Five activities you don’t want to miss when visiting The Witch City.
Salem, Mass is a small city with a big history. Home of the infamous Salem witch trials, this town on the north shore of Boston is full of spooky, fun, and unique things to do.
Come here for the history! Stay in the hotel that George Washington spent the night – and allegedly was haunted – in 1789. Explore Pioneer Village, a living history museum to experience life in Salem circa 1630 (the village, not the witch hunts). Learn about the elaborate maze of smuggling tunnels under the city used during the Underground Railroad period and Prohibition.
Come here for the haunts! Of course, what Salem is most famous for is being spooky. There are ghosts from the witch trials, but also from so many other tragedies and disasters in the city’s dark history. This includes haunted restaurants, hotels, homes, and cemetaries.
Hot Tip: Don’t visit Salem in October!
I had the pleasure of living in Salem for 1.5 years, and I can confidently say the spooky~scary~skeleton energy lasts year-round. Every month of the year you will find the same ghost tours, the same haunted spots, and the same psychics and energy readers. Just with fewer crowds and less wait times.
October is miserable in Salem. Parking is expensive. Public transit runs at snail pace due to the traffic. Shops are shoulder-to-shoulder packed, with lines out the door to enter. Restaurants have long waitlists. I may sound dramatic, but I cannot overstate how it is not worth it to visit Salem in October.
So without further ado, start planning your trip to Salem with the following activites at the top of your list.
Go on a Ghost Tour
A ghost encounter in Salem is a non-negotiable. Looping the ghost hunt into a walking tour is easy and practical.
It is the best way to learn about the city through the perspective of its haunting history. And I don’t just say that because I was a Ghost Tour Guide for a few months.
Since there are so many ghost tours to choose from, you can personalize it to you and your group. Certain tours that are especially scary, even adult-only tours that come with content warnings. There are tours that combine the ghost stories with eating, or drinking, or history, or movie sets.
The Most Authentic Salem Ghost Tour
1692 Salem Night Walking Tour – This tour company (and many of the tours) is run by a local historian who has woven his way into the tapestry of Salem by way of storytelling. He is known for his accuracy and attention to detail, and hundreds of reviews sing praises of the entertainment value.
Fun Salem Ghost Tour Option
Boos and Brews Haunted Pub Crawl Tour – This is a great tour for people who want to have fun first and get scared second. With this tour you will experience a few local bars while seeing the spooky sites in between. Talk about multitasking.
Movie Ghost Tours in Salem
Hocus Pocus Movie Locations Tour – The 1993 Disney movie Hocus Pocus not only takes place in Salem, but many of the scenes were filmed in and around the city. The best part is, a lot of the tour stops are also haunted ghost tour stops. If you love this movie, a tour like this is a unique way to experience Salem.
Shop & Dine on Essex Street
Essex Street runs through the center of downtown Salem and is a good center point within all the Salem sites. Part of the street is cobblestone and pedestrian-only, making it easy to walk between the shops, cafes, and the historical Old Town Hall.
My personal favorite cafe is on Essex Street – I highly recommend stopping in for a latte and a spanakopita at Red Line Cafe. There are plenty of other dining options, including sushi, Thai food, crepes, and burgers.
Also look out for the shops on Essex Street can help you get in touch with your higher self, either through energy healing, witchcraft supplies, or tarot readings. All of which will help with the next item on this list.
Connect with Spirit
Salem is a spiritual placewith many ways you can connect to the supernatural.
Popular in downtown Salem is Ascend, a metaphysical supply shop that offers aura readings and energy healing. You can get a Polaroid portrait of your aura and a deep explanation of what the colors mean and how the camera reads your aura as such.
Many shops along and around Essex Street offer tarot card readings. It’s as easy as walking in and asking for a reading. During the busy season, you may have to put your name down for an appointment, but then you will have time with a private reader.
I encourage you to do some research into these activities and decide which one feels most suited to you. It’s best to approach a reading or healing with an open heart and complete understanding, rather than getting caught up in the tourism excitement.
Take a Break in Salem Common
If you need a break from all the walking around, head to Salem Common. This is an 8-acre space with tree-lined walking paths, benches, and grass. A sort of village green.
Bring your own book, or grab one from the Little Free Library in a corner of the park. Find a bench or a sunny patch of grass and read for a bit, or soak in the respite from the downtown area.
Hot Tip: Venture a little past the Salem Common to Collins Cove Beach. If you are visiting between April and July, you might get lucky and see a horseshoe crab (or ten)!
Visit a Museum
Salem has a plethora of museum options. A city rich in history, art, and storytelling, there is a museum experience suited for every kind of traveler.
Peabody Essex Museum – PEM is the premier art and culture museum in Salem. The museum features noteworthy exhibits such as an installation of light and shadow, and a house built in China over 200 years ago which was carefully dismantled and moved to PEM.
The Salem Witch Museum – by far the most popular witchy museum in town, plan ahead to visit this one! In October, expect a long wait to get in. But once you do, you will have an elaborate look into the witch trials of 1692, and also the evolution of the “witch” over time.
Other witch-themed museums include the Witch House, and the Witch Board Museum.
A quick shout-out to the niche museums that cater to specific interests:
In Conclusion: Salem, Mass
Salem is an unforgettable and unmissable destination. The city combines New England small-town charm and dark, twisted history in a way that can suit any kind of traveler.
Bachelorette party? Amazing. Day trip out of Boston*? Incredible. Slow travel or remote work destination? Best idea ever.
*Salem has a stop on the Boston public transit line, the MBTA or “the T” as the locals call it.
I hope this post has given you some ideas for a trip to Salem and inspired you to dive in, witch’s hat first.
