The leaves are changing, the wind is getting colder and there’s something mysterious in the air…That can only mean one thing–it’s almost fall. But in Salem, Massachusetts that means it’s the start of spooky season! And what better way is there to get into the spirit than by exploring the most magically mysterious town of them all?
Just 17 miles north of Boston, sits the small, quaint town of Salem a place known for its ghosts, mysterious energy and, of course, its famous witch trials. First established in 1626, Salem began as a simple religious town but hysteria and fear soon took over when hundreds of local people were accused and subsequently condemned for witchcraft.
The town has done its fair share of repentance for the harrowing trials, but Salem has since been known as a town rife with magic and witches. From haunted spots and historic sites to magic shops, we’ve come up with a few magical Salem spots to explore and bask in the city’s witchy spirit. So pack your brooms and your wands and head over to Salem to celebrate Halloween(if you’re not already there)!
*Scroll down for all you need to know before traveling to Salem and a handy dandy map including all the spots to help guide you through town once you arrive*
1. Get Off At Salem Station.
Special 50-minute ferry services run from Boston to Salem through October 31 from Boston’s Long Wharf. Boston to Salem ferry tickets start from $29! Any time of year, you can easily reach Salem by hopping on the MBTA and taking the Newburyport/Rockport Line to Salem station. Alternatively, if you’ve got a car it’s just a short 30-minute drive!
2. Head over to The Witch House at Salem.
In a town with such a haunted history as Salem’s there’s no shortage of spots full of paranormal activity, so why not start the day by exploring one the most haunted destinations in the whole town?
Home to Judge Jonathan Corwin, magistrate of the Witch Trials, the house is the only direct remaining link to the trials and has become known as The Witch House. It’s unclear what truly haunts the Witch House, some say it’s the spirits of those condemned in the trials (although no ‘witches’ stepped inside) others say it’s the ‘Corwin Curse’ that keeps the spirits of the Corwin’s themselves inside the house.
One thing is for sure, the black shoe and witch bottle (a bottle full of urine, pins, hair, and fingernails) meant to keep witches and evil away seem to have not been very effective for the family members who tragically passed away in the house way before their time.
When making your way to your next destination you’ll see an old Gothic Church on your right. That’s the First Church In Salem, the parish of many of the accused during the Salem Witch Trials.
Pictured above, find Salem’s Witch House at 310 Essex St and the First Church in Salem at 316 Essex St.
3. Travel down Essex Street to check out Ropes Mansion.
Right after the First Church, you’ll soon run into a white, Colonial-style mansion. You may know it as Allison’s House from Hocus Pocus but the Ropes mansion has a way more haunted history in real life.
The mansion was once home to loyalist Judge Nathaniel Ropes and his family and let’s just say they didn’t meet quite the happy ending. Judge Ropes died of Smallpox in his home in 1774 while his daughter Abigail, “Nabby,” died an agonizing death after her petticoats caught fire. The judge and his family still haunt the halls of Ropes Mansion 200 years later and Rope himself was even caught once on camera while he was resting by the fire in the house’s living room. Plus, the house has been mysteriously set on fire multiple times in the past and it’s said Nabby was the arsonist behind them–perhaps she wasn’t too happy with the renovations?
Note: Ropes Mansion isn’t open during winter months but its garden is open year-round.
Find the Ropes Mansion and Gardens at 318 Essex St.
4. Turn back up Essex Street to see Salem’s Bewitched sculpture.
Erected by TV Land in 2005, the statue of Bewitched’s Samantha Stevens is a total must-see when exploring Salem’s many witchy spots. The famous TV series filmed several episodes in Salem in the early 70s after the California studios were damaged by fire.
Find it in Lappin Park.
5. Take a peek at the Joshua Ward House.
Perhaps it’s a good thing this 19th-century Federal-style mansion at 148 Washington Street is off-limits to the general public. Currently, home to the Higginson Book Company and Carlson Realty, those who’ve entered it have reported many unsettling encounters!
Built for the wealthy sea merchant Joshua Ward in 1784, this spooky house was also the residence of High Sheriff George Corwin, nephew to Judge Jonathan Corwin of the famous Witch House.
Corwin used to deliver the ‘witches’ to the gallows among other nasty deeds. He passed away in the house and his nasty spirit is said to be trapped inside its walls alongside the spirit of another of his victims, Giles Corey. The latter is said to be the one behind books being yanked from the shelves, cold spots in an otherwise warm room, and candles found in a pool of wax, though the candles were never set aflame.
In the 1980s, Carlson Realty was hosting a massive holiday party when one of the employees snapped a quick Polaroid photo. Shaking it, they expected to see the image of a light-haired woman enjoying the party but what they saw instead was the terrifying image of a dark-haired woman with rough-hewn features and translucent, pale skin. Yikes!
Find Joshua Ward House at 148 Washington St.
6. Wander through the Burying Point Cemetery and the Witch Trials Memorial.
After admiring Joshua Ward’s home at a distance head down Front St until it turns into Charter St to check out the Old Burying Point Cemetery and the Witch Trials Memorial.
