Once upon a time, being labelled a witch in Salem might have guaranteed a one-way ticket to the gallows. This was, after all, where the notorious Witch Trials of 1692 took place, when 20 innocent people met a gruesome end after being accused of witchcraft. At least five more died because of the appalling conditions of their imprisonment.
Which makes the city’s reincarnation as a witchy wonderland feel gleefully ironic. These days, the New England city is bursting at the seams with cosmic shops and mystical museums. “It’s come full circle, and the label ‘witch’ is now a term of empowerment in Salem,” says Alyse Grimm, a self-proclaimed witch who runs the popular website Things to Do in Salem.
We’re sitting in a coffee shop, across the street from a supernatural wax museum and a retail village selling stuffed black cats and pointy hats. This modern incarnation of Salem, where seemingly every business has sprinkled a touch of the occult into its brand, has drawn a fresh flock of visitors to the quaint seaside port.
I’ve joined them on a trip to the Massachusetts city, just under 20 miles north-east of Boston and reachable by commuter rail, in little more than half an hour, to meet the witches casting their spell over this tiny Atlantic coastal haunt. It’s not my first visit. The last time I was here was in October 2025, when trick-or-treat season had the cobbled streets heaving with an additional million-or-so tourists.
Halloween has a certain charm here, with its carnivalesque atmosphere and houses dressed to the nines in draped cobwebs and glowing pumpkins. But there are always more witchy experiences than you can shake a broomstick at, and most are open to visitors year-round…