Salem, MA

Welcome to Salem! Unfortunately almost every museum had a no photos policy, and it was their most crowded day of the year, so we didn't really end up taking that many photos as we made our rounds, but rest assured that it was halloweeny, festive, and awesome. In my most recent post there are photos from the Witch House, an original 1600's surviving structure that was home to people involved in the Witch Trials.

We also visited some other historical sites and burial grounds. This cemetery is one of the oldest in the country, AND a location from the 90's classic Hocus Pocus. I was trying to look sombre in the photos for halloween but it was really hard trying to suppress a grin as I walked around the very cemetery one of my favorite childhood movies was shot in.











our attempt at looking like we were floating out of this grave didn't go so hot....but there was a huge line to take photos at this tree, so um, we'll take it!



stocks!







Right before sunset we boarded an old ferry and took a 'haunted cruise' around the Salem Sound. We got to see beautiful fall foliage, about 5 lighthouses, and hear about local pirate and ghost stories from a very entertaining host. It was a bit chilly, but really fun and really beautiful. I loved being out on the water, and in contrast to New York, such clean water. The sunset was perfect.















Black Cat socks for Halloween:)









After the cruise, the sun was all the way down and night fell on Salem, which was magical because there were tour guides all over carrying candles, and carnival lights from a nearby fair. I didn't have time to drop in, because we still had another tour to take, but the ambience that spilled over was nice.

We found a local soup shop for dinner and Ryan had Lobster bisque, and I crab pumpkin soup. It was incredibly delicious. Then we made our way over to the House of Seven Gables, the actual house that Nathaniel Hawthorne based his novel on. I had no idea it was a real place until I was planning our trip, and I got super excited to visit and see inside. For Halloween they do night tours with visits from the spirits of the gables- so basically there is an actor in each room, mostly characters who die in the story, and they monologue for a while and see you into the next room.

It was so cool and such a fun way to see a book come to life! Some the of the rooms and actors were exactly how I pictured them, especially the little old lady who played Hephzibah. It was awesome! The whole house's interior felt straight out of the time period, and we even got to take secret passageways, and en entire secret staircase up to the attic during the tour! I was absolutely beside myself at how Nancy Drewish I felt. No photos were allowed though, but guys, it was so awesome. go- do it.



So concludes our trip to Salem. Magic.



My entire outfit is thrifted and vintage, except for the sunglasses which I've had since high school from a consignment shop, and the socks which I bought in Harajuku.