Salem

Halloween activities

Take a walk through Downtown Salem's most historic and haunted outdoor areas. Although every tour is slightly different, each tour visits several locations.  See 2 cemeteries, the Witch Trials Memorial, the location where an accused witch was tortured to death, filming locations from the movie "Hocus Pocus," the Old Salem Jail, the site of the Salem Witch Dungeon, among others. Start the tour at 127 Essex Street in Downtown Salem where you will join a local historian and paranormal investigator who will lead the experience. Embark on a casual walk through Salem's beautiful, historic, and haunted downtown.  Take the time to stop and hear stories about Salem's haunted, dark, and surprisingly inspiring history.

Make your way to the popular Salem Witch Museum on Washington Square, and exchange your voucher for the next available presentation in the large and darkened auditorium of the museum. Be amazed as 13 life size stages sets built into the walls above and around the auditorium illuminate one at a time. Hear a fascinating narration depicting scenes from the history of the trials during the 30-minute presentation. Seating is available throughout the auditorium for your comfort. Then, be guided by museum staff through the "Witches: Evolving Perceptions" exhibit. Additional life-size stage sets depict the evolution of the word "witch," from the pagan midwife of pre-Christian times to the modern-day wiccan. Explore the phenomenon of the witch hunts and how they begin. Hear examples of witch hunts that have taken place since 1692 in a presentation of no more than 15 minutes.

Explore this history of the infamous 1692 Salem Witchcraft Trials on a 1.5-hour walking tour of the city. Listen to tales of the fear, political turmoil, and family rivalries all help fuel the hysteria that pitted neighbor against neighbor and family members against each other. Starting from the local partner's office, visit the jails where suspected witches were held, the court house, and homes of the judges and accused. Discover how two girls having fits transformed into a frantic quest to expel the Devil, leading to the deaths of 25 innocent people. 

Meet your tour guide and venture through 4-8 different sites around the city, each one spookier than the last, starting with the historical Salem Old Town Hall. Continue down the eerie streets to explore the Old Burying Point Cemetery, a preserved burial ground that was established in 1637 where some prominent pilgrims and town officials were buried. This haunted tour takes you to different sites and reveals their true stories so that you can feel connected to the history that took place there. Experiencing these stories while at the sites where they occurred is a truly unique experience that can’t be recreated by simply reading about their history.  During your tour, find out how Salem became the center for all haunted happenings. The phenomenon is partially explained by Salem’s rich history and the fact that many of its oldest structures and sites are preserved today, including the famed Witch House.  Salem’s commitment to preserving this history has made it a perfect spot for spirits to linger and for visitors to experience a connection with the past. All tours meet at Outside Salem Five Savings Bank at 210 Essex St, Salem, Massachusetts. Your guide will be wearing a US Ghost Adventures t-shirt and carrying a lantern. Please arrive 15 minutes before your tour start time

Get an introduction to the history of Salem and discover local ghost stories on a guided 1.5-hour walking tour. Visit at least one cemetery and several buildings known for paranormal activity. Listen to dark tales of accidental death and murder. Hear about a man who was murdered for his treasure by his heirs and a woman who died in a fire and continues to haunt the home. Learn about the various unexplained sightings in some of the older structures in the city. Your tour will end in the downtown area, where your guide will direct you to wherever you'd like to visit next.

