A Week In Witch City

Not all witches live in Salem, but they may certainly go to visit. That's exactly what I did this past week, and unfortunately I think it's going to take me a little bit to adjust to being back home. Visiting Salem, MA is one of the greatest decisions I've ever made and most fulfilling adventures I've ever been on, and I had my boyfriend there to share it with me. I definitely missed my family, and my pets, and friend(s) but don't be surprised if you hear about me moving to Salem in a few years. I apologize ahead of time, this blog post is going to be very photo heavy!

Day 1

It was a lengthy 7 hour long drive but well worth it. We stayed at a cozy little place called Morning Glory Bed & Breakfast. Morning Glory is ran and kept by two men, Bob and Marcel. Unfortunately we didn't get the pleasure of meeting Marcel, but Bob made us feel comfortable and at home from the moment we stepped in. We were greeted by treats left in the room and any and all amenities we could possibly need. Every morning we got to wake up to Bob's amazing breakfasts, topped off with relaxing music in a comfortable dining room. Bob was a lovely host and I have to say that him and getting the luxury of staying at a place as nice as Morning Glory played a big part in really making my trip as amazing as it was. 

After getting settled into the room, I took these pictures for giggles to send to people as I've never been a personal fan of dolls. They tend to give me the creeps. Surprisingly enough, I ended up growing really fond of the dolls and doll-related decor.

Since we didn't make it to Salem until around five or six in the afternoon, coincidentally around the time most spots in the area close for the day, we browsed a few local shops surrounding our B&B. I found it cute how Halloween and witch related a lot of the shops and businesses are, and sparked a little life in me. 

As you stroll around the area you can find loads of witchcraft shops, new age shops, psychic shops, ghost related merchandise and tours, and generally anything you'd typically expect from the Halloween capital of America I suppose. I spent most of our first day mapping out and mentally jotting down all the different stores I wanted to visit while staying in Salem, as well as different tourist sites, museums, and tours. This time around we didn't get to go on quite as many tours as we had hoped, but we'll definitely be visiting again as soon as possible. Before heading back to the room we hit the first spot to eat that we found. Which, by the way, happened to be one of the more expensive restaurants in the area. That's just my luck, but the food was so good that I couldn't regret a single penny I spent on my meal. It was a tiny little Italian restaurant, Bella Verona. I got to sit and enjoy a spicy seafood fettuccine in red sauce, the perfect pick me up after a long drive.

Day 2

After getting to enjoy one of Bob's splendid breakfasts for the first time, we walked right across the street to The House of Seven Gables. We got to take a tour of the house, where they've preserved a lot of the original structure, or tried to recreate it as well as the decor and room set up. Something I found interesting is that one of the rooms they designed, they did based off of the famous book "The House of Seven Gables" which, as you can guess, does take setting in that house.

During the tour they told us a story that I personally found humorous. Kind of a given, the home got it's name "The House of Seven Gables" based on the fact that it, well, had seven gables. Apparently, a later home owner decided that they wanted to give the house a more modern look which was, at the time, more "boxy" and simplistic looking—so they removed four of the gables (if my memory serves correctly.) The house kept the name. So then, once again later down the road, when the house gained another homeowner, they were confused as to why a house with only three gables would be called The House of Seven Gables. So they simply added them all back on. It's a silly story, but I enjoyed learning that bit of history.

For whatever reason I decided to wear a pair of my Jeffrey Campbell Litas, not one of my better decisions in life, and was greatly regretting it during our walk around the town. To top it off, it was raining. But there was another important stop I needed to make before ending the day with casual shop hopping and eating, and that was The Salem Witch Museum.

Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take any photos in the museum. I suppose I could've snuck one here and there if I wanted to, but why be that type of disrespectful? But one section of this event will forever be a very memorable one for me. The first part of the event consisted of an animatronic recreation of the events that would've taken place that lead up to and during the witch trials. A little unsettling for me, being someone that's made highly uncomfortable by dolls, mannequins, figures of any type especially those that have the ability to move, but interesting and informational regardless. The second part, and my favorite, was a guide talking you through different displays regarding how the term "witch" has evolved over time and how mainstream media has impacted the witches of today. Being someone that does practice witchcraft, I definitely had some appreciation for that given it's not something I see talked about very often and it's the main reason I don't feel comfortable talking about my practices too publicly or with others.

