I was wicked excited to head up north to experience Salem, Massachusetts, 3 days before Halloween. My inspiration was, of course, myself…while doing my Fall Foliage post, I realized I had hardly explored the New England Territory. I messaged one of my dear friends, pleading to not only stay with her but to drive me around and show me what Salem has to offer. It took no time before she was convinced that one day in a haunted witch town was all we needed. Plans were set, costumes were being made and my excitement was now on a new level.
Before we get to the real shit we did, I need to recognize my wonderfully, talented friend Brooke who designed some kick ass hats for us to wear. Let’s all take a moment and appreciate her brilliant work.
Please feel free to ooooohhhhh, ahhhhhhh and ask because she will be selling these next year!
As heavy as they look, the hats were surprisingly light and easy to wear all day
Now the good stuff…here is our one day spooky, spontaneous, Salem adventure…
Walk the streets
Just walking down the roads you will find lots of fun things to snap pictures with!! My favorite being this huge art installation of some tumbleweed lookin’ shit. Aside from the children jumping all over it, these were the perfect selfie backdrop. Salem might be known for its “out of the ordinary” exhibits and by simply going around on foot, you will stumble upon everything it has to offer. During this time, we ran across a street fair filled with lots of greasy carnival food and extra sweet drinks which was cool to see, but I don’t ever trust those half-assed rides with this precious life, no ma’am.
Before I made the journey to this haunted town, I saw online that if you follow the red line painted on the ground, it will take you to all the major highlights of the city. We didn’t do this, but I’m sure it’s true and if you don’t like just going with the flow then I suggest you try it! (and then let me know how it goes)
This little town in itself is beautiful in the fall, so if witchy shit isn’t really your style, you can enjoy the colorful foliage and quaint houses that line the streets. (but really, who comes here for anything other than the witch stuff?)
Hunt for Witch Shops
The beauty of Salem is that the town itself is not that big. Easily walkable which allows you to stumble upon shops and stores. We hit up almost every single store in that entire city, meeting locals, finding potions and learning about the witch culture.
Some favorites included:
- Crow Haven Corner The oldest Witch Shop in the city. The ladies were extremely sweet in here and the first ones to really push Brooke to sell her amazing hats. Business and pleasure in this place 😉
- Hex Old World Witchery- This place had everything from herbs to candles, to spell books and voodoo dolls.
I know a couple of people I wouldn’t mind sticking some pins in. - Wynott’s Wands- For all my Harry Potter fans out there, this is the Diagon Alley of Salem. A large display of wands that goes all the way to the ceiling. Makes you feel like you are standing in Ollivander’s Wand Shop!
Go to Salem Witch Museum
Yes, witches, we all know I hate, highly dislike museums, and honestly thought this would be a boring walk through where you had to read plaques and actually pay attention to things. Hallelujah, it wasn’t like that at all. Well, it is a little like that, but you get brought into a huge room where you are given a visual representation and audio show on all the events during the Salem Witch Trials. I very much enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone! During peak time though, buy tickets ahead of time and make reservations for shows because the lines will be long. You also aren’t allowed to snap pictures inside but I never listen to the rules.
Eat a good lunch
This goes for any place in the world you visit…but just to be clear, we had a very nice lunch at Salem Beer Works. Nothing fancy and fairly priced, this was the perfect place to get our drink on before walking (or stumbling) around all day. Tv’s line the bar area if you need to leave your nagging husbands inside somewhere. As any smart person would do, we got some food and washed it down with plenty of mimosas. My recommendation? POTATO BACON CHEDDAR SPRING ROLLS. Yes, they are just as good as they sound, like a mouth orgasm or something. Try them!
Get a Tarot or Psychic Reading
I keep it real with y’all on every single post I do, so just know I tell you these things to learn from my mistakes kkkkkkkkk? I have gotten readings in the past, in a very professional environment and I swear that lady knew me like the back of her hand. In my eyes, Salem would be the perfect place to give this another go. Well, Brooke and I looked up “Best place for reading in Salem” and found Magika. Before you crazy witches start gettin ya stories mixed up, the lady who has 5 stars at this place was not there. We got another lady but assumed that her work was just as good considering the number of reviews.
It was getting later in the day we both scheduled a reading. Tarot Reading to be exact. I’m no psychic, but damn, when a lady pulls out 10 different cards and interprets “You are heading in the right direction” for each card, you start to wonder WTF she’s doing. Not only was the reading painfully boring, but I started to get anxious by how scatterbrained she was. I do remember her saying one small thing that seemed true, but obviously, it wasn’t that important since I have no idea what that was. Regardless, I am sure she was just having an off day, or life…but do some research (not the day of) before you go!
Go to the cemetery
Or even a run down house while you’re at it. Or what about a run down house beside a cemetery? This town is made for the daring and bold, and don’t think of it as morbid, the cemeteries are beautiful here. And those old run down looking houses? Way more character and story behind it than some new construction type of place. These little details all over the city make it that much more intriguing. Leaving a lot to the imagination. Don’t be afraid!
Visit The Witch Dungeon Museum
Sooooo, we didn’t actually get to do this. When walking around the city we lost track of time and this place closed at 5, bummer. I have no idea if you would like it or not but figured I’d at least let you know it was there! 🙂 That’s definitely something to keep in mind when traveling anywhere. Be aware of closing times and judge your leisurely items like lunch and dinner on that!