Burying Point is actually one of the oldest burial grounds in the country. It’s so old even the only Mayflower passenger with a marked grave is buried there! The storied graveyard is, unsurprisingly, fraught with paranormal activity. Four hundred years of burials haunt this spooky gravesite where John Hathorne, the unrepentant judge from Salem’s famous Witch Trials, was laid to rest. Multiple ghostly apparitions are said to have appeared in this unwelcoming site, including that of the White Lady, a woman dressed in white believed to be Mary Corey, the second wife of Giles Corey, who was pressed to death with rocks in an attempt to coax out his confession to witchcraft.
Across the street from the cemetery, you’ll find the Salem Witch Trials Memorial. Dedicated in 1992 by Nobel laureate Eli Wiesel, it honors the 20 innocent people executed during the Witch Trials of 1692.
Find them at 51 Charter St.
7. Visit Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous House of the Seven Gables.
If you continue down Derby St and take a right on Turner St. you’ll wind up at one of Salem’s most famous residences–The Turner-Ingersoll House better known as The House of the Seven Gables.
Pushed to the international scene of haunted spots by local celebrity and author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, the Turner-Ingersoll House competes both in fame and hauntedness with the Witch House. While it’s unclear if the house is truly haunted–some say to have seen a spectral-looking man walking up the secret staircase and heard a child playing in the attic–this spooky historic home is undoubtedly creepy. Just thinking of its close ties to the Witch Trials’ Hanging Judge, John Hathorne (Hawthorne’s infamous great-grandfather) gives me the chills. Throw in the fact that it looks eerily similar to Hawthorne’s Pyncheon’s mansion and that Hawthorne’s cousin, Susan Ingersoll, is said to still roam its halls and there’s no wondering why it has become such a popular haunted spot in Salem!
Find the Turner-Ingersoll House at 115 Derby St.
8. Grab a bite at Rockafellas
At this point in your walking tour through Salem you might be getting a bit hungry (after all you have been walking for over 40 minutes!). So it might be a good idea to stop for a bite at Rockafellas. In keeping with the tour’s haunted theme, Rockafellas Restaurant is also known to be one of Salem’s most haunted restaurants.
The restaurant opened in 2003, but it was once home to the Daniel Low company, the company that launched the country’s first mail-order catalog, and before that, it was Salem’s First Church. Two particularly shameless spirits are said to haunt this popular spot, that of a lady dressed in a blue, turn-of-the-20th-century gown and an eerie man dressed as a minister. The Lady in Blue however has shown herself several times to employees and has even been captured on camera, becoming one of Rockafella’s most famous members!
Another great spot, more helmed for its food than its hauntedness, is Ledger Restaurant Salem. It’s set in the former Salem Savings Bank, a 200-year-old property and spearheaded by James Beard nominated Chef Daniel Gursha!
Find Rockafellas at 231 Essex St.
9. Explore Salem’s ‘Wicked Good Books.’
Bibliophiles will particularly enjoy this stop. Wicked Good Books is Salem’s flagship bookstore. Located above Salem’s underground tunnel system, the bookstore’s also a hotspot for haunted happenings—evidence of human remains was discovered in the tunnels in its basement.
Find it at 215 Essex St.
10. And then hop on over to the Peabody Essex Museum!
Located on 161 Essex Street, the Peabody Essex is the oldest continually operated museum in the country. It features exceptional collections of art and culture from around the world including Asian art, Maritime art, Native American art, and more. Right now it’s currently hosting an exhibition on the Salem Witch Trials of 1692—talk about perfect timing!
Find the Peabody Essex Museum at 161 Essex St.
11. Check out Crow Haven Corner, Salem’s first witch store.
Salem is home to many witch-owned magick shops–after all, it’s the perfect town for modern witches–but one stands out in particular and that’s Crow Haven Corner. Located further along Essex street, this store is said to be Salem’s oldest witch shop. Here you’ll find many fine magical supplies, occult books, herbs, crystals, spell kits, candles, incense, potions, and more. And if you’d wish to see what the future holds, book a reading with Lorelei, Salem’s famous love clairvoyant!
Find the Crow Haven Corner at 125 Essex St.
12. End your tour by visiting the former site of Bridget Bishop’s Orchard.
Last but not least, before hopping back on the MBTA, continue walking down Essex St and turn left on the first alley you’ll soon arrive at the site of Bridget Bishop’s former orchard and home on 18 Washington Square. Now home to Turner’s Seafood and previously Salem’s Lyceum Hall, this site is believed to once have been Bridget Bishop’s orchard. Bishop was the first woman to be executed for witchcraft during the 1697 trials and is said to haunt those grounds to this date.
Find it at 18 Washington Square.
13. Other spooktacular sites to check out in Salem
Witchy Salem offers plenty of other sites to explore including the Salem Witch Museum, Salem’s Wax Museum and Witch Village, the Salem Maritime Historical Site–the U.S.’ oldest historic site–and the Witch Dungeon Museum which has a plaque in commemoration of ‘The With Gaol.’ The original ‘gaol’ or jail was located on Federal Street, two blocks from the Witch Dungeon Museum.
14. Planning your visit to Salem.
There’s so many things to do in Salem that a day trip is hardly enough. Consider an overnight stay at a haunted hotel!