If you prefer something other than shopping, recreational opportunities encircle the town. Several golf courses are located in the area. Salem and Fulton County are a sportsman's paradise. Smallmouth bass fishing and canoeing are tops in the nearby South Fork River where you can fish leisurely and enjoy the spectacular scenery. Drive down any country road for more beauty from nature, including wildlife such as deer and turkey.
Hunters also favor the area for the abundance of turkey, deer, squirrel and rabbit.
Lake Norfork is less than 25 miles from town , and it offers water skiing, swimming, fishing, and boating opportunities. The lake offers excellent striped bass fishing, with some of these monster fish weighing over 50 pounds. The lake is also a good place for largemouth, smallmouth and Kentucky bass, and the bays and backwaters are loaded with fast-biting bream and other panfish. The nearby White river is nationally known for its big rainbow and brown trout. And the Spring and Strawberry are both good float streams, with the bonus of rainbow trout and walleye in the Spring River, and small mouth bass, crappie and bream in the Strawberry.