Visit the Hocus Pocus House
Ohhh, the nostalgia of this movie. I remember watching it growing up, always my favorite thing to do around Halloween. It’s funny because looking back now, the production and special effects are so shitty compared to that today, but nonetheless, still a classic! This was the last thing we did before heading back to Boston. It was pouring rain and really dark but I just so happened to snap an eerie picture of it. I think someone might live there??
Whatcha think witches?? For having no real set plan, but wandering the streets of Salem, I’d say we did pretty damn good! You might want to go to different places or explore other shops, but regardless just have fun. The city is small enough to enjoy in one day…I went the Thursday before Halloween which made it very calm compared to the weekend activities starting on Friday. If a crazy party is what you are looking for then definitely plan on going then. Otherwise, the whole month of October offers spooky treats for everyone.
Have you been to Salem? Does the city thrive off of Halloween or is it completely different once the holiday is over? Let me know!
xo Bonvoyage Witches
Those hats are AMAZING! Definitely post where we can buy those when she starts selling!!
My parents got me a voodoo doll in New Orleans when they went, but I don’t think it works 😂
I definitely want to check out Salem now!!
Right??? She legit did such a good job! hahah those voodoo dolls are funny. I need to use them on a couple people. You should go! I don’t think its terribly far from where you are either!
This looks so damn fun! I love all that witchy shit. Those hats are beyond. Really incredible! Halloween is my favorite holiday and I’m going to make sure I do this sometime soon! Thanks for sharing!! As usual your posts crack me up. Keep them coming.
I know I love it all too! Those hats seriously just made the entire day, she did a wonderful job! I love Halloween but decided that this year we were going to hand out candy to the kids in our neighborhood instead of go out and get wasted haha. Thank you for the continued love and support!! xo
This looks like so much fun! Museums are my favorite, especially quirky museums, so I’d love the Witch Museum. I also really like Ren Faires and fantasy novels, so I’m sure the whole vibe would appeal to me. I’d like to check out the witch shops too.
There are so many fun shops and places to get lost in Salem, I am sure you’d love it all!!
First of all, those hats are absolutely adorable!! I’m a huge history buff and am fascinated by colonial history, including the Salem Witch Trials era. I’d love to check out that museum, although, like you, I’m not a huge museum fan. It would be so worth it though!
Aren’t they amazing?? Shes so talented! Yeah not too much of a fan of museums but this one was awesome!
Witch museum…never heard before! It sounds so fun and an unique thing to discover. Walking along the streets and taking beautiful photos of unique shop decor is my favorite activity also. I would surely go for tarot or physic reading as I believe on these things. Whole place looks like an wild imagination or magic world.
Definitely something to check out!
Yum, potato cheddar spring rolls sound really good! I’ve only heard about Salem from the Crucible, and it seems to live up to its witchy vibe! It also looks like autumn and halloween are there constantly from the pretty foliage and witch references. A nice day trip to remember.
Oh they were so good!!
Salem does look like a charming small town and I’ve only heard great things about New England. It’s so amazing that the dark history of the place was turned into something positive and would even invite tourists in. The Hocus Pocus house is definitely something I would add to my list if I went there. And those witch shops sound so interesting, they look like stuff you would only find in a movie set!
Hocus Pocus is definitely a classic so its on the list for sure! The town is very charming!!
First of all, those hats are amazing! I think your friend could make a fortune on those! It looks like you had a great visit. I’d love to take a trip there, especially around Halloween!
I know we have been talking about it for her to start making those hats!! They were selling ugly ones for like $80!!
I love the hats <3 ! They look completely amazing. Going to Salem before the Halloween is a good idea to celebrate it :D! Would love to go there when I visit Massachusetts.
You definitely should!
lol, your tarot card reading sounded inventive, you’re heading in the right direction! Salem looks like a wonderful location to buy your Halloween costume! I love the hats you chose they made for great Instagram shots!
I know!! I was like wtf, I just paid for this????
Looks like you had a great day in Salem! We visited for a day this summer while we were living in Boston, but I would have loved to have seen it all decked out for Halloween. It’s definitely a beautiful town!
Extra beautiful during Halloween!
I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Salem! I’ve never been but its definitely on my bucket list of must go places in the US 🙂 I find it extraordinary the history this place has and the spooky feeling of course! haha great read. Thank you for sharing! Safe travels. – Mariella
Go during Halloween, you won’t regret it!
Ugh I wanted to make it to Salem sooo badly before Halloween this year but I just wasn’t able to. I have serious envy right now, I will have to make it happen next year for sure! LOVE those hats- your friend is extremely talented, wow!
I’m LIVING for those hats!! Small, historic towns are by far my favorite places to visit.
I’ve gotten a whole new outlook on Salem and those who “celebrate” there since discovering to my horror that TWO of my direct ancestors were murdered during 1692; one on the gallows 22 Sep 1692- Ann Greenslade Pudeator, and one in the dungeons 3 Dec 1692- Ann Annis Alcock. I will go to pay my respects but knowing the atrocities they endured there kind of takes the “fun” and excitement out of it for me. Nobody ever thinks of this.