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Old Town Hall, Salem

Old Town Hall, Salem: Our most recommended tours and activities

Salem: Secrets of Salem Hidden History Walking Tour

1. Salem: Secrets of Salem Hidden History Walking Tour

Find out how the strict Puritan town of Salem became the witchcraft capital of the world and get a behind-the-scenes look at today's tourism industry on a guided walking tour of the Witch City. Meet your guide outside the Old Town Hall and begin your history-packed walking tour of Salem. Together you'll visit 9 historic locations, including the Salem Athenaeum and Old Burying Point Cemetery, unlocking a new chapter of Salem's past at each stop. Uncover shocking secrets like the connection between author Nathaniel Hawthorne and infamous witch trials judge John Hathorne, or the fact that most of the accusations, executions, and alleged witchcraft actually occurred in Danvers, not Salem. Walk away from your tour with a full picture of Salem's history and plenty of memorable moments to share with family and friends back home.

Salem: Hocus Pocus Movies and More Tour

2. Salem: Hocus Pocus Movies and More Tour

Discover Salem's rich movie and TV history on this walking tour with a local. Spot scenes from your favorite movies, walk through historic streets, and see where they filmed Hocus Pocus. Meet your guide and begin exploring Salem. As you stroll through historic streets and quiet neighborhoods, see where many famous movies and TV shows were filmed. Spot the streets from Hocus Pocus, remember scenes from Bewitched, and hear about the first movie filmed in Salem in 1899. As you walk, learn the surprisingly high number of movies and TV shows filmed on location in this picturesque New England city, including Hocus Pocus, Bewitched, Hubie Halloween, American Hustle, Joy, Bridesmaids, Defending Jacob, The Good Son, and The Crucible.

Salem Witch Trials Self-Guided Audio Tour

3. Salem Witch Trials Self-Guided Audio Tour

Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app, which will function as your personal tour guide, audio tour, and map. Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together! Note: This 4+ mile-long tour covers the essentials of Salem in 1-2 hours. Join a spooky self-guided tour that will help you to explore Salem's past and learn about the events that took place there. Explore some of the town's most notable landmarks and places connected to the famous witch trials. Along the way, there are plenty of optional detours available for those looking for a little more. The experience begins at the Salem Armory. From there, walk to the 1692 Memorial, where the victims of the witch panic are memorialized. Get to know many of the key figures who found themselves swept up by the plague of fear and paid the ultimate price. Next, you’ll see the Old Burying Point, where many of the trials’ victims and aggressors were laid to rest. Listen to the tragically heroic tale of Giles Corey as you walk through the gravestones, a man who refused to bow to the nightmare overtaking his town and was immortalized in The Crucible. After that, you’ll pass by some of Salem’s spookiest architecture, including the Joshua Ward House and the Old Town Hall. You’ll also hear of the secret tunnels which run beneath some of these buildings, many of which still exist to this day. Continue on past the old jailhouse, where innocent people were subjected to cruelty so terrible that some suggest their spirits never really left. You'll hear about Hollywood’s many forays into Salem, including hits like Hocus Pocus and Bewitched. Pass by the Witch Museum on your way back and hear about how all the madness finally came to an end. The final stop brings you to the Salem Common, where the tour wraps up with some things you probably didn’t know about the aftermath of the trials.

Salem: Voodoo, Vampires, and Ghosts Guided Tour

4. Salem: Voodoo, Vampires, and Ghosts Guided Tour

Explore Salem with Dr. Vitka a local guide and paranormal investigator. Learn the secret history of what really happened during the infamous Salem Witch Trials, discover startling information about true New England vampirism, and be amazed by tales of real, documented paranormal activity! Spellbound’s Voodoo, Vampires, and Ghosts Tour delves into the dark corners of Salem’s history, even exposing the hidden Voodoo roots of the famous Witch Hysteria. Every site we visit is a proven haunted location, and many of our guests have reported having true supernatural experiences on this Salem ghost tour! We experience the site of Salem’s most famous ghost’s demise, the field where Giles Corey was gruesomely pressed to death! Hope you do not see cursed Corey himself, the legend says when his ghost walks tragedy follows close behind! The real location of the Witch Dungeon where the accused where held before their hanging! The famously haunted Lyceum restaurant, now Turner’s Seafood, located on the land where the first Witch Trials victim Bridget Bishop lived and her ghost still lingers, a site featured on Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, and many other paranormal programs! The Old Town Hall. You will be introduced to weird vampire folklore and the even more shocking modern vampire culture! People recognize the Old Town Hall as the location where the Halloween Ball from the original Hocus Pocus movie was filmed! The Boston Strangler’s Salem Murder Site! The Police Station where Harry Houdini performed his greatest escape! The Old Burying Point Cemetery. The second oldest cemetery in the United States. Final resting place of Witch Trials Judge Hathorne, as well as a little girl who may have been buried alive! Extremely haunted. Many modern magic practitioners consider this cemetery a sacred place and use it’s graveyard dirt in rituals. The Peabody Essex Museum, find out Salem’s most surprising secret hidden in the museum’s vault! The tour concludes back at the Salem Visitor Center where we show you amazing photographs of real ghost energy and encourage you to submit yours to be examined. Every site we visit is a proven haunted location, and many of our guests have reported having true supernatural experiences on the tour!

