I told myself that I will post about this trip for months now, which feels like years ago to be honest! However, lately I’ve been feeling nostalgic for my time in Salem this year, as we approach the fall and Spooky Season™.
Me and my boyfriend, Mike wanted to go on our first trip together in honor of both getting our Covid-19 vaccines. At the time, it finally felt safe and that things were getting back to normal. We both agreed to go on a weekend trip to Salem, Massachusetts- due to my fascination with the occult and Mike’s passion for horror films. We didn’t want to go in October, it would likely be crowded due to obvious Spooky™ reasons. It’s funny, I’ve only been to Salem in the spring, the two times I went!
We chose to go to the Hawthorne Hotel, which is famously known for its two haunted rooms. Allegedly, rooms 325 and 612 are known for paranormal sightings. We did not get either room unfortunately but if I recall, we were on the third floor. We didn’t happen to experience any hauntings but many have claimed that they have, if you look through paranormal sites and YouTube. The Hawthorne was absolutely beautiful and it held a sentimental charm in keeping the history of the hotel and town alive. It can be a little pricey but we enjoyed our stay and I would highly recommend this hotel if you’re visiting Salem!
For a Covid-19 safe and fun experience, I highly recommend going to Bit Bar! It is a restaurant/barcade with a variety of old-time games (think Mrs. Pacman, older Mortal Kombat, and a toooon of awesome pinball machines, such as this Twilight Zone themed one!) They have vegetarian and vegan options which is important for me because I’m a vegetarian. The restaurant enforced mask use when you play the games and it is easy to keep distance with two rooms full of arcade games!
But what about the spooky stuff? 👻
For the spookiest experience, I would suggest going on a night tour where you learn about particularly haunted spots throughout the town. We chose Salem Night Tours and had a great experience! The tour was about 1-2 hours and our guide, Sebastian, brought us to different spots that are known to be haunted while explaining the history of the Salem Witch Trials. I didn’t get too many photos but here is what I do have:
Also, wouldn’t you know in the 1993 movie Hocus Pocus, parts of it were actually filmed in Salem! Two landmarks include the high school and Max and Dani’s house (which I won’t be sharing, to respect the privacy of the current homeowner). I believe they filmed in Salem’s cemetery as well.
I would recommend visiting Salem if you enjoy horror movies, the occult or are a history buff! There’s so much I could talk about but I’m going to stop my post here before it gets too long. Totally recommend during the off-season but I bet it’s very exciting in October too!