Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023, the Salem Wax Museum of Witches and Seafarers has told the story of Salem’s Witch and Maritime History since its founding in 1993. The Museum offers their Hysteria Pass which provides access to the Salem Wax Museum and The Salem Witch Village. Both of these locations offer a look into Salem, MA’s witch history in an engaging and self-paced style.
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During the month October The Haunted Neighborhood located on Liberty Street acts as a beacon for eager tourists looking to engage in an authentic October activity while they are visiting our renowned city. The Haunted Neighborhood includes Frankenstein’s Castle, a haunted house with live actors and pop-out scares, and The Enchanters which is a free public-art exhibit. This year the beloved Frankenstein’s Castle haunted house has seen renovations with new spine chilling interactive scares! Early this season the Destination Salem team was able to get a behind the scenes look into how the magic happens!
Image by Destination Salem
Kayla Lumbra, the Executive Director over at the Salem Wax Museum and Haunted Neighborhood showed us the newly engineered lever and pull systems that gives the haunted house their jump scares. Lumbra said that “one of the unique things about the Haunted Neighborhood haunted houses is that there are real people inside waiting to create a truly immersive experience”. Behind the scenes at Frankenstein’s Castle the jump scares are curated especially for you and your group! Because the movement of each machine isn’t on timed systems or sensors, but rather, real people feeling out the vibe of each group passing through you truly can never predict what you will get. This is similar to the Haunted Witch Village, where you are immersed in Salem, MA in 1692 during the Witch Trials for a truly frightful experience.
Image by Destination Salem
Another well known attraction produced by the Shea family is their Candlelit Ghostly Walking Tour. The hour-long tour guides participants through the streets of historic Salem, MA pointing out some of the city’s most haunted locations. Friendly and knowledgeable tour guides will give you pointers on how to capture ghostly photography, as well as the ins-and-outs of spectral evidence which was a key piece of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. October Candlelit Ghostly Walking Tours take place every day beginning at 6pm, approximately every half hour until 10pm. Looking for a day time tour experience? The Witches and Seafarers Historic Walking Tour will discuss three centuries of history surrounding Salem’s founding and its rich maritime and colonial history.
Image by Destination Salem
Back again for the October season is the opulent Enchanters exhibit! The exhibit pulls its inspiration from pop culture themes that resonate with the new crowds of visitors to Salem, MA each October. The exhibit is curated by Madison O’Niel, who each year uses locally sourced sustainable materials from second hand stores to create a show stopping aesthetic. Last year in 2022 high society vampires took over the Liberty Street neighborhood. This year frosty faces flaunt their winter attire with fur boots and campy crowns. No matter what you decide to do this October at the Haunted Neighborhood you are sure to find something that each member of your group will love.
