Salem Common — Attraction in Boston

Salem Common is a yearly meet up spot for the Haunted Happenings Parade that kicks off the Halloween/Samhain season as it is the terminus of the parade route. Live music is offered in the post parade revelry. Port O Johns are located in the Salem Commons during the Halloween season not sure if it is this way all year round. On Halloween a second carnival is located at the Salem Commons where one can get seasonal treats and I believe I have seen rides for children as well. The Salem Commons is off the main Essex drag on Hawthorne and is close walking distance from the Hawthorne Hotel. It is in close walking distance to Peabody Essex Museum and Howard Street Cemetary where Giles Corey was crushed?buried? there. On Halloween, a seasonal celebration honoring the deceased and ancestors also is held at the Salem Commons in addition to a location that is closer to the alleged hanging site at Gallows Hill west of the historical district. It is a nice place to have a picnic and lawn sports . Not sure if a permit is required for planned events, but it is a great place for Wiccan/Pagan groups to hold sabbats and May Pole dancing at Beltane, but at night it is a nightmare. The common could have some lit up areas and lights on the side where they put the...

Salem, Massachusetts, is much more than a rollicking Halloween-themed street party. Long before the Hollywood witches of "The Wizard of Oz" or the television series, "Bewitched", Salem began when a band of Puritans, led by Roger Conant, explored new lands a few years after the first Puritans sailed aboard the Mayflower landed in Plymouth.

If you want to experience hundreds of thousands of visitors, street performers dressed in creative Halloween costumes, visit in October. But, be prepared for hours-long lines to enter any of the shops or even the portable toilets. Designated parking is miles away, and shuttle buses transport visitors from the parking areas to Salem Common.

If you want to explore the history of Salem from its founding through the witch trials to its growth as a merchant seaport in the 19th century, visit in the spring or summer. Pack a snacky snack and relax on the Common and enjoy some music played on...

This lovely and historic ground is the site of the first muster, the birth of the American military. It is well maintained and holds multiple events! Not just parades and fairs or seasonal booths, but light sporting events, dog parties, and family friendly bazaars. Summer night movies are among my personnel favorite. A natural extension of Essex street, the gazebo is sizable and the grounds also hold the stones memorializing the servants of Salem who took part in Americas great conflicts. The track is a few yards shy of a half mile on the outside, and the trees are mature and support multiple communities of squirrels and birds. A green gem with perfect placement to step off the streets and grab breathe some fresh air. Right next to the Hawthorne, and visible from its...