Spooky season is here and what better way to get in the spirit than to visit one of the spookiest places in America? Many people know about Salem from the infamous witch trials of 1692, and because it’s the setting for tons of movies, including the classic very-creepy-but-somehow-beloved 90’s Disney movie, Hocus Pocus. I have always wanted to visit Salem, mostly because I’m so intrigued by the history of the witch trials, and as I geared up to go to Boston for the weekend, I realized that October is the best time to go!
In normal circumstances, like when there isn’t an ongoing global pandemic, Salem pulls out all the stops for October. They have costume contests and parades and countless other spooky activities, in addition to all of the regular haunted tours and museums to visit. This year, however, they had to cancel most of their “Haunted Happenings” because of COVID precautions, but we decided to drive up and at least just walk around (it’s only about 40 minutes from Boston).
The weather was absolutely gorgeous, a perfect fall day for spooky activities, and Salem was PACKED. It was a little uncomfortable with that many people out and about, since I’ve been trying to be really, really careful about COVID, but we were able to navigate around most of the crowds. I would have loved to go to some of the museums, especially some of the historic houses that offer tours, but the lines were long or tickets were sold out, and I hadn’t planned on going in anywhere anyway because of, well, COVID.
BUT!!! Salem is just as fun and just as spooky even if you give yourself a nice little self-guided tour, which is exactly what we did. The Visitor’s Center is right across from a large parking garage, making access super easy. We grabbed a free map and began on our little journey. Starting at the Visitor’s Center is a painted red line on the ground that will guide you along to all of the sights around town, very similar to the Freedom Trail in Boston. The map was also helpful to have because in some places where the painted line had worn off we were still able to navigate in the right direction.
First we trekked to the waterfront to seek out the House of the Seven Gables. This house was built in 1668 and is the house that Nathaniel Hawthorne based his book off of (the book is literally called The House of the Seven Gables). The entire waterfront grounds are now a museum, and in non-pandemic times they offer tours of the house. I would have loved to see the inside because I absolutely love old houses, but it was still just as cool to see from the outside! There is not much to really see from the outside, if I’m being honest, but it was a pleasant walk and the oldest candy company in America (Ye Olde Pepper Companie) is right across the street so you can grab some sweets for your stroll down to the harbor.
The walk along the water is really nice, and there is a big grassy park that was full of people enjoying the beautiful weather. Across from the park are some more old historic houses and buildings to admire too. If you’re in the mood to eat or shop, there are tons of places along the wharf, including a brewery where you can sit back and relax. We followed along the street next to the waterfront until we got to Liberty Street, where there was lots of activity.
The Salem Wax Museum and the Salem Witch Village sit on either side of the narrow street, and both have pretty good reviews as far as attractions go. Apparently the Haunted Witch Village has a lot of history about witchcraft, which is really neat, and serves as a little bit of a haunted house attraction. Combo tickets are offered for these so definitely look into them if you decide to visit!
Right at the end of the street is the Old Burying Point Cemetery and the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, which commemorates all of those killed during the infamous trials. It wasn’t that spooky (as we were there in the middle of the day and there were lots of crowds), but on a quieter day I’m sure you would really be able to appreciate the heavy history of the place.
From there, we strolled down Chamber Street, which turns into Front Street, and passed by the Old Town Hall. As I mentioned, I love all types of old buildings, but this one also happens to be a filming location from Hocus Pocus! Remember the adult Halloween party where Bette Midler sings “I Put a Spell on You”? Yeah that was filmed at this building! At least the way they shot it makes it look like it was in that building because it’s where all of the adults are leaving from at the end of the movie.
A short walk up to Essex Street puts you right in the heart of the action. This is the Downtown District, so there are literally TONS of shops and restaurants, plus a statue for the TV Show Bewitched sits at the corner of the street. There were way too many people for our comfort level (hello does ANYONE remember that deadly virus that’s going around???) so we dodged around the crowds to walk down to the Witch House at the corner of Essex and North streets.
The Witch House is actually the only remaining structure that has any real ties to the witch trials. This was the residence of the judge who presided over the trials (and I guess that makes him directly responsible for all of those death sentences? Big Yikes). The outside of the house gives you an immediately creepy vibe, and I’m positive that at least some of the spirits of those sentenced to death haunt that place. I mean, I totally would if I had been executed for allegedly being a witch.
Anyway, they offer tours and I think I’ll definitely have to make a trip back here on a less crowded weekend to check it out. It’s also on the corner of a very busy intersection, so it was hard to get a good picture with all of the crowds. Yet another reason to come back in the off-season.
We cut back towards the visitor center via Church Street to avoid the masses of people, but you could easily get downtown through the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall, where there are witchy shops, another museum, and lots of psychics. Again, another place that would be great sans-pandemic, but still a good place to explore if you feel comfortable enough.
Just past the visitor’s center and across Hawthorne Boulevard is Salem Common, which is a really lovely park to sit back and enjoy the nice weather and maybe have a little picnic with some takeout from a local restaurant. For the October festivities, they had a few painted backdrops set up, with someone dressed as a witch and someone else dressed as Frankenstein’s monster taking pictures with tourists. We snapped a few shots with some of the backgrounds and strolled along the park for a bit.
Right at the corner of Hawthorne Boulevard is the Salem Witch Museum, which is one of the most popular in Salem, and of course had a huge line. It’s in an old church and has the SPOOKIEST vibes, even from the outside.
As we walked down the street back towards the parking garage, we found a very creepy, classic Salem house right behind the visitor’s center on Brown Street. It was a perfect spot to take pictures because it looked and felt like both the Witch House and the House of the Seven Gables, but had lots of room to pose and walk around without crowds. I highly recommend taking all of your photos here!!!
Overall, it was such a perfect day and I definitely crossed a spot off of my bucket list! If you want more of the festivities, definitely go in October (and book well in advance!), but if you’d like the place to yourself, I suggest the off-season so you can really explore all of the sights and museums and avoid the crowds. We were able to spend a day in Salem without spending a dime (except on parking) so it’s also a great place to walk around and enjoy on a budget. Have fun, be safe, and happy witching!
Pin this for later:
Comments