What if I were to tell you that there is a town in New England where it's always Halloween?
Salem, Massachusetts, is a remarkable historic place where witchcraft, hauntings, and everything
that goes bump in the night feel right at home.
This serene and beautiful coastal town makes for the perfect day trip destination if you're
visiting Boston, but you could easily make an entire trip out of your visit if you prefer.
Salem was made famous, or rather infamous, by the Salem Witch Trials, which took place
in 1692.
This series of dark and disturbing events has captivated the world to this day.
20 innocent people were executed during this awful chapter in Salem's history for their
supposed connection to witchcraft.
For those that want to learn about this particularly depressing subject, Salem offers it's visitors
a wealth of information.
Aside from historical attractions that include live reenactments of the trials, Salem is
also known for it's phenomenal period architecture and top-notch museums.
There are also a variety of wonderful bookshops, boutiques, and cafes to do business at in
town as well.
From Boston, you can either take the commuter rail or the highway to get to Salem, which
is just 40 minutes away.
In fact, Salem makes for a great place to visit if you're visiting just about anywhere
in the New England area.
The town is particularly popular during the fall, thanks to the Halloween holiday and
the gorgeous fall foliage that can be seen throughout Salem's various neighborhoods and
parks.
If you do happen to visit Salem in October, be sure to check out the Haunted Happenings
Festival, which features over 1000 spooky events throughout the month.
The Festival is appropriate for visitors of all ages, but there are a particularly high
number of activities geared towards children and families.
It's worth noting that Salem gets especially crowded during October, with an estimated
500,000 visitors who come out to take ghost tours, brush up on history, and experience
what makes Salem so special.
It's best to book your lodging and dining reservations in advance if you plan on visiting
at this time of year.
But regardless of what time of year you visit, you're sure to have a great time in Salem.
To get a better idea of why you should add Salem to your travel bucket list, keep watching
to discover the Best Things to Do in Salem, Massachusetts.
The House Of Seven Gables
Constructed in 1668 for Captain John Turner I, this opulent waterfront mansion historically
was the home to three generations of the Turner family before it was sold to Captain Samuel
Ingersoll in 1782.
Following Ingersoll's death, the house was inherited by his dearest daughter, Susanna
Ingersoll.
Susanna's cousin was the famed author Nathaniel Hawthorne.
He visited her here frequently and the property ended up becoming the setting of his world-famous
1851 novel The House of Seven Gables.
While officially, the estate is called the Turner Ingersoll Mansion, the home quickly
became known for the name that Hawthorne had given it.
112 years ago, The House of Seven Gables was opened up as a public museum.
The museum's wealthy founder, philanthropist Caroline Emmerton, envisioned that the home
would be preserved for generations and that the proceeds from it would go to help fund
settlement programs for migrant families.
These days, the museum continues to uphold her wishes by providing funding to social
work programs while offering the public with various kinds of educational programs, including
English classes and community outreach conversations.
Visitors to the museum can relish the opportunity to see period features that span four centuries.
A few of these include a hidden staircase that leads to the attic, several pieces of
centuries-old furniture, and the home's original Georgian paneling.
In addition to the mansion, the property is also the home of six historic buildings that
sit along Salem Harbor.
Some of these include the Hooper-Hathaway House, The Counting House, The Retire Beckett
House, and the birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne.
There is also a visitors center and museum store where you can nab a souvenir before
you leave.
The Peabody Essex Museum
With a rich history dating back to the founding of the East India Marine Society, a band of
Salem-based sea captains who, according to their 1799 charter, vowed to establish a 'cabinet
of natural and artificial curiosities, this Salem museum is certainly one of a kind.
It started off as a collection of items brought back to Salem from the Captains as they traveled
about the world.
Today many of those objects have been carefully preserved for your viewing pleasure.
Salem has long been a place that's deeply connected with its maritime roots.
Over the centuries, it gained a reputation for its salted cod and other offerings.
Traders as far as the West Indies once heard of Salem and as such, it became an almost
legendary place to some abroad.
After the American Revolution, ships from Salem voyaged as far as Russia, China, and
India, thus cementing the town's legacy as a Maritime nidus for generations.
Quite a few artifacts from this time period are housed at the museum.