Salem: Self-Guided Ghost Tour

5. Salem: Self-Guided Ghost Tour

Walk Salem's spooky streets on a smartphone-guided ghost tour. Listen to professionally narrated stories and discover unnerving legends as you make your way to some of Salem's most haunted locations. Charged smartphone in hand, set out on a ghoulish tour that takes you to eerie sites like the Witch House, the Salem Inn, the Salem Witch Trial Memorial, and many more. Hear stories about the lady in blue, the underground tunnels, the ghost of the strangler, and others. This tour is app-based and uses GPS navigation, guiding you turn by turn to the most haunted locations in Salem. Go at your own pace and take the tour at any time, even exploring the city during the witching hour if you like.

Boston: Salem Witch Trials & Freedom Trail Self-Guided Tour

6. Boston: Salem Witch Trials & Freedom Trail Self-Guided Tour

Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app, which will function as your personal tour guide, audio tour, and map all in one. Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together! Once downloaded, you can begin your tour either in Salem or in Boston. In Boston, you’ll start either at Bunker Hill or in the heart of Boston Common, dating back to 1634! Hear about the Stamp Act riots of 1765 as you begin your walk along the Freedom Trail. Keep moving past the historic Massachusetts State House with its golden dome laid by Paul Revere’s Copper Company! You’ll also hear about America’s first time capsule here, going back to 1795! Learn more about why the British taxed the colonies before the Revolutionary War and then take in the Park Street Church with its stately steeple. Then move onto the Granary Burying Ground and pay tribute to the prominent and courageous figures buried there, such as John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Paul Revere. Up next is King’s Chapel, Boston’s first Anglican church, which features a bell which Paul Revere cast! You’ll then see the Boston Latin School with its statue of one of its most prominent students, Benjamin Franklin! You’ll pass the Old South Meeting House, where the famed Boston Tea Party began. Then, keep striding toward the Old State House where the Declaration of Independence was first read to Bostonians! In addition, see the stately Faneuil Hall, where colonial Bostonians met to discuss their future and acrimonious debates over the Stamp Act and Tea Act took place! Learn more about the events of the Revolutionary War, including the Second Continental Congress, as well as Paul Revere’s historic ride. You’ll see the Old North Church, site of the famed “one if by land, two if by sea signal.” Conclude your Boston journey at the Bunker Hill Monument, commemorating a pivotal Revolutionary War battle. In Salem, you’ll start at the Salem Visitor Center. Learn about the infamous witch trials at the 1692 Memorial. Reflect on the 19 who perished in an atmosphere of suspicion and madness. Pay visits to an array of historical sites such as the Old Burying Point Cemetery, where the chief judge in the witch trials is buried. See the Old Town Hall, used in the movie Hocus Pocus! Also learn about the town’s famed son, writer Nathaniel Hawthorne! The tour concludes at the House of the Seven Gables, which was the inspiration for one of Hawthorne’s most famed works.

Salem: Witch Trials Self-Guided Walking Tour and Quiz

7. Salem: Witch Trials Self-Guided Walking Tour and Quiz

Learn about the sobering history of Salem at your own pace on a self-guided walking tour. Hear the history of the Salem Witch Trials, visit the Old Burying Point, and find Salem's haunted buildings. Before beginning your tour, download the Action Tour Guide app on your phone to allow easy offline access. Head to the Salem Armory to get started. From there, walk to the 1692 Memorial, which honors the victims of the witch panic. Next, head to the Old Burying Point, the final resting place not only for many of the trials’ victims but also for their persecutors. Walk among the graves and hear the tragic, heroic tale of Giles Corey and others who paid the ultimate price when they refused to go along with the madness. Continue your tour with some of Salem’s spookiest architecture, the Joshua Ward House and the Old Town Hall. Learn about the Old Town Hall's secret tunnels, which still exist today. Head to the old jailhouse, where some say the spirits of the confined and tortured innocents remain. Continue through town and spot landmarks featured in Hollywood hits like Hocus Pocus and Bewitched. Next, pass the Witch Museum and learn how the witch trials ended. Finish your tour at the Salem Common and discover the aftermath of the trials and how the town of Salem recovered. As you follow the tour, there are plenty of optional detours available, from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s house to a tavern infamous for 18th-century kidnappings.

