For some, Halloween is the biggest event of the year. As big as your birthday, and as anticipated as Christmas. If you are one of those people that cannot wait to don the fancy dress outfit, head to the Halloween parties or even sit in the dark watching horror movies then this one is for you. In the build up to Halloween, we will be bringing you a new Halloween Horror destination each day this week – starting with Salem, Massachusetts. Enjoy!
#1 Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is infamous for its history of horrific witch hunting and witch trials which date back to 1692. This alone is the main reason why so many people flock to Salem during Halloween.
Centuries ago, religious Christians (then known as Puritans) settled in Salem. They claimed certain members of the community – usually poor homeless women who were practically outcast from society anyway – practiced evil misdoings. It also didn’t help that those accused didn’t go to church as Puritans saw this as a sin. As a result, more than 200 people were accused of being witches and practicing witchcraft (previously known as the devil’s magic), and were subjected to being hanging while legend has it that ‘witches’ were often drowned or burnt as a test to see whether they were human or not.
Take a trip to the Salem Witch Museum to relive the strange yet spooky past of Salem and see what implications had on the town following the witch epidemic. A presentation illustrating the town’s history is shown every hour. The Witch Dungeon Museum and Witch History Museum are also worth paying a visit.
Walk the candle-lit Witch Trial Trail or take a ghost tour which, without a doubt, will add to the chilling atmosphere of the entire Halloween experience.
There is a free annual Psychic Fair and Witchcraft Expo which takes place in October. Here you may choose to have a tarot card reading, speak to a spirit guide and even make your own magic wand like Harry Potter.
Salem is host to several Halloween events like the Vampire’s Ball and Halloween Costume Ball, as well as the Official Salem Witches’ Halloween Ball which will be on 26 October this year in the grand ballroom of the historic Hawthorne hotel.
It is worth mentioning that you will discover various bizarre souvenirs whilst visiting Salem not because it’s Halloween but down to the fact that Salem was traditionally an unconventional town and has ever since retained that feature.
