Autumn means many things: pumpkin flavored everything, the temperature getting cooler, the leaves changing, and most importantly, Halloween. To get into the spooky spirit and to take a break from the stress of midterms, my roommate, Alaina, and I decided to hop on a train and travel thirty minutes north to Downtown Salem—home of the infamous Salem Witch Trials and inspiration for one of my favorite Halloween movies, Hocus Pocus.
Stepping off the train felt sort of like stepping onto the set of a movie. Everything in the town’s center was witch or Halloween themed, and nearly half of the people walking around were in full costume. Street performers dressed in monster costumes lined the main streets for people to take photos with. Among these included Frankenstein’s Monster, Lord Voldemort, Jason Voorhees, and my personal favorite, “Stabbing Baby,” which was just a normal-dressed man with a baby mask and a plastic knife.
We walked the main street, stopping to look in the big shopping plaza (aptly named “Witch City Mall”) and the street vendor stands. I’ll be honest, we ended up getting a fair bit lost and spent some time staring at map outside of an old historical home. I’m not positive what the significance of the house was as we were too busy trying to get back to the main road to read the plaque out front but it was certainly pretty and matched the spooky atmosphere.
Image courtesy of Madyn Godfrey
We got back on track and found ourselves in front of Witch House, the last building remaining from the Witch Trials themselves (it was home to judge Jonathan Corwin who sentenced many of the women). The line to go inside was incredibly long so we opted against going inside, but still took the opportunity to take pictures of the looming exterior and read the informational signs out front.
Image courtesy of Madyn Godfrey
From there, we took a few steps down the street and walked around the back garden of a large house, called Ropes Mansion. The house and garden belonged to a botanist and was later inherited by three sisters who renovated the house and garden and opened it to the public in 1912. Though less witchy like the rest of town, I would recommend it as a quiet place to roam around and take pictures.
Image courtesy of Madyn Godfrey
Behind the garden was a residential neighborhood that had completely decorated the fronts of their houses for the season, and Alaina and I spent a little while admiring the charm of the classic New England homes and autumnal decor.
Image courtesy of Madyn Godfrey
We headed back to the main street and stumbled across one of the best and most interesting stores I have ever been inside of. It was called Witch City Consignment and Thrift Store, and if you find yourself in Salem, I would suggest going. It was filled wall-to-wall with antiques and vintage finds, from clothes to old postcards to furniture pieces and everything in between. Because of the season, there was a section devoted to old costumes and decorations. I wish I had taken pictures but I was too busy looking at everything there was to offer.
From there, we walked to more of the historical sights on the other side of downtown. There was a street lined with carnival style food booths and haunted houses which we decided to pass on and instead walked around the historic cemetery and the Salem Witch Trial Memorial. The memorial consists of several stone benches, each encarved with the name of someone who was accused and tried, and eventually died in the Witch Trials. Many of these benches were covered in flowers left by visitors, and one had a polaroid on it that someone had taken of themselves with the memorial and captioned “Down with the Patriarchy”—a sentiment that I’m sure the women from the Witch Trials would agree with.
Image courtesy of Madyn Godfrey
After sightseeing, we finished off the afternoon with lunch at a small cafe on the mainstreet called Gulu Gulu Cafe. Apparently it is pretty well known in Salem and I understand why—the food was good and the atmosphere was welcoming and charming!
Image courtesy of Madyn Godfrey
From there, we had a quick visit with everyone’s favorite Salem Resident, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, then hopped back on the train and headed back to campus after a great afternoon that not only put us both in a more festive mood, but also was a more than welcomed break from the stress of mid-semester.
Image courtesy of Madyn Godfrey
Salem’s town slogan is “Discover the Magic of Salem,” and between the lively street performers, beautiful houses and rich history, the experience definitely lived up to that idea! I think Salem trips might be a new essential for me in coming Octobers.