Learn about Salem's rich past as a world-class seaport and hear hauntedly chilling tales of the supernatural on this walking tour. Join a group of historians, teachers, and artists whose passion for Salem's history is truly engaging. Start at the Old Town Hall and work your way through history, seeing the most beautiful locations throughout the Historic McIntire District and downtown. Visit one of the most beautiful streets in America that showcases 300 years of architecture. Also, find out the truth about the 1692 Salem Witch Trials hysteria. Witch City Walking Tours is unlike any other tour because guides will give you the truth about what happened in 1692. All tours are run by locals, teachers, professionals and historians who are passionate about Salem. Find out all the little ins and outs of this historic, beautiful diverse city. Our guides will take time answering each and every question you may have. A tour with Witch City Walking Tours is not to be missed while visiting Salem! We are Dog friendly and Handicap accessible! We do not enter any buildings on this tour, this is an outdoor activity only. Our Tours run RAIN or SHINE. We do NOT cancel for weather. Please wear comfortable shoes and bring rain gear if needed. New England weather can be unpredictable, so wear layers. ***Please note, we may book up to 39 people per tour *** Tickets purchased prior to September 17 and after November 11 are refundable with a 24-hour cancellation by email at info@witchcitywalkingtours.com. No exceptions. We do have a strict cancellation policy. However, we do try to accommodate schedule changes if space allows, so if you do have a change request please send us an email. All ticket sales are final between September 17 and November 11 are non-refundable. No exceptions. By choosing to purchase a ticket, you and your ticketed guests will be agreeing to our liability waiver which includes a release of liability on our tours as well as a photo release. Please see the waiver here https://www.witchcitywalkingtours.com/liability-waiver

Begin your voyage in the same way early settlers did: by boat! Board the Salem Ferry in Boston and enjoy the scenery as you pass the Boston Harbor Islands and head up the coast of the North Shore before docking in Salem. If you book a tour with a start time of 9:30 am, you'll start your day of exploring with a visit to the Salem Witch Museum. Be transported back to 1692 and experience the history of the Salem Witch Trials. Take away important lessons from how the events played out, meet the key figures who drove the witchcraft panic, and examine how these themes are applicable to modern culture. You'll also have the opportunity to retrace the footsteps of Salem’s famous history with a walk through town. Honor the innocent victims at the Salem Witch Trial Memorial, hear of the lasting impact the Witch Trials left on the town, and learn how the present-day community continues to respect its legacy. Moving onto the Burying Point, your small group will visit the final resting place of notable Salem residents and some important figures from the Witch Trials. Now that you’ve learned about the history, time to turn your attention to modern times and discover some seemingly out-of-place marks left behind by popular culture. Enjoy curious storefronts, historic homes, and more as you roam Salem’s streets. Take some photos at the Bewitched Statue, and then walk up a historic street to the setting of Hocus Pocus: Ropes Mansion. Wrap up your guided tour with a visit to the First Church in Salem and the Witch House, both of which were significant to the Salem Witch Trials. After your guided stroll through Salem, you'll have some free time to grab lunch and go shopping on your own. If you opted for the tour with a 9:25 am start time, you can use this time to visit the Real Pirates Museum on your own. Either way, there's plenty more to explore before you board the ferry back to Boston.

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.

Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app, which will function as your personal tour guide, audio tour, and map all in one. Once downloaded, this harrowing tour begins at 1 New Liberty St, Salem, MA. From there, you walk to the 1692 Memorial, where the victims of the witch panic are memorialized. Here, you’ll get to know many of the key figures who were 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. As you walk through the gravestones, listen to the tragically heroic tale of Giles Corey, 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 that run beneath some of these buildings, many of which still exist today! Continue past the old jailhouse, where innocent people were subjected to cruelty so terrible that some suggest their spirits never really left. By this point, you’re bound to think some of these things look familiar, so it’s time to hear about Hollywood’s many forays into Salem, including hits like Hocus Pocus and Bewitched. On your way back, you’ll pass by the Witch Museum and hear about how all the madness finally ended. The final stop is Salem Common, where you’ll discover some things you probably didn’t know about the aftermath of the trials. But your tour doesn’t have to end there! If you want to keep the adventure going, you can continue toward the House of Green Gables. Along the way, you’ll hear all about author Nathaniel Hawthorne and his family's connection to the witch trials, plus a few extra stories about some 18th-century kidnappings! The tour also features an additional optional detour to a few more landmarks, like the Witch House, the Ropes Mansion, and Hamilton Hall. There’s no shortage of things to see on this walking tour of Salem, so buckle up your boots (and your Pilgrim hat) and get to walking!

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.