THE ULTIMATE SPOOKY DAY TRIP TO SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS

If you look forward to the fall and love all things spooky, Salem, Massachusetts must be on your travel bucket list. Visitors to Salem can easily spend a week exploring The Witch City. If you’re short on time you can easily do a day trip to Salem, MA. Adding a visit to Salem is a must for any New England itinerary. This guide outlines the ultimate spooky day trip to Salem, Massachusetts.

Salem, MA Day Trip Itinerary

8:30am – Arriving in the greater Salem area

I recommend starting your Salem day trip crossing off two locations that are outside of Salem’s downtown. First visit the home located at the address of 4 Ocean Ave. This is Max and Dani’s house from Hocus Pocus. It’s an iconic location in Salem and is a great first stop for a fan of Hocus Pocus. Please note this home is a private residence located in a quiet neighborhood. You can check out the home from the street but keep noise down and don’t trespass. If you aren’t a fan of Hocus Pocus you can skip this spot and move on to Pioneer Village, as it’s just a house and won’t have any significance.

Located a few blocks away is Salem Pioneer Village. This is another Hocus Pocus filming location and served as the setting for Thackery Binx’s home. Salem Pioneer Village is America’s first living history museum. It was designed to represent Salem in the year 1630. On my visit in October, Pioneer Village had a variety of jack o’ lanterns scattered throughout the property. I loved the spooky vibes! I recommend visiting Pioneer Village even if you haven’t seen Hocus Pocus. It’s a unique experience to see what living in Salem was like in the early 1600’s.

10:00 – Coffee and witchy history

Make your way to downtown Salem, where you’ll find most of the action. Fuel up with some caffeine and grab a coffee and a bite to eat at Gulu-Gulu Cafe (247 Essex St). This cafe has a variety of specialty coffee drinks and also serves breakfast all day and a variety of casual bites, like sandwiches and salads.

Gulu-Gulu is in a great location in the center of town. It’s located right by the Bewitched statue, which is considered a Salem landmark. Grab a photo in front of the statue, and then start the short walk to The Witch House (310 Essex St).

The Witch House is the oldest structure still standing with direct ties to The Salem Witch Trials of 1692. This is also known as The Jonathan Corwin House and was the home of Judge Corwin who was one of the judges involved in the witch trials. The home looks spooky, with its black color and peaks. It’s an iconic landmark in Salem and a visit to view the outside is a must. If you’d like to see more, you can purchase tickets to tour the inside on the Witch House website.

Once you’re done at The Witch House, continue up Essex Street to The Ropes Mansion (318 Essex Street). Fans of Hocus Pocus will instantly recognize this home as Allison’s house. I recommend visiting The Witch House and The Ropes Mansion in the morning due to fewer crowds. These two locations are big tourist draws and the crowding can get very heavy in the afternoon. This is especially true if you are visiting in October.

12:00 – Shopping around Essex Street

Once you’re done snapping photos at The Witch House and The Ropes Mansion, walk down Essex Street back towards Gulu-Gulu. You’ll notice that Essex Street becomes closed off to car traffic. This is the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall, a  historic street is located in the middle of downtown Salem. You’ll find a variety of tourist shops, walk-through experiences, bars, restaurants, museums and historic buildings around this area.

Spend a few hours walking up and down Essex Street. My favorite things to do in Salem on Essex Street include:

• Shop in the boutiques. My three favorite stores in Salem are all located right off the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall. They are HausWitch (crystals and home goods with a witchy twist), Oak + Moss (home goods and plants) and Nocturne (a dark and whimsical boutique). Fans of Harry Potter will love visiting Wynott’s Wands.
• Get a reading HausWitch offers aura readings and many of the shops along Essex do tarot and psychic readings. Omen is one of the popular shops for psychic readings and Ascend one of the popular shops for tarot readings.
• Check out the crystals, spells and other witchy items at Crow Haven Corner, the oldest witch shop in Salem.
• Visit the Peabody Essex Museum, the world-renowned art museum in Salem. They have an ongoing exhibition, The Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
• If you’re in the mood for some kitschy fun, there are a variety of walk-through experiences and haunted houses on Essex Street. The World of Wizardry is a fantasy magic experience, The Witch Mansion is a haunted house and The International Monster Museum is an interactive adventure featuring monsters and myths from around the world.
• Stop by Old Town Hall which was built in 1816 and is another Hocus Pocus filming location.
• If you want to rest or are craving a bite to eat, check out Rockafellas. This casual restaurant is located on one end of the pedestrian road (231 Essex Street). The building has a rich history in Salem and it’s said to be haunted (ask the staff about “the lady in blue”). I love stopping by Rockafellas during every trip to Salem. It’s a cool old historic building and they always put up fun Halloween decorations. The food is typical bar food, but it’s great for a light bite and some drinks.

Essex Street is a hub of activity year-round but you’re visiting in October you’ll find even more to see. There are street performers and special photo opportunities and experiences for the Halloween season.

If you would like to visit The House of Seven Gables, this is a good time to do that. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the east end of the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall. The House of Seven Gables is a historic home and the setting of Nathanial Hawthorne’s 1851 gothic novel or the same name. The home and its gardens are open for tours.

3:00 – Craft brews by the water

After a few hours walking around Essex Street, head over to Notch Brewery for some local craft beer and light bites.

Notch Brewery is located along the South River in Salem. They specialize in brewing Central European styles of beer. Notch serves their popular craft beers in a taproom and also have an outdoor beer garden. It’s a great place to relax by the river after an afternoon of sightseeing. They also serve food that’s great for snacking, like sausages, cheese boards and German soft pretzels.

5:00 – Walking The Witch City

After you’ve sampled the drinks and bites at Notch, set out on one of Salem’s many walking tours. A walking tour is a great thing to do on a day trip to Salem, since you can cover a lot of ground effeciently.

Witch City Walking Tours offers a variety of different tour topics and times. I like their History & Hauntings tour which covers a good mix of Salem history, Witch Trials and spooky stories. Bring comfortable walking shoes and an umbrella as the tours go rain or shine and last around two hours.

7:00 – Pizza and cookies

Finish your day trip to Salem with dinner in town. Salem has a variety of great restaurants and one of my favorites is Bambolina. It’s a casual Italian restaurant known for their handmade pizza. Bambolina’s Neapolitan style pizza is cooked in a hand-made hearth that was imported right from Italy. I always start out a meal with their grilled Caesar salad before moving to one of their veggie pizzas.

After your Italian dinner, stop by Goodnight Fatty to grab some treats for the road. This is a bakery where cookies are called “fatties” and they’re thick and full of different flavors and ingredients.

And there you have the perfect day trip to Salem, MA! If you are able to spend more than one day in Salem, I recommend reading my comprehensive Salem travel guide. Salem is a great city and there’s so much to see and do all year. I have a feeling that a day trip to The Witch City will only leave you wanting to see more!