As soon as I booked my vacation to Boston, I knew I’d be making a day trip to Salem…. Just a quick train or ferry trip away, a visit to Salem in October was an opportunity I didn’t want to miss!
Deciding on a Day
October is a particularly festive and busy time in Salem. While I knew I wanted to visit, I also knew I didn’t particularly want to battle large crowds either. So I chose to make my trip to Salem on a weekday. This unfortunately meant that there were some things that were closed during my visit, but I still had a great day and will enjoy returning in the future to explore the things I missed!
Getting there
I was already staying near North Station in Boston, so it was an easy decision to take the MBTA Commuter Rail to Salem. Salem is on the Newbury/Rockport line and the trip takes around 30 minutes. After a leisurely morning catching up with e-mail at my hotel, I walked over to the station and bought a one way ticket ($8) as I was planning on taking the ferry back to Boston. (If you’re planning on taking the train back, I recommend going ahead and getting a roundtrip ticket just to simplify your day.) I caught the 9:30am train and arrived in Salem promptly at 10am.
The train station is a short, easy walk from the main tourist areas of Salem. Don’t worry about getting lost…the town has conveniently painted a red line on the sidewalk guiding you in the correct direction (and you likely won’t be the only one headed that way!).
The Juicery
On my walk from the train station, I stopped in at The Juicery for a fresh squeezed drink. Cute little place with lots of great, healthy options!
Wandering
One of my favorite things to do when I’m traveling is to explore the historic areas of towns on foot. So that’s the first thing I did in Salem. After bidding Samantha good morning at the Bewitched statue, I wandered past the Corwin house (back here later)…and the First Church of Salem (founded in 1629!)…to the gardens of the Ropes Mansion (you’ll recognize the house from Disney’s Hocus Pocus)…past the Athenaeum…down to Hamilton Hall…through the grave markers of Broad Street Cemetery…and among all the cute, historic houses of the surrounding neighborhood.
Corwin House 
Bewitched Statue 
Hamilton Hall 
Athenaeum 
Ropes Mansion
Shopping
Finished stretching my legs, I headed back to the historic downtown area to explore the shops. I’m not much of a shopper when I’m travelling, but Salem is a little different. Sure, there are your standard souvenir shops like any touristy town, but there are also metaphysical supply shops…and Tarot reading parlors…and occult bookstores! A great place to pick up unique gifts for everyone back home.
Corwin House
Next, I had a ticket to visit the Corwin House—also known as the Witch House. This is one of the oldest structures remaining in Salem and has been preserved alongside items and traditions from the time. The structure is very small (really just four rooms), but provides an interesting look into life in early Salem. The number of visitors is strictly limited due to the size of the structure, so pre-purchasing tickets is always recommended. In October (even a week day), this is a must! I went to purchase my ticket only an hour after they became available for the day of my visit, only to find that over half the time slots were already sold out!
Life Alive Organic Cafe
Lunch time! Vegan and vegetarian friends who had been to Boston previously highly recommended Life Alive to me prior to my trip. So I was excited to find out that they had a location in Salem! Right nearby the Corwin House, nonetheless. It was great to have such a wide and tasty selection of vegan and vegetarian options to pick from.
Wandering (Round Two)
After lunch, it was back to walking. This time through downtown to City Hall (you’ll recognize it from Disney’s Hocus Pocus)…through The Burying Point graveyard…to the Witch Trials memorial…and finally on to the Maritime National Historic Site.
Ye Olde Pepper Companie
I couldn’t resist a stop at The Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie. Though they make a variety of more modern sweets, they’re particularly known for their Gibralters and Blackjacks…some of the very first candies the company made in the early 1800s. Of course I had to pick some of those up for gifts (and maybe a few chocolates for myself as an afternoon treat!).
Nathaniel Hawthorne 
Maritime Historic Site 
Burying Point 
Salem City Hall 
House of Seven Gables
The House of the Seven Gables
For some people it’s witches that bring them to Salem. For others it’s the city’s rich maritime history. For me, it was Hawthorne.
Ever since I was young, I’ve been a fan of gothic literature and The House of the Seven Gables was always one of my favorites. The opportunity to visit the house that inspired the novel was one of the things I was most looking forward to during my entire trip…and it didn’t disappoint! The house and grounds are incredible and well worth a visit (even for those not familiar with the story). Don’t miss the opportunity to pick up a hard copy of the book…stamped with the House of Seven Gables logo. Again, tour spots are limited, so be sure to purchase tickets in advance. Especially in October.
A Change of Plans
The plan at this point was to hop a ferry back to Boston. But the weather was rapidly turning cold and the wind picking up. I admit, the water didn’t look that inviting anymore. Thankfully, there was the train! A quick download of the MBTA mTicket app to my phone and I purchased an e-ticket back to Boston.
Wandering (Round Three)
I still had plenty of time to fill before the next train left. So I took a round about way back to downtown—passing through Salem Commons (and past another structure utilized in filming Disney’s Hocus Pocus!).
Flying Saucer Pizza Company
Since I’d no longer be arriving back in Boston near where I’d planned on having dinner, I opted to pick up something in Salem instead. The Flying Saucer Pizza Company was a great option—with lots of vegan and vegetarian choices (and they were kind enough to let me split my pizza half and half when I couldn’t decide between two!). To make things easy, I ordered in advance online on my walk back from The House of Seven Gables so that my pizza was ready when I arrived.
Things I wish I’d been able to do
I had a lovely trip to Salem. The weather was nearly perfect, the crowds manageable, and it was nice to have a laid back pace to the day that allowed me to explore at my own speed. But I do wish that I’d been able to visit the Peabody Essex Museum (closed on the day I was there), explore the inside of the buildings at the Maritime Historic Site (closed due to COVID), or had enough time to attend a performance of Cry Innocent: The People vs. Bridget Bishop (a small theater recreation of a witch trial). Guess I’ll just have to head back another time!
