Salem: Part II
Hello, Salem and Happy Halloween! 🎃 This year, spooky season called for another trip up to Massachusetts to visit a couple old haunts and check out all the things that were halted (or nonexistent) the first time around in 2020. With our Hawaii trip now in the rear view, my three best gals (Abby, Ashley, and Baylee) and I packed up for one last trip this year to celebrate all things Halloween…..
What many don’t know is that Salem is about 12 miles up the coast from the Logan airport in Boston, so the commute is easy. Our accommodations were much different than last time in the best way. The Salem Waterfront Hotel was home for 4 days and was within perfect walking distance of everything in town. While it was a comfortable and great stay, this was booked waaay back at the beginning of January which was almost too late at that point. Now having been to Salem twice in very different temperaments (2020 pandemic and fully operational 2023), I know that no matter what is going on in the world, people will still flock to Salem in October and booking a full year in advance is a must.
After settling in and eating a delicious first meal from All Souls, we embarked on a ghost tour. The busying cobblestone streets were filled with decked out costumes, intricate make-up, and haunted storytelling all under moonlight. After finishing the tour, we visited Salem’s best late night treat: Goodnight Fatty. With flavors changing every weekend, warm cookies & cold milk are served just next to the Salem Commons and Salem Witch Museum giving the night a satisfying ending.
Our next day (which was surprisingly 80 degrees and sunny), began with breakfast at Gulu-Gulu and then a quick tour through the Halloween Museum! The museum housed memorabilia from movies of decades past, Salem trinkets, and all kinds of old board games, dollhouses, and toys that were Halloween themed. We then made our way over to the Salem Commons where the Haunted Happenings Marketplace was. Dozens of vendors, both local and not, sprawled out all of their fun, spooky, and quirky products alongside food vendors and fair games & rides.
After a mid-afternoon rest at the hotel, we took on an early dinner at The Derby and then outfit changes for us all as we went to our event for the evening: a drag shadow performance of The Shining at the Cinema Salem! I donned a Jack Torrance look while Ashley slam dunked the costume of our favorite prom queen Carrie, and Abby and Baylee were drop dead gorgeous gothic beauties. No surprise, the drag queens were fabulous and the whole experience was so fun. It was so special to do something like that in Salem and was definitely a core memory of the trip.
The following day brought 40 degrees and rain, rain rain. But if I had to have that gloomy weather anywhere, it’s Salem. Brunch was had a Ledger, an old bank turned into restaurant, with more shopping around town including a favorite of ours: HausWitch! Our afternoon lead us to high tea at Jolie Tea Company. We chose our own pot of teas and had sandwiches and sweet treats served to us on tiered platters — a truly fabulous activity to book, especially if the weather is bad! More shopping ensued along with a visit to the Salem Witch Museum and dinner at The Tavern in the Hawthorne Hotel.
A nightcap at Bit Bar and the day was over. The final day brought more rain, but we were determined to make the last bits worth it. Baylee and I went to Max and Dani’s house from Hocus Pocus to get some uninterrupted photos and then all met up at Lulu’s Bakery for breakfast. Ashley, Baylee, and I went to have our aura photos taken at HausWitch while shortly after Abby went on to her palm reading. Our flight was delayed so we took advantage and just leisurely went along with our day spent in Front Street Coffee and getting a late lunch at the Lobster Shanty before heading back to get to the airport.
Truthfully, I thought Salem would be way more crowded than it was. While there certainly were a lot of people, the wait times to get into shops and restaurants were not outrageous. Every establishment fully leans into the Halloween spirit, making it easy to see why so many people come here! I highly recommend going to Salem, even if you’re not super into the holiday. It’s such a special town that’s right on the coast so you get the New England charm on a smaller scale versus a larger city. I’m so grateful to have not only fellow travelers come with me, but the kind of friends I do that will happily adventure and explore.
Now… Where should we go next year?
