like the trees and ocean, this national park also present the diverse history and cultures that were part of the 1700s and 1800s timeline. As someone that has recently graduated from natural resources with a concentration of conservation science, this national park is also teaching me about the conservation and preservation of history and culture.