Misery Islands, Massachusetts, United States

5My2centsBoston 5:00 PM Aug 24, 2015

First time and won't be the last!
My daughter and I visit Salem every summer, but this is the first time we tried the trip to Misery. What a pleasure! My daughter is 12 and I thought might be bored (parents of tweens, you know what I'm talking about) but she ended up loving it. The ride out on the water with our Ferry guide was lovely, relaxing and informative. And the stop at Misery was so cool! (Well, actually, very hot. Bring water!) Gorgeous views, fun trails and old hotel remains to explore. Small enough not to be overwhelming but large enough to keep you busy for the 90 minutes or so we stayed before the ferry came back to get us. Amazing, beautiful rocks to scramble over and we found a handful of sea glass. Folks who obviously have done this before brought beach chairs and coolers, and sat relaxing on the shore while the kids explored the island. There are also bathrooms here, which can be important to know. We will definitively make this part of our yearly Salem tradition!

5bcnett 5:00 PM Jul 19, 2014

Not a boat person but enjoyed this tour!
We saw this tour on Groupon a few weeks ago. Since my husband loves boat rides, I suggested we take it. Regular price is $25.00 ($20.00 for seniors). We didn't know about Misery Island until we got on the boat. It is now an uninhabited island. For an extra $5.00 the boat will drop you off at the island and then pick you up. Our boat let off passengers at the island a little after 1 o'clock and they could have been picked up at either 2:30 or 4:30. If you opt to visit the island, you will be on the the boat about another hour after you are picked up from the island. I believe that there is nothing to do on the island except walk and see a few ruins. There is a bathroom both on the island and on the boat. They also sell drinks and snacks on the boat. Since I can not swim, I do not usually like to go on boats. This was a decent size boat and I felt quite safe and enjoyed this very relaxing tour. I suggest that you sit close to the captain. If was much easier to understand his commentary once we moved from the rear of the boat to the front of the boat. You get the boat at the dock at very end of Salem Willows (down past all the stores). We got there early and sat on a bench watching the harbor. When we saw the boat coming, we walked down to the end of the dock. They put up a plank right over the water that you walk down on in order to board the boat. If I could survive this, anybody can!!!!