Spend Halloween in Salem Massachusetts – America’s Witch City
Trick or Treat with Harry Potter and friends
By Fran Folsom
Salem was a city gripped with hysteria during the
Witchcraft Trials of 1692 when nineteen people were accused of being witches;
eighteen were women, they were hung on Gallows Hill, the one man, while being
crushed to death was asked to admit his quilt and he would be saved, all he
cried was “more weight”. The trials were a dark period in the city’s history,
it became known far and wide as the Witch City.
Nowadays, to overcome its ghoulish past, Salem brews up
good old fashioned family fun with its Haunted Happenings that take place from
October 4th to 31st.
Harry Potter fans can gather at track 9 ¾ where the
Hogwarts Express will take them to Hogwarts to help Harry, Ron and Hermione save
Halloween.
 A
must stop is the Salem Witch Museum where a computerized diorama gives chilling
evidence of the troubles of 1692. Their exhibit Witches; Evolving
Perceptions traces the craft of midwives, healers and witches from the Middle
Ages to the 21st century.
Communicate with the dead at a spirits séance or watch as
Salem’s practicing coven of witches cast sacred circles using ancient rites.
For grave robbing head over to Frankenstein’s laboratory at the Salem Wax Museum
whose dungeons are full of Dr. Frankenstein’s creations.
 The
House of Seven Gables made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne hosts two live
performances, Spirits of the Gables a tale of a family embroiled in a wicked
curse, and, Legacy of the Hanging Judge has you witness the Salem Witchcraft
Trials.
Heighten your belief of the supernatural on a candlelit
guided walking tour of Salem’s Terror Trail where tales of haunted housing,
spectral spottings and murder abound.
Become part of a Puritan jury as the Old Town Hall serves
as the setting for the Witch House for Cry Innocent: The People Versus Bridget
Bishop a reenactment of the witch trial of Bridget Bishop who was condemned as a
witch by Magistrate Jonathan Corwin and was hanged.
Even the family cat can get into the Halloween spirit with
the Boo-tiful Pets costume contest at the Common. Plan on getting there early,
this is a sell-out event (oh what people won’t do to and for their pets), ending
with the crowning of the Official Cat of Salem.
The Haunted Happenings festivities culminate with on
October 31st, the scariest of nights, All Hallows Eve.
For a full calendar of Haunted Happenings events go to
www.hauntedhappenings.org
Accommodations: Hawthorne Hotel
www.hawthornehotel.com, the Salem Waterfront Hotel
www.salemwaterfronthotel.com, and the Salem Inn
www.saleminnma.com.
Photos courtesy of North of Boston Convention & Visitors
Bureau
www.northofboston.org |
