Salem

There be gnomes here!

I only had an overnight there, but I discovered a “Haunted Pub Crawl” that was so much fun!

http://www.salemhistoricaltours.com

The locals were super friendly. I went into one place and started chatting with some people, and one of them has a cousin that I went to high school with. Small world! :)

Always research where you are going before you go. After I got back home from Salem, I was watching the travel channel or something and saw something that looked like fun. My advice is to make sure you know of everything you want to do and do it, because you might not have another chance to visit. Always make it count!

I was 24 and it was so nice to step back in time and remember my childhood. I grew up on Howard Street and lived next door to the old Parker Bros and across from the cemetary/jail.

Oh I miss Salem!

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

My husband and I went to most of the museums but really, they’re all the same. It is interesting to see a small town totally exploit such a horrible history though. A little weird but made for a good time.

Last time I went to Salem, it was in October, and it was packed with people. If you plan on going to Salem around Halloween, make your arrangements well in advance, especially if you want accomodation nearby.
Other than that, it’s fun to experience (at least once) and see the town’s Halloween festivities. I enjoyed the candlelit tour and the night tour of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s house, where they told stories.

All the witch history aside, Salem is really a cute town, I wouldn’t mind living here and taking the train to Boston each day…

I teach The Crucible every year and I have always wanted to go to Salem, but I was a little sad to see the incredible exploitation of the story of the witch trials. I know that’s a bit hypocritical since I went there for that very reason, but there were numbers of “museums” that were more like cheap carnival rides. I wish Salem would take hold of this legacy and address it with a more authentic museum. I will say that the memorial dedicated to the victims was moving, if a little neglected. And I also learned a lot about Salem, the port town. I didn’t realize that Salem had been such a rich port. I recommend the film in the National Parks’ Center “Salem: Past and Present.” Very interesting.

If you are going for the history and the museums or for the seaside cuisine, it’s worth it. If you are going because you are looking for pagan spirituality or a wiccan mecca, skip it. It is all hype and creative merchandising strategically planned to empty your pockets and lure in unsuspecting guinea pigs for the local hexters to practice on. Save a few more dollars and head to Glastonbury, England….that is actually a spiritual home for many pagans, minus all the “witch wars” so common on our side of the pond.