After the museum we spent our extra time before the town sleeps exploring more of the shops. I came across a lot of adorable shops and really burnt a hole in my pocket. But the haul I collected is something I'm really excited to share here in a later post!

Day 3

Our third day in Salem consisted of rain, and I mean a lot of rain. If it wasn't pouring, then it was consistently misting and in no time my hair was dripping wet and my clothes were soaked. As much as I hate rain, and hate being rained on even more, that didn't keep us from venturing out. We walked to The Witch House, you know the one that comes up immediately when you google "Salem"? That "Witch House".

The Witch House was once the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, one of the judges that took part in the Salem Witch Trials. Inside you got to go on a self-guided tour of each room and floor, complete with displays consisting of decor and items from the time, facts from the trials, artifacts from the trials, and old witchcraft practices and beliefs.

Somewhere along the way we ended up stumbling across the wax museum. It was on my list of places to visit, but we actually ended up crossing paths with it while searching for a restroom.  Directly behind the wax museum you can find the Salem Witch Trials memorial, as well as one of the oldest grave yards in the states. Even with the inconvenient rain we ended up spending a fair amount of time in this area. It was nice to see all of the offerings left for the victims of the trials, as well as interesting to get to see so many aged tomb stones, how tomb stones then differ from tombstones now, and just get to experience that type of history in person.

Day 4

Luckily our last full day in Salem gave us clear skies and a nice autumn breeze, perfect for the events we had planned. We started the day early and headed over to the Peabody Essex Museum. We intended to take a trolley tour, but arrived to find tickets were sold out. That's definitely something I want to look into for my next trip there. 

We made sure to see every exhibit they had available, with the exception of the Chinese home they had brought over which, once again, I'm looking forward to seeing next time.  Our first stop was the "It's Alive!" exhibit, of classic horror and sci-fi art works from the Kirk Hammett collection. I did happen to get more photos of the exhibits, this one and all of the others we got to see. Photos were fully allowed as long as they were flash-free, but out of respect for the museum I'd rather not post them all here in this blog.

My personal favorite exhibits were those of the imported arts from different countries. They had Chinese, Japanese, African, Korean, and Indian arts all imported, and each consisting of beautiful and unique pieces. Once again, I did get a fair amount of photos of my favorite pieces, but I'll keep them for my personal memories. As an example, here's a piece I saw in the Japanese imports. A lot of these didn't have descriptions, but to me it looks to be like some sort of trinket box, with beautiful shell-like detailing. If anybody knows precisely what to call this, feel free to let me know!

After visiting the museum, we went across the street to a costume photo studio called "Witch Pix". Witch Pix is a studio specific to Salem, and is much like the midwestern themed costume photo studios you might see on boardwalks on popular vacation beaches. I'll leave some of my favorite photos at the bottom of this post if you're interested in seeing them!

I couldn't allow myself to leave Salem without seeing Proctor's Ledge. As of 2016, it was made "historically official" that the hanging location of the victims from the witch trials was on Proctor's Ledge, a small hill a little further out of the way from where I was staying in Salem. It was in an odd spot, being right around the corner from a Walgreens and Dunkin' Donuts, and directly next to someone's home. But just like the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, there were offerings and flowers left for the victims.

We ended our last night in Salem by going on a walking ghost tour. Our ghost tour was led by a ghost hunter, and someone that was very well educated in the history of Salem. He was able to tell personal experiences with ghosts around the area, as well as talk to us about a side of Salem that you don't usually hear. He walked us around to a couple handfuls of confirmed haunted areas, told the experiences of himself and others, told stories that have been passed down and and historically confirmed, and even talked about how the locals of Salem, MA feel about the witch trials and how it impacts their town. Our tour guide heavily encouraged taking as many flash photos as possible, giving us the opportunity to catch something ghostly on camera. After going through my shots, I actually stumbled across something a little interesting and unexplainable.
All around, my trip to Salem was exciting, informative, relaxing, eye-opening, and I'm ready to start planning my next visit. As I've stated in a previous post, Salem has always been one of my top dream travel destinations so being able to finally visit has been fulfilling in more ways than one. With the risk of sounding a little feely, having to leave nearly made me tear up. There was something really comforting about that town to me, it was a whole different world compared to the area I live in currently. Next time I visit, I may be taking the time to look into actual living expenses and arrangements, though actually moving there probably isn't something I could realistically make happen for a few years. I'll be sure to post my Salem haul soon! Until next time, Salem. ♥︎