Maybe Skip Salem… Unless You’re Just Going for Photos 🧙‍♀️

Visited Salem on a Thursday around 2 PM. Parked at the garage near the train station — only $5 for the day 🅿️. Spots were limited when I arrived, but plenty opened up after 5 PM. I went to the Salem Witch Museum ($17) and was pretty disappointed. The whole “experience” was just sitting in a dark hall listening to a narration about the witch trials… and then being funneled directly into a gift shop. Not worth it at all! 😒 Even on a weekday, it was crowded. Most people dressed in basic gothic/witchy outfits. The Halloween decorations were pretty lacking — only a few photo ops with generic ghosts on the main street 🎃. Beyond that, the town felt pretty ordinary — not many spooky setups at homes or stores. Food prices felt similar to Boston — I paid $10 for a basic hot dog 🌭 because I was in a rush. Many brunch spots closed early, and even though the streets were busy, most sit-down restaurants were weirdly empty… probably not a great sign about the food 😬. Also… why so many GNATS?! 🦟 Felt like I was swallowing bugs every time I talked. Maybe it’s all those portable toilets around town? Verdict: Save your time and money — skip Salem. But if you really want to dress up and take a few pics, then maybe go just for that. 👻📸 #SalemMA #WitchCity #TravelSkip #HalloweenFail #USATravel