Travel Tuesdays: Salem, MA

“It’s just a bunch of Hocus Pocus…”
A few years ago, my husband, Ron, and I took a trip to Maine. We drove up from Virginia, stopping over in Connecticut before hitting Portland, ME. Then, on the way home, we stopped in Massachusetts and later Pennsylvania. Our main reason fro being in Massachusetts was a whale watching tour out of Gloucester, but I’m a huge Hocus Pocus fan and had to stop by Salem. Salem is well known for its witchy history, a thing the town definitely plays up. In fact, it hosts one of the largest Halloween celebrations each October, welcoming in thousands of out-of-towners looking to celebrate the spooky holiday. However, in addition to ghosts, ghouls and goblins, the town is also known for being the location of the House of Seven Gables and has a rich seafaring history. We only had a day there so we tried to squeeze in as much as we could.

First up, a stop by some of Salem’s witchy history, because it just wouldn’t be a full visit to Salem without it. We chose some of the more history focused options over the weirder ones, learning about the Salem witch trials and the myth surrounding witches.

Then, we stopped by the waterfront, viewing the lighthouse and boats. We ate lunch at a great restaurant right on the water which was perfect.

And while we didn’t make it to the House of Seven Gables, we walk by the Customs House, which is where Nathaniel Hawthorne worked for a short time. It also inspired the opening of The Scarlet Letter.

Finally, being a major Hocus Pocus fan, I had to hunt down some of the filming locations. In the interest of full disclosure, Max Dennison’s house is a private home in a neighborhood and isn’t the easiest place to find. Plus, I’m sure they get fairly annoyed by use crazy Hocus Pocus fans who park up the street, walk down to the house, take a photo and run away. Yes, it happened. No, I’m not the least bit embarassed.

Allison’s house is much easier. It’s a historic home and our lovely trolley tour driver pointed it out. Thank you Salem Trolley.