Salem, Massachusetts Travel Guide: Witchy Things to do During a Day Trip to Salem, Mass
Salem, Massachusetts is unofficially known as the Halloween capital of the USA due to its extravagant fall celebrations, year-round witchy attractions, and of course; the horrific, dark history that gave the town its tragic claim to fame.
Visiting Salem has been a HUGE Halloween bucket-list goal of mine ever since I first watched Hocus Pocus as a kid and simultaneously fell in love with the quirky charm of Max Dennison, child-luring voice of Sarah Sanderson, and the overall allure of the spooky, Halloween-loving City.
Ideally, visiting Salem would be perfect for a Halloween weekend getaway, but if you’re like me and only have one day to spend in the Witch City; here’s my guide to how to make the most of your 24-hours or less in Salem, Mass.
Have fun, Creeps!
First, a quick look into Salem’s history
Salem is most well-known for the gruesome tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials, which took place in the town from 1692-1693.
During that time, over two hundred of Salem’s citizens were accused of witchcraft and approximately thirty were charged as guilty. Of the thirty people who were found guilty, twenty of them received the death sentence.
Though Salem wasn’t the first or only town in Colonial America to be performing witch trials at that time; the overall horrific extent and severity of the witch hunt that plagued Salem caused a level of mass hysteria that became known around the globe for its injustice and blatant example of religious extremism.
How to get to Salem from Boston
By car
I personally chose to rent a car and drive from Boston to Salem, which ended up being a very short 45-minute mostly-highway trip. It was super convenient!
Tip: I planned to visit Salem in the middle of the week so that I could miss a majority of the tourist crowd, and thankfully we found parking relatively easily in the Witch City Mall parking lot. With that said, it’s really easy to see how parking in Salem on a busy weekend could be complete nightmare.
If you’re planning to spend time in Salem on a weekend in October, I highly recommend either taking public transportation or making a list of the local parking lots and garages ahead of time so that you can save yourself some time and stress during what could be a very chaotic parking hunt.
Commuter rail
If public transportation sounds like a better fit, thankfully Boston’s train system, the ‘T’, has you covered.
Salem Station is on the T’s Newburyport/Rockport line, and departs from Boston’s North Station. The trip should cost you $8.00 each way, and normally takes only about 30 minutes to get to Salem (as long as there aren’t delays!).
Ferry
If you’re interested in taking more of a scenic route up to the Witch City; Boston Harbor Cruises seem to be a very well-recommended option!
A ferry from Boston’s Long Wharf to Salem operates every summer and fall and costs $25.00 per adult for a one-way ticket.
Though I haven’t personally ridden the ferry at Boston Harbor, I’ve heard that it’s a great way to experience views of the Massachusetts coastline!
Things to do in Salem
With only having one day to explore the city, I tried to cram in as much as possible. Visiting Salem could have easily been a two-day trip with all there is to do in town, ESPECIALLY during October when the festivities are in full force. But regardless, we definitely made the most of our time in the Halloween capital.
Here’s my full list of creepy things to do in Salem, Massachusetts.
Visit Proctor’s Ledge
Proctor’s Ledge is the official site where nineteen of the accused were executed in 1692.
Though this site has been known for quite a while as the location of the witch trial executions, the stone memorial that stands at the site today was only recently erected in 2017, and now includes engraved names of all nineteen victims who were executed by hanging.
What I didn’t expect when I visited the memorial was that the execution site was right smack in the middle of what’s now a suburban neighborhood!! It’s literally surrounded by houses and apartment buildings on all sides.
I’m pretty sure every horror movie I’ve ever watched has taught me that building a house on top of or surrounding any burial ground or site of a gruesome murder is an absolute HELL NO.
That seems like a great way to have the pissed off ghost of Rebecca Nurse take her three hundred years of rage out on your basement.
But hey, risk it all, Salem real estate developers.…YIKES.
The Witch House
The Witch House is the only standing structure in Salem with direct ties to the Salem witch trials. The house was home to Jonathan Corwin; one of the judges during the trials.
