October in the Witch City

Posted on October 7, 2026October 4, 2026 by Dusty Roads | No Comments

Front entrance of the Salem Witch Museum, a dark stone Gothic building with tall arched windows glowing red from interior lighting. The museum’s sign hangs above the doorway, and an iron gate with surrounding greenery frames the scene, creating an eerie, dramatic atmosphere.

Salem’s Haunted Happenings

October is Salem’s month — how could it not be? The city is rich in history, tragedy, folklore, and theatrical flair. And this year is extra special: Salem is celebrating its 400th anniversary, a milestone that predates the United States itself. (We only just marked our 250th.)

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The season kicked off with the Grand Parade on Thursday, October 1. If you missed it, don’t worry — Haunted Happenings is a full‑month celebration. One of our favorites is the Howl‑o‑ween Pet Parade, coming up fast on Saturday, October 10 at 10:30 a.m.

Black cat wearing a tall witch hat with a crescent moon decoration, holding a camera and wearing a press badge around its neck. The background is softly lit with warm, blurred lights, giving the scene a whimsical, Halloween‑themed atmosphere.

Salem in October: A City Transformed

For eleven months of the year, Salem is a quiet New England port. But in October? It becomes a full‑scale carnival.

The streets fill with witches, warlocks, zombies, pirates, ghosts, and every costume imaginable. The energy is contagious — it’s almost impossible not to get swept up in the fun.

Parking, however, is another story. City officials strongly recommend taking the train, ferry, or public transit. Driving into Salem in October is… well, let’s just say it’s a topic best left undiscussed.

So Much to See — It Can Get Overwhelming

You’ve got the classics:

The Witch House
The House of the Seven Gables
The Salem Witch Museum

But then add dozens of special events, pop‑ups, tours, performances, markets, and historical programs — and suddenly your day fills up fast.

This is where a local guide can make a huge difference.

⭐ GoWithGuide – A Helpful Option for Navigating the Chaos

One way to make the most of your visit is to use a local guide who knows the city, the crowds, and the timing. GoWithGuide is one option we recommend. Our interactions with them have always been friendly, helpful, and responsive.

A local guide can:

help you plan your route
make sure you don’t miss the sites you care about
steer you away from bottlenecks
save you time and frustration
answer questions before you even arrive

With the 400th anniversary drawing bigger crowds than usual, having someone who knows the city inside and out can be a real advantage.

The Big Finale – Halloween Night

Events change daily, building toward the grand finale on October 31. This year’s closing event is a 400‑drone light show over the North River at 10 p.m.

It will be packed and it will be loud. It will be unforgettable.

Have a Boo‑tiful Halloween

Enjoy Salem. Get into the spirit. Wear the costume. Eat the treats. Take the photos.

You’ll fit right in.

Group of people dressed in Halloween costumes—including witches, skeletons, and other spooky characters—posing indoors in a room decorated with bats, cobwebs, and orange ornaments. A small round table with Halloween props like a skull and a spider sits in the center, creating a festive party atmosphere.

Sure Fire Way to Lose Weight

Posted on October 11, 2011October 11, 2011 by Dusty Roads

As a weight challenged individual I am always on the lookout for hints to help me win the battle if the bulge. So far, the bulge is winning but as we walked around Salem we spotted on fellow who seems to have a sure-fire method to lose weight.

Sorry..I couldn’t resist a little Pirate/Gallows humor. 🙂

The House of Seven Gables

Posted on October 8, 2011October 8, 2011 by Dusty Roads

What a nice day we are having in Salem but the afternoon is passing quickly. Following our lunch at Murphy’s we explored the waterfront with the replica Friendship,

admired the Custom House with the fierce Eagle emblem glittering in gold.

But there was one last place that we just had to check out before we turned our eyes back south and headed home. That was the House of Seven Gables.

We didn’t have time for the tour and having just finished one “old House Tour” we opted for exterior views only. I have taken the tour in the past and it is interesting. Maybe next trip there will be time for that tour too.

The House of Seven Gables was a real house. Not just a construct for a novel. The opening lines of the novel are the perfect description of the ancient mansion.

