Dates Visited: October 9, 2021-October 10, 2021
My favorite season you ask? SPOOKY SEASON! Salem, MA is beautiful to visit year round which makes it such a a great destination. The town is filled with centuries of art, history, and like most of the Northeast, scenery. It may be overwhelming to plan a Halloween trip, but not to worry, below are my finds.
Getting Here
Depending on where you are visiting from, you can visit Salem by car, train, or plane. Your arrival point will most likely be Boston International Airport. Once you get to the airport, you can rent a car or take an Uber which will take about 30 minutes. In my opinion, Uber is the best choice.
If you are traveling light, and would like to take the train to Salem from the airport, it will take a few steps. First, you will take the Airport Shuttle to the Airport Stop using either the Blue Line or Silver Line. Second, you’ll take the Silver Line to Chelsea in order to get on the Commuter Rail. Third, you’ll take either the Rockport or Newburyport trains to Salem.*
Another mode of transportation is the Water Ferry. Depending on the weather, this is a great option for some sightseeing. From the airport you’ll take the airport shuttle to the Water Taxi Dock. Next, you’ll take the Water Taxi to the Ferry Long Wharf (10 min ride). The Ferry will then take you to Downtown Salem (50 min ride). I would budget about $50 for this method of transportation.
*Tip: I highly recommend using google maps to navigate public transportation to Salem. It’s the best way to find the most direct route at that time.
Staying Here
Plan, Plan, Plan. Visiting Salem at this time of year needs advanced planning if you would like to stay downtown. If transportation is not an issue, your best bet will be to find a hotel in Boston. If you have your heart on staying in Salem during the fall months, I suggest booking a hotel no less than a year in advance. There are a handful of hotels in the heart of downtown Salem including Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites, Hampton Inn Salem, The Cove at Salem, and The Hotel Salem.*
Since I visited during Covid, there weren’t may Airbnb options. However, if you can’t find hotel for your trip, Airbnb may have accommodations.
*Tip: You can find a list of other hotels, inns, and Bed & Breakfast’s, here.
Exploring Here
Where do I start? Museums? Haunted Houses? Depending on what you are looking to do, sometimes Salem offers passes that get you into a handful of attractions for that day. For example, I was able to find tickets that got us into the Witch History Museum, Salem Wax Museum, and the Salem Witch Village. Be sure to also stop by the Peabody Museum. You can spend quite a bit of time here learning about everything from the Salem Witch Trials to present day.
If you like spooky things, you’ll want to check out Frankenstein’s Castle, Haunt Blackcraft, and the Chambers of Terror haunted houses. You can also buy tickets to ghost tours like The Salem Night Tour and the Salem Witch Walk.
If scary isn’t your thing, you can check out the Bewitched Historical Tours or the Salem Historical Tours. A must see is a the Salem Halloween Museum (don’t worry, it’s not scary).
One thing I really wished I had time to do was a tour of the Hocus Pocus locations. Unfortunately, the city does not offer a specific tour of areas of the movie since they are spread out across the town. However, their website lists all the big landmarks for you to create your own tour! Check them out here. Please keep in mind the Max and Dani’s house is not accessible to the public as it is owned by a real family.
Other than the attractions listed above, Salem is a great place to just walk. Walk through the Salem Column or take a stroll through Winter Island Park. If the weather is nice, you will definitely want to check out Pickering Wharf. There you can shop, eat, and enjoy the view of the marina.
Eating & Drinking Here
As you make your way through Salem, you will come across many a restaurants. Please keep in mind that if you are visiting during the fall months, especially in October, that these restaurants will have large waits or require a reservation.
Breakfast
We enjoyed an amazing breakfast at Fountain Place Restaurant. They are open 7 days a week serving breakfast and lunch from 8am-3pm. I ordered The Big Breakfast with the Chocolate Chip Pancakes. You can also check out the Gulu-Gulu Cafe and the Ugly Mug Diner.
Lunch
Make a reservation at Jolie Tea Company and enjoy High Tea sandwiches and scones. Don’t forget to wash it down some Witch’s Brew.
Dinner
Again, make sure you make reservations if necessary, but there are restaurants all over Salem to enjoy dinner. We ate at Rockafellas and devoured lobster roll after lobster roll at The Longboards Restaurant.
Dessert/Coffee
Start your day with the Magic Mocha Latte or the Krampus Brew Latte from Blackcraft Coffee. Get yourself some donuts at Honey Dew Donuts or opt for some ice cream at Melt Ice Cream. We also checked out The Chocolate Pantry and Lulu’s Bakery and Pantry both located on Derby St.
A Tip & A Trick
Salem holds many outdoor events year-round which they post on their event calendar. If you plan to visit during the Halloween season, I encourage you to follow their Salem Haunted Happenings for events around town during your visit. You can find their everyday event calendar here. During Halloween you will also find people dressed up from classic Halloween movies. Don’t forget to stop and take pictures with them!