Today the house exists as a museum that displays examples of everyday life during the times of the witch trials and into the seventeenth century.
Tours of the Corwin house are hosted daily year-round and can be purchased through the The Witch House website.
Check out the occult shops on Essex Street
Essex street is right in the heart of downtown Salem and is home to PLENTY of retail for the strange. Wicca, occult, dark/light magic, Celtic lore, vampire attire; you name it and there’s probably a store in Salem either on or near Essex that has it.
Wandering through the witchy shops in Salem was a blast and each had its own dark and charming apparel. Here are a few stores that you really won’t want to miss:
The Coven's Cottage - Celtic & Norse witch shop
190 Essex St, Salem, MA 01970
Crow Haven Corner - Oldest witch shop in Salem
125 Essex St, Salem, MA 01970Hex Old World Witchery - Spell kits, potions, candles, etc.
246 Essex St, Salem, MA 01970Witch City Wicks - Witchy candle store
302A Essex St, Salem, MA 01970Vampfangs - Vampire fashion & accessories
244 Essex St, Salem, MA 01970Wynott’s Wands - Wand store inspired by Olivanders from Harry Potter
127 Essex St, Salem, MA 01970Pentagram - Witchcraft supply store
282 Derby St Rear 3, Salem, MA 01970
Take a walk through the Old Burying Point Cemetery
With the earliest tombstone being dated 1683, and the latest 1881, The Old Burying Point is the oldest (and rumored to be the most haunted) cemetery in Salem!
There are several notable figures with headstones throughout the cemetery, one of which being Mary Giles, the wife of Giles Cory; a man who was executed by being pressed to death as a result of refusing to plead guilty during his trial.
It’s said that all twenty of the executed victims had their bodies dumped around the Burying Point Cemetery in unmarked graves. Because of the executed being assumed ‘witches’, none received a headstone or a proper burial.
The Salem Witch Trials Memorial
As a way to pay respect to the twenty victims who had their burial rites stolen from them; the Salem Witch Trials Memorial was constructed along the side of the Old Burying Point Cemetery in 1992, and includes a granite stone for each of the persons who were executed during the witch trials. Each stone lists the person’s name, date of death, and means of execution.
While we were visiting the memorial we even saw a note that was recently left on one of the memorial stones by a descendant of one of the victims! How cool is that?!
Take a tour through one of Salem’s many museums
We personally decided to opt out of going on a museum tour during this trip because we had a few other things on our priority list, but Salem has a TON of incredibly informative museum and town tours to choose from and I’m determined to go to one next time I’m in town.
Here are a few of the most popular:
Museums
Tours
Visit the Hocus Pocus film locations
Hocus Pocus is a Halloween movie staple in my household and I was thrilled to get to live out my fangirl dreams of wandering through the Sanderson Sisters’ iconic stomping grounds!
Here’s all the Hocus Pocus sites that you can go experience for yourself:
Thackary Binx’s House
Pioneer Village - 98 West Ave, Salem, MA 01970
Max & Allison’s school
Phillips Elementary School at Salem Common - N Washington Square, Salem, MA 01970Allison’s House
The Ropes Mansion - 318 Essex St, Salem, MA 01970The Halloween Party
Old Town Hall - 32 Derby Square, Salem, MA 01970Cemetery Scene
Old Burial Hill Cemetery - Marblehead, MA 01945
Where to eat & drink in Salem
For being a relatively small city, Salem has no shortage of bar and restaurant options to choose from. Here are a few incredibly well-reviewed places to grab a bite in the Witch City:
Dine
Drink
Where to stay in Salem
If you’ve decided that there’s way too much you need to see and a day trip just isn’t going to cut it, Salem’s got you covered with plenty of unique lodging in the area.
Since I personally prefer all things boutique or independent when it comes to hotel stays, here are a few of the top boutique hotels in and around Salem, Mass.
(Disclaimer: This article may contain affiliate links, which give me the opportunity to earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for reading!)
