Salem Goth Guide: Witches, Halloween and Spooky Spots

Salem, Massachusetts calls itself the Witch City, and it commits. A witch on a broomstick on the police cars, witchy logos everywhere, and a downtown where every third shop sells tarot cards. For a Salem goth trip, the trick is knowing which parts are real history, which parts are pure fun, and when to go so you can actually see them.

This guide covers both.

A little history first

In 1692, Salem Village and the surrounding area went through the Salem witch trials. More than 200 people were accused, and 20 were executed. None of them were witches. They were neighbors caught in a wave of fear, rumor and local feuds. Modern Salem leans into the witch theme with a wink, but the real sites are worth visiting with some respect.

Knowing the story makes the whole trip better. You'll notice names on gravestones and street signs that match the ones you read about.

The spooky essentials

Salem Witch Trials Memorial and Charter Street Cemetery

The Witch Trials Memorial is a quiet stone wall with granite benches, one for each person executed in 1692, each carved with a name and date. It sits right next to the Charter Street Cemetery, also called the Old Burying Point, one of the oldest burial grounds in the country. The slate headstones have winged skulls and old carvings that any goth will love. There's a small welcome center with history exhibits nearby. Be gentle, stay on the paths and remember it's an actual cemetery.

The Witch House

The Witch House was the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, and it's the only building still standing in Salem with direct ties to the trials. Dark wood, low ceilings and creaky floors. It looks exactly like you'd want a house called the Witch House to look.

Salem Witch Museum and Peabody Essex Museum

The Salem Witch Museum is the classic first stop, with a dramatic retelling of the trials. The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) is a big, beautiful art museum downtown with rotating exhibitions, and it has helped care for the Charter Street site. Both are good rainy-day picks.

Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery

A monster museum named after the vampire in the 1922 silent film Nosferatu. It's a private collection of life-size figures of classic and modern horror characters, many made by film industry artists, arranged roughly in movie history order. It's a blast for horror fans, and it's great date material. For more ideas, see our horror movie date night picks.

The Satanic Temple's Salem Art Gallery

The Satanic Temple has its headquarters in an old mansion on Bridge Street, and it runs the Salem Art Gallery there. It has a permanent exhibit about witch hunts, Satanism and moral panics, plus rotating art shows. Even if you're not interested in the organization, it's one of the most interesting rooms in town.

Witch shops and spooky shopping

Salem is a dream for anyone into whimsigoth style, crystals, candles or a good black cloak. A few long-running names:

Crow Haven Corner. It started as The Witch Shoppe in the early 1970s, opened by Laurie Cabot, often called the Official Witch of Salem, and is known as one of the oldest witch shops in the country. Spell kits, tarot decks, books and readings.
Hex: Old World Witchery. A big, moody shop on Essex Street run by local witches, full of candles, herbs, brooms, potions, jewelry and books.

You'll find many more along Essex Street, the pedestrian mall at the center of town. Shops come and go, especially the seasonal October pop-ups, so check socials before you go if you have your heart set on one place.

October: Haunted Happenings

Every October, Salem runs Haunted Happenings, a month-long Halloween celebration. It usually kicks off in the first days of the month with the Grand Parade through downtown, then keeps going with markets, costume events, tours and outdoor fun until Halloween night.

It's magical. It's also very, very busy, especially on weekends near the end of the month. Tips if you go:

Take the train. Commuter rail runs from Boston's North Station in about half an hour. Driving and parking in October is a headache.
Go on a weekday. Same decorations, a fraction of the crowd.
Book ahead. Tours, popular museums and hotels fill up early.
Dress up. In October, nobody will look twice at a full Victorian mourning gown.

The off-season secret

Here's the thing a lot of goths figure out after their first October trip: Salem is spooky all year. The witch shops, cemeteries, monster museum and the Witch House don't vanish on November 1st. Visit in September, early November or spring and you'll get shorter lines, actual conversations with shop staff and room to take photos.

Horror fans should also know about Salem Horror Fest, an independent horror film festival that takes over the town for a long weekend in the spring, with new films, classic screenings and guest talks. It gives you a reason to visit when the leaves aren't even orange yet.

Fun extras for the dedicated

Hocus Pocus fans can find several filming locations from the 1993 movie around town, including the old town hall area and the Ropes Mansion exterior.
The Bewitched statue of Samantha from the TV show sits in a little park downtown. Silly, but everyone takes the photo.
The waterfront near Derby Street is lovely for a walk at dusk, with old wharves and historic ships.

Going to Salem with someone (or meeting someone there)

Salem is basically a spooky theme park for couples and friend groups. A cemetery walk at golden hour, a tarot reading, a monster museum and a cozy dinner is an almost perfect day out. Our list of goth first date ideas has more like this.

Going solo? Ask in a Night Chats room on Alt Chat if anyone else is heading to Salem the same weekend. Plenty of goths from all over New England make the trip in the fall, and it's more fun to split a ghost tour with new friends.

If you love Salem, you'll probably love goth New Orleans too. Same mix of history, cemeteries and a city that refuses to be boring.

FAQ

Is Salem worth visiting for goths?

Yes. Salem has real history from the 1692 witch trials, old cemeteries, a monster museum, an art gallery run by The Satanic Temple and more witch shops than most cities have coffee shops. It's spooky all year, not just in October.

When is the best time to visit Salem?

October is the famous month, with Haunted Happenings running all month and huge crowds. For a calmer trip with the same spooky shops and sights, try September, early November or a crisp spring weekend.

What is Haunted Happenings in Salem?

Haunted Happenings is Salem's month-long Halloween celebration every October. It kicks off with a big Grand Parade early in the month and includes markets, tours, costume events and a lot of people in pointy hats.

How do you get to Salem from Boston?

The easiest way is the commuter train from Boston's North Station, which takes about half an hour. In warmer months there's also a ferry from Boston, and driving in October is not recommended because parking is very hard to find.