In Salem, Halloween is every night of the year.
**Halloween is here.** That night to dress up, watch scary movies or stay out late. But, oh mere mortal, did you think your celebration of the darkest night of the year was cool? That's because you haven't moved to the city that celebrates Halloween above all else.
What's more, it may be Halloween there every night of the year. We talk about Salem, a small city in Massachusetts, known as 'The city of witches'.
But what does this New England seaside town have to make the figure rise from 40,000 to more than half a million visitors at the end of October ? Keep reading...
Perhaps you have heard of her story or perhaps for you Salem is just the name of Sabrina's cat. Be that as it may, this city is fascinating on its own. But, Why is it known as the city of witches? Let's go back a few years.
Salem, the city of witches
1692. Historical events take place in the city Salem witch trials. During the year and three months that lasted, 19 innocent people were hanged and one of them crushed to death. Sounds pretty creepy, right? Well, it happened and it was a fact that shocked the world. His sin? The Witchery.
In the Puritan society of the time, anyone was liable to be accused of witchcraft. It all started when two girls, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, began to behave strangely, they threw objects, they contorted in an unusual way...
It was then that, accused of having inflicted this harm on the girls and of having played with the devil, Sarah Osborne, Sarah Good and Tibuta , a black slave who scared girls with stories to keep them awake, They were accused of witchcraft.
Thus, anyone who missed church, had behavior that was out of the ordinary or that simply unleashed neighborhood envy, was accused and examined, Bridget Bishop being the first executed, accused of being a bad wife, of having killed her first husband and of communicating with the devil.
At the end of these trials, more than 200 people were charged and imprisoned, and this fact unleashed a mass hysteria in which everyone was a suspect. This event marked the city forever, making it known worldwide for its macabre history. How then to plunge fully into the bowels of Salem?
The old town hall
Definitely, the most visited space in the city is the Salem Witch Museum. Through a diorama, a sepulchral voice narrates the tragic story of the Salem Witch Trials. Leaving the show, they explain how the concept of a witch has evolved over time.
If at the time of the trials they were normal people, perhaps all they did was heal through plants and nature, with a most peaceful appearance, It was thanks to the Disney movie, The Wizard of Oz, when witches began to be seen as beings with green faces and peaked hats
The fault was none other than Technicolor. In 1939, all the meat was put on the grill to show the power of Hollywood with color films. And of course, so much light, so much color, that the duck ended up being paid by the dreaded Witch of the East. Curiously, that is the image that has transpired in subsequent years.
Museums of witches, pirates, monsters, escape rooms, witch hunts, card readings, seers and even performances in which you will witness the trials and actively participate in the verdict, as in Cry Innocent by History Alive Co.
Salem Witch Museum, the most visited space in the city
An unavoidable plan are the tours around the city. The most famous are the Salem Ghost Tours , which start when night falls.
It all starts in the Salem Witch Trials Memorial , a park where, 300 years later, it was decided to honor the memory of those who lost their lives during the trials, unjustly accused. A) Yes, On small stone benches, the names of the 20 victims and how they died have been written.
Interestingly, right next to the memorial, is the Old Burying Point Cemetery, Salem's oldest and scariest cemetery , where some of the judges who starred in such an unfortunate event are buried.
You will hear the darkest stories, like when part of the city was destroyed by a fire that came from the same tree where the alleged witches were hanged or about the heart disease that many Salem sheriffs suffered from the curse of Giles Corey, the man who was sentenced to be crushed to death in the trials and who cursed the town forever.
The Burying Point Cemetery dates back to 1637
Stories of children who look out the window of gloomy houses, haunted houses, restaurants with famous ghosts... It may be that at the end, the fact of falling asleep becomes complicated . This brings us to the break in Salem. Although no hotel advertises itself as haunted, just ask a little more and see what many keep dark stories within their walls.
If you want to get into the matter, book at the hawthorne hotel . Servant slept both nights with her face covered with the blanket and the television on, praying not to hear anything strange, or feel strange presences... It has a very The Shining corridor in which every time you cross it, you cross your fingers that the girls do not appear in the back.
The elevator is the creepiest thing you've seen in years. It is lined with a kind of quilted fabric and every time it is opened, It feels like it's going to engulf you and go down to hell itself.
The fearful should avoid googling the hotel name. What is the first thing that appears? A review of the hotel in 'The most haunted rooms in America' (The Most Haunted Rooms in America). I did not dare to read it until I left there.
For example, they say that room 612 is one of the most paranormal locations in the hotel. A woman has been seen at the door down the hall or many have noted that they were not alone in the room, while in 325, the lights have turned on and off by themselves or their guests have noticed someone touching them . You understand my fear now, don't you?
Only the brave manage to fall asleep here
Now, paranormal events aside, the Hawthorne Hotel has been an icon in the city since 1925. It has 93 rooms and suites that have hosted personalities such as George Bush, Colin Powell or Bette Davis. Also has The Tavern, an award-winning restaurant where you can retreat from the dark Salem nights to the warmth of the fireplace.
It is one of the most haunted cities on the globe, yes, but In Salem not only paranormal things happen. And it is that, witches aside, Salem is one of the oldest historic ports in America . There are numerous spaces that are well worth the excursion to the city, leaving aside its dark past.
The house of the seven roofs
For example, here is The House of the Seven Gables , the house that inspired the writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (author of The Scarlet Letter) to create the homonymous novel of his or the Peabody Essex Museum , one of the most important museums in the country, which keeps an extensive collection of American, Asian, African art and photography or landmarks of maritime history.
Inside the museum is preserved Yin Yu Tang, a Chinese house over 200 years old, which was dismantled and brought piece by piece to the museum. It has no waste.
Peabody Essex Museum, one of the most important in the country
In Salem you also eat and get very rich. Being a city of sea and port, one of the best options to taste the best of the local gastronomy is ** Finz Seafood and Grill , where they serve fish and shellfish of the day and have a raw bar where they prepare sushi.**
Their oysters (natural or fried) are scandalous, as well as the typical clam chowder _(clam chowder) _ from New England and the fish that they prepare on the grill.
Oysters, one of the star dishes of Finz Seafood
And such a vibrant city also had to have modern and fun proposals. That is the case of Hotel Salem , the city's newest boutique hotel, featuring a rooftop which opened last June 2018, where you can enjoy the views watered by signature cocktails, oysters, tacos and ceviches
Because not everything was going to be scary, right?