Between Legends and Letdowns: Salem in a Day

Now having met our quota on American history and independence, we decided this day could be a bit darker. Realizing the infamous town of Salem was just a short distance away, we recognized we needed to seize this opportunity and visit this ghastly place. Unfortunately the route was a bit trickier than we originally anticipated and we ended up taking three different trains and an Uber just to make it to Salem.

Our first impressions could not have been higher. I was once told that places can give off different energies and as strange and funny that is to think about, this could not have been any more real. The air just felt alive and charged. We were both immediately in good spirits and while walking through the small and quaint downtown; we just absolutely loved the vibe and the atmosphere. Though every other passing businesses seemed to revolve around “spooky” tourism; the city still possessed this small town charm and we both just felt overall rather peaceful. However that peace was rather short lived as the growls from our stomach started to fill the air and we slipped inside the closest restaurant to track down some breakfast. The venue (The Ugly Mug) was very hip (arguably too much for us) but the food was fantastic and due to a mix up in the kitchen, we even ended up with complimentary bacon which is probably the two best words one could hear.

Now ready to take on the rest of the day, we began to explore more of the city and were soon in front of the Old Town Hall which also happened to serve as a filming location in the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus. Though neither of us are huge fans, it was still an interesting experience making a note of all the different filming locations sprinkled throughout the town.

Several moments later we slowly made our way to one of the true reasons this town is so well known. As we stood in the Witch’s Memorial overlooking a small graveyard, we were both instantly put in a rather strange mood.

One might say it was due to the horrors at this spot, or an old witch’s curse; but in fact the true reason was the neighboring business blasting Justin Timberlake’s “Bringing Sexy Back” on the loud speaker.

Having Justin fade into the background, we were soon upon the shore and the harbor attempting to see the Friendship Boat which was unfortunately wrapped up for the winter.

Walking onwards parallel with the coast, we made our way to the House of The Seven Gables. As we were both too cheap and rather uninterested to venture inside, we admired the dark exterior and moved on.

We eventually stumbled into the nearby Notch Brewery for a quick glass and happened to pick up a card for an ongoing pub crawl and got ours stamped; tempted to complete the challenge to earn a free tote bag.

Leaving the brewery behind us, we set back out into the street and soon found ourselves in a large sprawling park. Peering through the park’s iron fence, we glanced up at a large red school house that was also again from Hocus Pocus.

Situated just a stone’s throw from the park’s front gate, we slipped into a small bakery renowned for their cookies and sweets and proceeded to purchase the most expensive cookie in our lives.

Wiping the crumbs and disappointment from our lips, we proceeded on to the last filming location in the Ropes Mansion.

With our small filming tour concluded, we decided to stop for a quick lunch and actually had much difficulty in locating a suitable spot. Being a tourist town, prices were well beyond our comfort level and we eventually settled on a small dive bar called the Lobster Shack overlooking the Old Town Hall we passed by earlier in the morning. In again desperate to try a lobster roll, Austin mustered up the courage to inquire about the market price which left us reeling backwards ($40 for a small and $60 for a large). I think it should go without saying that we instead decided to save our money and sprung for a salad and hot dog instead. Staying on the dog theme, we then popped into another nearby brewery (Couch Dog) and ordered our next drink to keep up with the ongoing pub crawl. Whether it was the several beers or the previous hot dog, I began to feel sick and just could not stand the vibe and we left rather quickly. Still feeling unwell, we foolishly made the decision to walk a mile and a half to some ruins of a long forgotten fort situated outside the city limits. Leaving the various shops and restaurants behind, we made the silent walk through various small neighborhoods and forests as we walked amongst the tree line along the sparsely populated road. Once Apple Maps had announced that we had arrived, our disappointment was immeasurable once we realized all that remained was three stone steps and a small hill situated back among the woods.

Though the area contained several non trespassing signs, Austin and I hurled ourselves into the woods determined to uncover more traces of history. Far from any traces of society, we bushwhacked our way into the thick woods before stumbling on a small overgrown road and clearing. As we were miles from the last residence, imagine our surprise when we began to hear voices in the not so far off distance. Sprinting out of the woods and back onto the road, we quickly left the “fort” behind and made our way back to Salem. During our long trek back, we blindly charted our way back and stumbled into a small park populated with a decommissioned military tank.

It’s truly wild on the random things you might come across when you step off the main path. Before leaving Salem to head back to Boston, we made a quick stop at the front of the Witch Museum; though we did not enter as we were uninterested in wax sculptures and the touristy side of this dark history.

We made one final stop at a nearby Walgreens to stock up on some snacks for the long journey back and say our goodbyes to the friends we had met throughout the day.

To see the previous day’s adventure, click here.

To move onwards with us along our journey, click here.