I recently went on a weekend trip to Massachusetts for the first time ever. While there, I visited Salem, MA, which, quite frankly, is a literal Halloweentown. It felt like my childhood movie dreams were coming magically true.
As a first-time Salem tourist, I was almost overstimulated by the crowds and all the distractions that could take me deep into my imagination. I got there around 10:30 in the morning and spent an entire day on my feet seeing all the sights—the witch house, downtown, one of the filming locations for Hocus Pocus, and even the memorial for people murdered during the Witch Trials. Did you know that no one was burned at the stake during the American Witch Trials? As my boyfriend says, “That’s more of a European thing.” Most people were hanged, and one person was pressed to death, who, ironically enough, was killed on my anniversary with my boyfriend. Spooky.
Now, I haven’t been to any northern states in a long time, and let me be frank, their COVID regulations were way stricter than they are where I’m from. It was fascinating to see the difference between my own tourist town and the one I was visiting. Everyone had to wear masks in the stores, regardless of vaccination status, and there were occupancy waits for everyone. And people were more than happy to wait in these lines to check out infamous Salem witch shops and museums, and even the graveyards.
Like I said, the lines were long. This included restaurants. We waited around for a reservation to Boston Burgers, but then actually decided to go to Spit Fire, a taco place that was to die for.
This city took my heart. It was rich with history, artistic expression, and most importantly it seems, Halloween.
Click here to see the TikTok of my trip to Salem!