There is also a fantastic collection of Asian art stored here as well.
If you plan on visiting, it's best to commit a full day at the very least to see everything
on offer at the Peabody Essex Museum.
The Salem Witch Museum
The Salem Witch Museum, while a bit sensationalized and touristy, is without a doubt the premier
expert in the region on the events that led up to and followed the Witch Trials of 1692.
The museum opened its doors in 1972 after the writings of Arthur Miller, particularly
The Crucible, brought heightened awareness to the Salem With Trials.
Today, visitors from all over the world come to see a dramatic recreation of the event
as told through the use of trial documents and illuminated set pieces to narrate the
macabre tale.
After guests view the reenactment and hear a bit more about the history and aftermath
of the trials, the remainder of the tour focuses on modern witchcraft and the Wiccan religion
as well as subsequent witch hunts that have occurred in the past four centuries.
While the subject material discussed is a bit on the dark side, the museum is appropriate
for guests of all ages.
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The Satanic Temple at Salem Art Gallery
As the worldwide headquarters of the organization that calls itself the Satanic Temple, this
space is precisely what it sounds like.
Now, understandably many visitors would scoff at going to such an establishment given their
religious sensibilities.
By no means, is this a destination that we think everyone will appreciate, but for those
that are ever in search of odd curiosities, this pseudo-religious space dedicated to the
lord of darkness is one such oddity that is better experienced in person.
The TST's centerpiece is their 8.5-foot statue of the Pagan deity, Baphomet.
The statue has gained a bit of notoriety in recent times as the temple has frequently
offered to loan it out to several state capitol buildings that display Christian figures.
Arguing that the constitution protects all faith traditions and regions equally, the
Satanic Temple believes that Christian statues displayed on government grounds should be
accompanied by those that represent other faiths as well.
In addition to the half-goat-half-human statue, the temple also doubles as an art gallery
that displays a number of other pieces dedicated to the left-handed path.
Witch House
Not to be confused with the genre of electronic music that was popular in the late 2000s,
this Witch House once belonged to the notorious Judge Jonathan Corwin.
While no witch ever lived in the house, the structure is the only one that still stands
in Salem that has a direct tie to the witch trials of 1682.
Due to this fact, the Witch House is a must-see stop for anyone that's interested in learning
about Salem's history.
Located on the corner of North and Essex streets, this ominous mansion has a rather dismal history.
During the Witch Trials, Judge Corwin was one of the judges who presided over the examinations
of citizens that were accused of participating in witchcraft.
Now, the house has been turned into a public museum and it's considered to be one of the
town's most haunted locales.
As legend has it, the spirits of those that Judge Corwin sent to their deaths supposedly
still haunt it.
Explore Salem's Historic Cemeteries
Howard Street Cemetery and 'The Burying Point' are the two primary cemeteries that are most
often associated with the victims of the Salem Witch Trials.
The Burying Point is notable for being the oldest cemetery in the region and even one
of the oldest in New England.
This grassy area is a great place to go to reflect on and pay your respects to the many
who were killed during those grisly years.
It's also pretty incredible seeing gravestones that date back to the 1600s.
You can even see the burying site of one of the Mayflower passengers!
Over at Howard Street Cemetery, you can visit the spot where one of the trial victims, Giles
Corey, was apparently put to death by being pressed by heavy stones.
Both cemeteries are fairly easy to visit as you walk around town.
Salem Maritime National Historic Site
Noteworthy for being the first national historic site in the country, Salem Maritime National
Historic Site boasts having a collection of twelve historic buildings and structures set
along the harbor.
Established back in 1938, this historic coastal park preserves the site of one of the most
important American ports of the late 18 and 19th centuries.
At the site, you can see historical places such as the Hawkes House, Derby Wharf, the
Custom House, the Narbonne House, and the beautiful Colonial Revival Garden.
Additionally, Salem Maritime National Historic Site includes the Salem Armory Visitor's Center
and the Waite and Peirce Park gift store.
Unfortunately, we're just about out of time for this video.
We would love to tell you more about Salem, Massachusetts, and the incredible array of
attractions that await you there, but we'll have to save some of that for a future video.
Have you been to Salem, Mass before?
If so, what attractions would you recommend to first-timer?
Let us know in the comments.
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