It doesn’t have to be Halloween for you to walk the streets of America’s most infamous witch town, but I’m sure that’s fun too.
Much like Sleepy Hollow, New York, Salem, Massachusetts is a town that embraces unapologetically what it’s known for.
So naturally, there's a statue centrally located of one of TV's most famous good witches.
Samantha Stephens from Bewitched
It has turned a dark history into some serious tourist attractions. There are witch trial museums, horror museums and experiences, and occult shops of various kinds every other store.
Except for this one. The Salem Witch Museum is a short walk from the main strip.
It's amazing!
The main shopping area is full on pedestrian traffic. No cars to worry about as you drift from side to side admiring the brick buildings, wandering into shops, just appreciating life.
Many cities have animals which have been painted by local artists or local businesses scattered around their towns. Our home town has bulls, other places have mustangs or buffalo.
Being a harbor town, Salem has figureheads known as the Ladies of Salem.
We didn’t see any of the usual junk gift stores that normally litter tourist towns. Instead, there were these delightful places to pop into and discover what magical items they held within.
We ambled into many of the small shops, finding ourselves pleasantly surprised that while some products were carryovers, there were enough unique items in each to make the constant stopping worth it.
Some stores were so intriguing to step into.
Let's get serious for a moment.
This is where Hocus Pocus is set and who wouldn't want to visit our villains home / later store? Sadly the building was just a prop. It's not as exciting but you can take a tour of Allison’s home.
The house next to Allison's is one of the few structures still standing in Salem with direct ties to the witch trials of 1692 as it was the home of Jonathan Corwin, one of the judges from that notorious era.
Bibliophiles will love touring the home which inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables. Even for those who are not such devoted book fans, the tour is definitely worth it.
Be forewarned, the hidden staircase is a touch snug.
Salem is such a charming town. We discovered a rainbow crosswalk and peering into people's yards held enchanting sights.
Finding lighthouses has been an enjoyable game while traveling up the east coast so we couldn't resist checking out the Fort Pickering Lighthouse in Salem before heading home.
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