John Kozik, right, owner of the Salem Witch Board Museum, takes a visitor through some of the hundreds of Ouija talking boards and related items on display at the museum.
Witch City during Spooky Season can be hectic, but don’t fear. From new shops to must-see haunts, we’ve got you covered.
Greetings, ghouls, goblins, and witches. It’s October, so you know what that means — the leaves are bursting into glorious shades of orange and red, the Halloween decorations are hitting stores, the veil is thinning, and it’s time to get your spook on in Salem .
Places, both sacred and scary
If the combination of an escape room and animatronics keeps you up at night, get spooked at The Lost Museum (7 Lynde St., gallowshillsalem.com/the-lost-museum), an October-long interactive adventure presented by Gallows Hill. Groups descend underground to an “abandoned,” multi-room museum with a “Can they be trusted??” tour guide, while unraveling the secrets in the hallowed hall. Or, if you want to get even more hands-on, visit the Salem Witch Board Museum (127 Essex St., salemwitchboardmuseum.com), one of two documented Ouija board museums in the world. (The second is its sister museum in Baltimore.) The cozy museum features hundreds of talking boards — many from owner John Kozik’s personal collection and ones that were donated — ranging from The Damned to The Sphinx Speaks.
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Salem is rife with complex history — both the spooky kind and the downright evil. Visitors can be mindful of the area’s more troubling tales by learning about those who lost their lives in the 17th-century Witch Trials. A short drive away, Old Burial Hill, established 1638, is well-known as the backdrop to memorable scenes in “Hocus Pocus.” Still, the peaceful cemetery is also the site of a memorial for Wilmot Redd, the only person in Marblehead executed for witchcraft in 1692. At the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM, 177 Essex St., pem.org), their “The Salem Witch Trials 1692″ exhibition features a guided audio tour, putting a critical lens on the history, artwork, and artifacts from the period. On Oct. 13, the museum will host author Daniel A. Gagnon, whose nonfiction book, “A Salem Witch: The Trial, Execution, and Exoneration of Rebecca Nurse,” examines the life story of the 71-year-old victim from Salem Village.
You can’t trick without a treat
Now’s the time to shop until you drop. Black Veil Shoppe for the Grim Hearted (304 Essex St., blackveilstudio.com) transports shoppers to a Grimms’ fairy tale — the deadly, not Disney, kind — offering beautifully macabre prints, apparel, and postcards. The downtown Salem boutique opened Sept. 6 and is the sister store of the nearby Black Veil Studio tattoo shop, where the sacrifice of bare skin earns art that lasts a lifetime.
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One of the many exhibit rooms. “Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums,” a new exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum, examines the art and artifacts that shaped the Spiritualism movement, which captivated Americans hoping to speak to the dead in the 19th and 20th centuries. Lane Turner/Globe Staff
Find hauntingly beautiful wares at Nocturne (18 Front St., nocturnesalem.com), a curated gothic boutique that opened in May 2022. They carry handmade jewelry, perfumes, apparel, and home goods, inspired by the romance and mystery of the night. And to keep the midnight oil burning, head to Witch City Wicks (302A Essex St, witchcitywicks.com) for hand-crafted, soy wax candles from their Halloween collection, featuring the likes of the buttery-sweet Pumpkinhead, and Poison Apple, a fruit-forward fragrance spiked with warming spices.
Can you sense the spirits in the air? If you can, it might be because PEM debuted Ghost Box (161 Salem St., pem.org), a pop-up shop to accompany the “Conjuring the Spirit World” exhibit centered around the Spiritualism movement that runs through Feb. 2. Inside? Ghastly gifts they’ll want to keep. Think: topical books, like “Conjuring the Spirit World” by PEM Curator-at-Large George Schwartz, Ouija boards, and fun ghost plushies.
And, of course, no trip to Salem is complete without picking up a little magic. Metaphysical shops in every flavor can be found downtown — from the design- and craft-minded HausWitch (144 Washington St., hauswitchstore.com) that offers aura photography and aesthetically packaged spell kits to The Coven’s Cottage (190 Essex St., thecovenscottage.com), a longstanding shop, where no phones are allowed, offering supplies for rituals grounded in ancient traditions and nature. Or, for a dose of pink power, drop into the Good Witch of Salem (2 North St., goodwitchofsalem.com) for a $20 DIY potion experience, a kid-friendly craft that would make Glinda proud.
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An aura photograph taken at HausWitch in Salem. Kalyn Anderson
Brews & bites
To tame a sweet tooth, head to Funhouse Donuts (282 Derby St., funhousedonuts.com), where owner Wren Werner crafts darkly delicious treats, ranging from iced and glazed Ghostbusters to intricately frosted, doughy dedications to Audrey II. Or, stop at Goodnight Fatty (1 Washington Sq., goodnightfatty.com) for suspiciously soft and gooey cookies, which they cheekily call “fatties.” Every weekend, they release three new flavors concocted to invoke nostalgia, ranging from S’Mores and Golden Oreo to Chocolate Funfetti and Butterbeer.
For a quick, crowd-pleasing bite that’s close to city center, swing into Garçon SuperSlice Pizza Pie (14 New Derby St., garconsuperslicepizzapieparlor.com), the new-ish, slice-slinging restaurant from Chef Keenan Langlois, who also owns the stellar Salem sandwich shack, ChezCasa. Oversize options include Funghi — a cheesy mushroom pizza slathered in Porcini crema and topped with garlic “fudge” — and Pickled Pepper Pineapple Porchetta.
If you’re more of a night creature, Vampfangs Vampire Lounge — the same team behind the Vampfangs shop (224 Essex St., vampfangs.com) — pops up for a weekly 21+ Halloween celebration, featuring goth music, dancing, and an on-theme dress code. (”Casual vampires” are welcome, but tickets are required for all.) The party takes place at Longboards Restaurant & Bar (76 Wharf St., longboardsbar.com) through October.
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