The novel begins:

“Halfway down a by-street of one of our New England towns stands a rusty wooden house, with seven acutely peaked gables, facing towards various points of the compass, and a huge, clustered chimney in the midst. The street is Pyncheon Street; the house is the old Pyncheon House; and an elm-tree, of wide circumference, rooted before the door, is familiar to every town-born child by the title of the Pyncheon Elm.”

The Pyncheon family actually existed and were ancestors of American novelist Thomas Pyncheon.

At the time the novel was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the House was owned by his cousin Susanna Ingersoll whose ancestors were involved in the persecutions of the innocents during the Salem Witch Trials. Hawthorne was plagued by guilt over the part his family played in those terrible years and some believe this to be the reason for the tone of the novel. His novel explores land fraud, depression, ghosts and by innuendo, witchcraft.

At the time that I toured the mansion many years ago, the novel was fresh in my mind so I could appreciate the references made by the tour guides. One thing that really stands out in my memory is the secret staircase. At the time that I took the tour this tiny secret passage was open to the public via the tours. Since we didn’t take the tour this time I don’t know if that is still the case. I think I will re-read the novel before I go back for a return tour.

Also on the grounds and visible from the street is another period home that has been restored. Not as grand as the Seven Gables, which was considered a mansion, Hawthorne’s boyhood home sits were it can view the building he immortalized. This is another example of the traveling buildings of Salem. His home was relocated to this spot to preserve it for its historical value.

I can just imagine touring the 2 buildings on a gloomy, rainy day. Throw in a little thunder and lightning and I bet we could all become believers in ghosts and witches.

Tale of two Salems

Posted on October 7, 2011October 7, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Salem Ma has two different personas. On the one hand there’s the culture and history while on the other hand there’s the paranormal Salem of witches and ghosts and goblins.

You really can’t blame the town for having a split personality considering the tragic events of the Salem Witch Hysteria. In 1692 Colonial New England and especially Salem were caught up in a hysteria that captured the attention of the world and not in a good way.

The events of that time have now come to symbolize intolerance and injustice and the consequences of not having checks and balances in the legal system. Imagine, based on the accusations of a few girl,s hundreds were accused of witchcraft, friends were pitted against friends and over 10 months twenty innocent men and women were put to death.

Today Salem is a vibrant community that has embraced the lessons of the past. Tolerance and acceptance is the norm. The downtown witch shops cater to Pagans and visitors can have their fortunes read next door to a museum, restaurants and a National Park. There are push carts and vendors and this is even without a visit in October.

In October the energy climbs as the city is filled with visitors celebrating the Haunted Happenings of Halloween.

On our visit we made only a brief detour into Crow Haven Corner to look around. The rest of the day was spent exploring the PEM (Peabody Essex Museum),

visiting the restored homes from the 17th, 18th and 19th century,

wandering the waterfront and enjoying lunch at Murphy’s with their outdoor seating.

There’s something for everyone and the city is easy to maneuver. It’s walkable, which was our choice, or you can take the trolley or even ride around the town on a Segway.

The day came to close with a pumpkin latte. A perfect ending!

Just beware…when it comes to Halloween no place does it better!

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Figure Heads

Posted on October 6, 2011October 6, 2011 by Dusty Roads

One of my favorite exhibits is the East India Hall in the Peabody/Essex Museum.

That hall is huge, almost like a ballroom, well-lit and spacious. Mounted on the walls are artifacts (today we might cal them souvenirs) from the adventures these ships experienced while roaming the 7 seas.

As they explored new worlds and strange cultures they immortalized the people they met in life-sized carved statues that were mounted on the bows of the ships. A wide variety of these figureheads have been collected and are displayed in this room.

The figurehead embodied the spirit of a ship and was originally believed to placate the gods of the sea and ensure a safe voyage. Almost every prow had a carved figure looking down at the waves, and the variety was immense.

A large figurehead, being carved from massive wood and perched on the very foremost tip of the hull, adversely affected the sailing qualities of the ship.

In Germany, Belgium, and Holland, it was once believed that spirits/faeries called Kaboutermannekes (water fairies) dwelt in the figureheads. The spirit guarded the ship from sickness, rocks, storms, and dangerous winds.

If the ship sank, the Kaboutermannekes guided the sailors’ souls to the Land of the Dead. To sink without a Kaboutermanneke condemned the sailor’s soul to haunt the sea forever, so Dutch sailors believed. A similar belief was found in early Scandinavia/Vikings.