If you think I’m early with this post about the best place to celebrate Halloween, think again! If you wait until the end of summer to make reservations, you’ll be out of luck.
Thousands descend on Salem, Massachusetts every October to celebrate Halloween in a big way. Once known for the infamous Salem Witch Trials, it is now known as Halloween Headquarters.
Here are just a few of the things you can do:
Artemisia (apothecary)
Boris Karloff’s Witch Mansion
Dracula’s Castle (haunted house)
Gallows Hill Theatre (haunted attraction)
Heritage Trail
New England Pirate Museum
Old Burying Point (one of the oldest graveyards in America)
Peabody Essex Museum
Pickering Wharf
Salem Halloween Museum
Salem Wax Museum
Salem Witch Village
Salem’s Museum of Myths & Monsters
Salem Witch Museum
Salem Trolley Tour
Salem 1630: Pioneer Village (oldest living history museum in America)
The House of the Seven Gables
Witch House
Witch Dungeon Museum
Witch History Museum
But there is so much more, including special seasonal events, such as the interactive Salem Witch Trials re-enactment. Check out Salem Haunted Happenings for a complete list of fun things to do. In addition to ghost walks, storytelling, parades, mourning tea, dinner with the dead, psychic fairs, and witches market, there is the Official Salem Witches Halloween Ball. This adults-only party is worth attending just to see the costumes people have come up with. Don’t even think about just throwing a sheet over your head and calling yourself a ghost. This is the big league! AND BE SURE TO BOOK RIGHT NOW IF INTERESTED. This is the event of the year and sells out fast.
Lodging also books up fast during this special time of year. My favorite place is the Hawthorne Hotel but there’s also the Coach House Inn (1879), Salem Inn, The Daniels House B&B, The Hotel Salem, and The Clipper Ship Inn. Or you can book a property through Vrbo or Airbnb. Click here to find more accommodations.
There are lots of unique shops in Salem, so allow time to browse. Also, there are breweries, bakeries, coffee shops, candy stores, and restaurants. Salem is a great walking town. It is safe and easy to navigate. Depending on when you visit and if you have time, you can also enjoy a harbor cruise or whale-watching expedition. Salem at Halloween used to be just for adults but nowadays offers lots of kid-friendly events. That said, I wouldn’t take take children to Salem on Halloween night. It is very crowded and chaotic.
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FUN FACTS ABOUT SALEM:
More than 500,000 visitors come to Salem each October to celebrate Halloween.
It has been dubbed the “Halloween Capital of America.”
Room W17 at the Salem Inn is believed to be haunted — many guests have reported “strange happenings” like things moving mysteriously and unknown shadows.
Opened in 1799, Salem’s Peabody Essex Museum is the oldest continuously operating museum in the US.
It has more witch shops than any other city in America.
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