Halloween Girls’ Trip to Salem!
If Salem, MA isn’t on your bucket list to visit during October, it needs to be added! Here’s the details of our recent girls’ trip and all the spooky fun we had…
During the month of October the city of Salem is transformed into a lively Halloween festival filled with street performers, haunted houses, psychics, day/night ghost tours, and SO many different activities to choose from.
I personally wouldn’t bring young children along, but we saw plenty of them. There’s just so many cool bars with amazing Halloween themed drinks and some activities are 21 and up.
Where to Stay
We stayed 15 minutes outside of Salem at the Boston Peabody Marriott. It was a lovely hotel with a great restaurant/bar. However, Salem is very busy and there are roads blocked off for the festival which can easily turn that 15 minute uber ride into a 45+ min uber ride depending on the time of day.
I recommend staying at the Hawthorne Hotel. It is right in the heart of Salem and when you step out of your hotel, you are right in the center of all the action. They have a fabulous brunch in a quaint restaurant and have live jazz music starting at 11:30am. We ate here for brunch and the food was phenomenal. Be sure to book this room well in advance for October – they fill up quick.
Where to Eat
The food in Salem was on point. We loved the following restaurants:
Turner’s Seafood
Many people claim this is the best restaurant in Salem. We can see why! The lobster was incredible, the drinks were delicious, and the service was amazing. You will love the atmosphere!
Adriatic Restaurant & Bar
We stopped here for drinks and dessert, but the entrees also looked fabulous! Be careful when leaving the restaurant…we were grabbed by Freddy and Jason! Great photo opp!
Village Tavern
This was a perfect spot to stop for a couple appetizers and yummy pumpkin ale! They have these cute leather nooks that make it feel semi private and there are plenty of pool tables and dart boards to keep you entertained if you’d like!
The Ledger Restaurant
This was a favorite for sure! We dined here wearing our Sanderson Sisters costumes and felt like celebrities! The food was cooked perfectly and you have to try the caramel apple martini!
Nathaniel’s Restaurant at Hawthorne Hotel
This breakfast was delicious! The banana fosters oatmeal, ham and cheese quiche, and eggs benedict were among our favs!
What to Do
This website is a great resource for finding fun things to do in Salem: https://www.hauntedhappenings.org
Here are the activities we did!
BOO’s Cruise
The Boo’s Cruise was such a fun night of dancing, drinking, and finishing the night winning 1st place in the costume contest! The cruise runs from 9:00pm – 11:00pm and only costs $26.50 per person! There’s a full bar on board that takes credit/debit cards and the DJ is awesome. Definitely wear a costume and dress warm, it’s cold in October!
Trolley Tour
This was the most efficient and fun way to see the sights and learn about the history of Salem! We were able to hop on and off at different stops along the way which made it super convenient. The tour guides were really witty and did a great job sharing some inside info about the town!
Haunted House
Make sure to visit at least one haunted house while you’re in town and feel like a kid again! We were screaming and laughing the whole way through!
Tour the House of the Seven Gables
Learn the history of one of America’s most famous houses on a guided tour of the House of the Seven Gables. It was very interesting and I picked up the book by Nathanial Hawthorne as a souvenir for my daughter!
Visit America’s Oldest Candy Store
There will most likely be a line wrapped around the building, but the candy is worth it at Ye Olde Pepper Candy Co! Make sure to specifically get a chocolate turtle. Oprah Winfrey buys her chocolate turtles from this shop and has them shipped to her. I tried one and will be ordering more!
Get a Psychic Reading
There are dozens of psychics around Salem. I chose Crow Haven Corner, Salem’s oldest Witch Shop, which specializes in tarot, palmistry, and mediumship! I won’t get into the details of my reading, but I connected with a family member who recently passed away. It was an incredibly emotional and joyous experience at the same time.
Walk Around Exploring!
There are so many cute shops and places to browse through. Street vendors and picture opportunities are at every corner! We had such a great time being spontaneous and enjoying everything Salem has to offer!
We traveled Friday through Monday and I think this was the perfect amount of time for this trip. Be sure to book all of your accommodations and activities far in advance. People travel from all over the world to Salem during October and it’s impossible to get tickets last minute.
Most of all, enjoy making memories with your friends!!!
