Halloween in Massachusetts
Fun fact, Salem, Massachusetts’s hotels and Airbnbs sell out for just about every day and weekend at least one month before October. Since Lisa found out this fact the hard way, she decided what better way to spend the weekend than in Boston with a day trip to Salem? Friday Lisa and Dakota flew in to Boston, checked into the hotel, and got ready for their dinner cruise onboard the Odyssey. They enjoyed a 3 course meal, French champagne, and the spectacular views of the Boston skyline both in the daylight and once the sun set.
The following day, the two travelers found themselves on a train to Salem! They traveled through beautiful countryside peppered with marshes until they followed the hoards out of the train and into the main square. The best way to describe Salem in October is a theme park with no entrance fee. The animated Bewitched star, Samantha, had her own statue sitting on a half moon to welcome everyone to downtown. Everyone was dressed in costume. There were people peddling pictures with them dressed as witch’s and well known Halloween movie characters. While in Massachusetts, Dakota and Lisa set out to try all the food that New England is known for. That meant clam chowder, Boston cream pie, lobster rolls, and so much more. They looked no further than grabbing seats at the bar of a small diner in Salem to check off lobster rolls which did not disappoint. The lobster was fresh with a generous amount for the consumer. The bread was firm but not overly crunch. Everything one might wish for in lunch was found in that plate of happiness.
They left lunch, and headed to the Salem Witch Trials Museum. Despite the fact that entrance would only be permitted after purchase of a ticket with a specific time slot bought in advance first thing that morning, Dakota still waited in line prepared with the purchased tickets. Meanwhile, Lisa bought a witch hat to further prep for the experience. They were finally ushered into a theater reminiscent of a stadium. The seats were on the ground floor which was claimed by whoever came in and sat down first. The displays above them were all around. Once the show concluded, the audience went into a room filled with artifacts and pop culture memorabilia, like a first addition of the “Wizard of Oz,” for the spectators to see the evolution of the archetype that is “witch’s.”
While there was still some daylight left, the pair left the museum and journeyed on a walking trail to see all the hotspots of the movie, “Hocus Pocus.” Little did they know, there is a beautiful garden free and open to the public behind the house shot as Allison’s house. Another surprise to the couple was that tours of the witch’s house were given, but tickets must be made well in advance. That did not stop them from taking as many photos as they wanted of the outside of the home.
After they enjoyed a market at Salem Common park with free music playing from the beautiful gazebo shown in Hocus Pocus, too, they went on a mile walk to the little known Deacon Giles Distillery. The distillery name was inspired by the written stories of Reverends George Cheever. In his campaign to steer his parish and others away from the temptations of alcohol in the 1830’s, he wrote stories about a corrupt rum distiller that accidentally hired demons to work for him. All these years later, the distillery has adopted the name and set out to make rum out of the most original methods. While people sing the praises of their rum, Lisa was enticed by their delicious juniper forward Gin. A little tipsy, enthralled with fascinating stories of the past, and their inner fandom for Hocus Pocus eased, they found their way back to the train station Boston bound.