Salem, Massachusetts has always been a beautiful place! It is so much better at Halloween!! It has the Halloween vibes year round.
A little history of Salem….New England is stunning in the fall and Salem gets you in the spooky mood upon arrival! The Salem Witchcraft Trials you may have heard of them.. happened in 1690 (ish) with 200 people accused and 19 executed. The 70’s tv show “Bewitched” actually put the city on the map! Hollywood came to this location when there was a fire on set and Salem was the relocated destination!
Salem is also know for “The Crucible” – this brought attention to Salem once again. Fall in Salem is the heart of Haunted Happenings.
Best Things to Do in Salem:
The Salem Witch Museum is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Salem. It tells the tales of the witch trials from 1692. Narration, stage sets and figures help to give an understanding of the witch trials.
The best way to learn the history of Salem is through a walking tour! If you take the tour at night, be prepared to be a tad spooked – plenty of stories, history, and information. Typically you will see Old Town Hall, the Burying Point, McIntyre Historic District, statue of Elizabeth Montgomery riding a broomstick (Bewitched), and the Salem Witch Trials a memorial.
Salem is known for being popular in the pepper trade. Chesnut Street was a lucrative place and a reason why the city became so wealthy! It is one of the most beautiful streets in Salem – stately mansions and gorgeous trees! Brick sidewalks!!
This is one of the most iconic stops in Salem! The Witch House has a direct link to the witch trials of 1692. Judge Jonathan Corwin lived here and it was a meeting location for the Salem Witchcraft hearings.
This is one of the oldest maintained cemeteries in Salem. Opened in 1637, also known as the Charter Street Cemetery. John Hathorne is buried to the left when you first enter.
– Salem Pioneer Village
– Ropes Mansion
– Old Burial Hill in Marblehead
– Hocus Pocus House
– Old Town Hall
– Salem Common
– Phillips Elementary School
– Count Orlock’s Nightmare Gallery
This is a great place outside Salem – Fun Down on the Farm. Corn maze, Apple bags, Apple Cider, Peach festival, farm truck, bakery, and corn.
Walk Around Derby Wharf and Customs House
Light house, a long walk is iconic and worth the visit. The Derby Wharf Station was built in 1871 to assist ships coming into the Salem port. Rocky dirt path – 500 meter walk from the road to the pier to the lighthouse.
The House of Seven Gables was built by John Turner, a Salem sea captain and trader, in 1668 and inhabited by three generations of the Turner family before being sold to Captain Samuel Ingersoll in 1782. During the Golden Age of Sail, Ingersoll died at sea leaving his daughter Susanna, a cousin of the famous novelist – Nathaniel Hawthorne.
The House of Seven Gables is one of the oldest timber framed mansions – 8,000 square feet and 17 rooms. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the 1851 novel, The House of Seven Gables.
Interesting history, Hawthorne, in an effort to distance himself from his great- grandfather, the judge of the Salem witch trials, John Hawthorn, added the -e to his surname.
Turner’s Seafood is the perfect New England food spot! Great seafood vibes and chill style.
Located off Charter Street, on Liberty Street, is Salem’s memorial to 20 victims of the witch trials of 1692.
Halloween in Boston – Ghosts, Graveyards, and Gore!
Enjoy your visit to Salem!
Xoxo,
Heidi
