The Halloween Lover’s Travel Guide to Salem, Massachusetts

 

Any babe who favors the strange and unusual has imagined visiting the notorious New England town of Salem, Massachusetts,  the location of the most famous witch trials in history. It’s also the setting of Hocus Pocus, a cult classic film that I know by heart. I visited Salem last October and had a fantastic time, but I couldn’t find a first-hand guide to all the cool things to do, see, and EAT. So here is my personal guide to Salem, MA for all my fellow Halloween lovers! And if you want to go along with me to these places, watch the vlogs from my trip on my YouTube channel.

Also before we begin, I want to tell y’all that I went during the work week in October. I left before the weekend rush, which was great for avoiding big crowds. But I also avoided all the carnival stuff that happens on the weekends, so keep that in mind!

 

Where to Stay

My one piece of advice is to look into your hotel before you book or you may be in for an extra authentic Salem experience. Some of these places are HAUNTED AF. Now I don’t mess with ghosts so I rented an Airbnb room in Lynn, which was just a 15 minute Lyft ride away from downtown Salem. If you’re going in October, the hotel prices are going to soar within Salem, but if money isn’t a factor, being in the center of the action has its perks. If you’re on a budget, renting in a nearby town won’t take away from your experience.

Haunted af hotels: The Hawthorn Hotel, The Salem Inn

Things to Do

This was my first vacation that wasn’t to the beach so I was not prepared to fill every waking moment with activities. This is where staying in Salem would come in handy. I would have loved to pop back to the hotel for an hour or two and then hit the town. But to save some money, we floated from venue to venue during the day. Here are all the things we did and what I thought of them!

 

Hocus Pocus Filming Spots

This was the main reason I wanted to travel to Salem! It was so cool to visit these spots, especially Max’s iconic house and the Salem Commons. Max’s house is off the beaten path, so we had to take a car but it didn’t cost much and was so worth it. This was a busy spot, and for the thirty minutes we were there, at least ten different people came and took photos. We saw the people who currently live there but from what I’ve read, they don’t mind if you take photos from the street, as long as you’re not on their property. One thing you don’t see in the movie is the gorgeous view from the house! It’s right on the water and I bet it’s beautiful at sunset. The Salem Commons are right along the high school from the movie, and Allison’s house, aka The Ropes Mansion, is a few blocks in the other direction. And the old town hall (where the adults danced the night away) is in the center of town.

 

Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery

I was coerced into going to this venue. Basically it’s life-size wax figures of iconic monsters in a series of rooms. For someone else this might be really cool. For me, someone with Automatonophobia, this was nightmarish in more ways than one. But if you really like old horror flicks, this might pique your interest. And they show a movie in the back room (which is actually an old bank vault, v cool) which you can sit and watch for as long as you please!

 

Ghost Tours

This is one thing I totally recommend you do if it’s your first time in Salem. We went on a tour with Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tours but there are a ton of choices. I would recommend our tour, though. It was the right combo of scary and fun and the tour guide seemed to know the ropes. Ghost tours are scary but when your tour guide takes it seriously, there’s a new level of fear. Our guide said some things about the Ropes Mansion (aka Allison’s House) and…next time I visit I will be extra respectful.

 

Boo-ze Cruise

This was the last thing we did in Salem and it was one of my faves! Spiked hot apple cider and hot dogs? On a boat?? Count me IN. The ghost stories were a little silly on this ride, but like most silly things, it was fun if you actually participated. The magic really happened after a gorgeous sunset. The breeze grew chilly and twinkle lights glowed on the boat and it was one of those moments I wanted to hold onto for a while.

 

Gallows Hill Museum Theater

This was one of our last-minute picks but it was surprisingly fun! We sprung for a combo ticket- a short theater show followed by local beer tasting and spooky stories. The show was full of enough jump-scares to keep you on your toes and creative uses of light and props. I also liked that there was bench-style seating in the venue which is great for people with bigger bodies, like me.

Where to Eat

 

Ugly Mug Diner

This was the first thing we put on our to-do list because it was cute and a little kitschy. This little diner blew past my expectations! We ate here twice during our stay and had two very different experiences! The first time we went was early, before 10 a.m and we had quick service and a table right away. The second time we came later in the day (around 11 a.m.) and spent an hour in line waiting for a table and another hour and a half during the meal itself. So word of advice, GO EARLY! And also order all the sweet potato hash you can because they are BAKED AND THEN FRIED! They were the best thing I ate during my trip.

 

Gulu Gulu Cafe

This hip cafe was our spot when we needed downtime. We set up on a cozy couch while we waited for our next activity to begin. Here we had a chance to charge our phones and get some energy in our bods and wow!! The food was incredible. I had the curry chicken salad sandwich which was so delicious and whatever dressing they put on their salads, they should bottle. We were there for so long that I had about two coffees and even ordered a dessert, two warm brownies with sweet whipped cream. So. Good. They also serve alcohol and have a bar vibe in the evening, complete with live music! One of my Instagram followers recommended this one to me and I’m so glad they did!

 

Bit Bar

I was in a sour mood when we visited Bit Bar but it is pretty cool if you love arcades. It’s a bit off the beaten path but worth the walk on a nice day or night and a fun spot to have a drink and play games. If you thought this spot was a reprise from the spooky Salem vibe, wrong-o!! This bar is in the same spot as an old jail and holds many ghosts, or so I’m told…

 

Rockafellas

This is a huge restaurant in the heart of downtown Salem, so it’s very accessible for tourists. This can be hell if you go the wrong time to day, but we went a little before dinner rush and had a great experience! I wasn’t too hungry but I’m so glad I sampled the curried chicken egg rolls because they were bangin! My second fave food of the trip for sure and something I would eat again with a beer at happy hour. Oh and there’s a lady ghost that haunts the basement…I’m sure you’ll hear that one on the ghost tour!

Where to Shop

 

32 Emporium

This store is full of unique gifts, including radical and witchy pins and jewelry. The best way to describe this store is “neat” because you won’t find the items inside anywhere else in Salem.

 

Die With Your Boots On

Possibly my most favorite store during this entire trip, Die With Your Boots is an incredible gothic shop that is a Halloween dream. It’s a bit of a walk from downtown Salem, but it’s surrounded by other shops in Pickering Wharf so certainly worth the trip. They had tons of goth and alternative clothes that I’d usually only find online, but also pins, some home-ware items, and more. If you love spooky stuff and dress the part, this is your #1 stop.

 

Roost & Company

This was one of those quirky shops that you can find in any happening downtown, but I fell in love with it. It was larger than I expected and was exploding with cute and funny trinkets and gifts. I was this closing to buying a certain mug but I thought I should save my coins for some actual Salem-related merch.

 

What to Avoid

 

The Salem Library

Where I live now, the library and huge and has tons of seating and places to chill while you read. I was looking for a quiet place to chill for an hour or two during one of our busy tourist days, and thought it would be a nice place to relax. Well, I was so completely wrong. It’s a nice walk to the library but it was small and there was virtually no seating. We grabbed two gaming-style chairs on the floor of the “teen section” because we were desperate, but we would have been better off hanging out at a local cafe.

This list is just a small example of all the amazing things to do in Salem. I can’t wait to go back and try out even more restaurants and spooky experiences and add to this post! Are you planning a trip? Or do you have a favorite spot in Salem? Let me know in the comments!

Stay spooky!

PS! Check out my vlogs from my trip over on YouTube to see my full experience! Watch the first part below!