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Salem, Massachusetts is known as the site of the infamous Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Today, the city capitalizes on this dark period in its history with a variety of Halloween activities.

Halloween activities
The city comes alive in October with “Haunted Happenings,” a citywide Halloween celebration. Activities begin early in October and continue through Halloween. Among the many offerings are theater productions, walking tours, a costume parade, and special events at the Salem Witch Museum. For more information, visit the Salem visitors’ website.

Other Salem sights
Salem offers a variety of historic sights and museums, too. Among these are the Peabody Essex Museum, home to an extensive collection of fine and decorative art, much of which was collected by merchants during the city’s era as a maritime mecca; the House of Seven Gables, actually the Turner-Ingersoll House, which inspired Nathanial Hawthorne to write the book of the same name; and the Salem Maritime Historic Site, a collection of 12 restored buildings from the 17th through the 19th centuries, a living museum of Salem’s seafaring past.

If you go
Salem is located just 16 miles north of Boston, along the Atlantic coast. The trip takes about 30 minutes by car or commuter train and about one hour by bus from downtown Boston. The city has many romantic bed-and-breakfast inns as well as the historic Hawthorn Hotel, which is located on Salem Common.

(Photo via flickr cc)