Salem: Salem Witch Tour

8. Salem: Salem Witch Tour

Learn about how the city once known for the infamous Salem Witch Trials has become the home of one of the largest communities of Wiccans and pagans in the US. This tour seamlessly blends history and magic. Not only is this a history tour but it is a tour of the present as well as the past, and delves into esoterica. You will meet some of Salem's most famous magical practitioners and visit the main witchcraft shops in Salem, where you can buy magical herbs and potions, candles, and books about the art of witchcraft. This tour is not only in your own language, but also much more in-depth Tours are personalized for each tour group.

Ultimate Boston Self-Guided Walking Tours Bundle

9. Ultimate Boston Self-Guided Walking Tours Bundle

Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app, which will function as your personal tour guide, audio tour, and map. Note: Each tour covers essential sights and takes 2-3 hours, over 3+ miles. Start in the city of Boston and walk in the footsteps of Revolutionary War heroes. Hear the story of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride and relive the fight for American Independence with a self-guided walking tour of Boston’s Freedom Trail. Immerse yourself in the stories of the American Revolution, the Boston Tea Party, and the Sons of Liberty as you stroll along Boston’s scenic Harborwalk. Uncover Boston's historic and storied past while enjoying its beautiful harbor views between South Station and Long Wharf. Then, travel to the city of Cambridge outside Boston and explore the heart of Harvard University's campus at Harvard Square. Use the app to take a self-guided walking tour that covers must-see campus sights like the John Harvard Statue, Widener Library, and former dorm rooms of famous alumni like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Natalie Portman, and more. Next, discover Cape Ann with a self-guided driving tour along the scenic waterfront. Enjoy the vistas, beaches, and natural beauty of the New England coastline at your own pace. Visit the famous Fisherman's Memorial, beautiful Beauport, all while diving into the stories of Massachusetts of days past. Shifting the scene to Salem, begin at the Salem Visitor Center. Learn about the Salem Witch Trials at the dedicated memorial and the Old Burying Point Cemetery. Stop by historic spots like the Old Town Hall, the Joshua Ward House, and Gedney House. Marvel at the Witch House and end your tour at The House of the Seven Gables, immersing yourself in the haunting history of Salem's Witch Trials.

Discover Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials Self-Guided Tour

10. Discover Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials Self-Guided Tour

Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app, which will function as your personal tour guide, audio tour, and map. Note: This 4+ mile-long tour covers the essentials of Salem in 1-2 hours. Salem Armory and trace the footsteps of a time when witch panic gripped this town. First, you’ll pause at the 1692 Memorial, paying respects to the victims whose names became synonymous with fear. Know the pivotal figures and their tragic fates. Walk to the Old Burying Point next. Amidst centuries-old graves, hear of Giles Corey's brave defiance, a man immortalized in "The Crucible". His story, like many others, is a testament to the trials' chilling legacy. You’ll then wander past eerie landmarks like the Joshua Ward House and the Old Town Hall. These aren’t just architectural marvels; they bear tales of secret tunnels underneath, remnants of a bygone era, with some still lurking in shadows. The old jailhouse stands next, echoing whispers of the innocents who faced unspeakable horrors. Rumor has it, some never left. As you ponder their fates, recognize familiar sites and tales of Hollywood's renditions - think "Hocus Pocus" and "Bewitched". They all draw inspiration from this very ground. Onward, the Witch Museum awaits, chronicling the trials' climax and end. Finally, the Salem Common offers a reflective stop, revealing aftermath tales and revelations. For the curious souls, detour options include Nathaniel Hawthorne’s residence and a notorious 18th-century tavern. Embark on this immersive journey and unravel Salem’s darkest chapters.

Other Sightseeing Options in Old Town Hall, Salem

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What people are saying about Old Town Hall, Salem

Overall rating

4.4 / 5

based on 185 reviews

Great self guided tour! We followed along and stopped to the side to listen to the descriptions. Even had people asking us about our tour.

Audio guía que funciona sin internet. Me ha encantado visitar Salem a mi ritmo utilizando esta actividad. recomendable

John was an EXCELLENT guide! He was knowledgeable and made learning history very fun! Highly recommend this tour!

John was a fantastic guide. He was very informative and answered all our questions.

It was a great adventure! Listened in spanish an it was awesome