This past weekend I went to a place I have always wanted to go to during October, Salem! My friends and I all made an effort to organize a weekend getaway that we all could fully enjoy. One of our goals for the trip was to make it as economical as possible, so we decided to go camping instead of staying at a hotel. I've got to say, my childhood self was definitely proud of me for being able to still pitch up a tent.
We did not camp at Salem, instead we stayed over in Andover. The site we stayed at was called Harold Parker State Forest and it was absolutely beautiful! There were multiple camping grounds within the park and on our way around the park, you could see a beautiful lake. We brought several tents, but one of my friends had a mega tent and all six of us actually fit perfectly in it! At first we were worried that we would not sleep comfortably, but we all woke up well rested and super cozy next to one another.
Once the tent was all set up, we made our way to Salem. Our first stop was this organic restaurant called Life Alive, and they had the absolute best wraps I have ever had! The aesthetic of the place was magical, it was filled with positivity quotes, good luck charms, and good vibes. I definitely recommend getting the Coco Loco Latte.
The streets of Salem were filled with what I love most in the entire month of October... PEOPLE IN COSTUMES! It just so happened that we went during the weekend that the famous Haunted Biz Baz Street Fair takes place, and it was filled with street vendors, performers in costumes, and Halloween-themed food. It was paradise for me! This street fair extends through Salem's most famous street, Essex, so make sure to stop by there when you go.
All of the stores on Essex Street share the common theme of witchcraft, it makes sense since Salem is best known for its dark history with the Salem Witch Trials. A lot of stores contained items that you could use to bewitch people, I considered buying some things since I am a wizard in training (still waiting on my Hogwarts letter though), but I opted not to curse anyone.
Speaking of Harry Potter, of course Salem would not be complete with a wand shop inspired after Harry Potter and a store next door that actually sold merchandise from the iconic book and movie series!
One of my favorite stores was an Indian-themed store, I actually spent most of my time in this particular store. The atmosphere in it was very peaceful and all of the artifacts they had were absolutely beautiful. I have been wanting to get myself an Angel Caller/Harmony Bell and I was able to find the perfect one here! And, I also bought a beautiful incense burner that has the smoke fall like a waterfall.
You could turn at any corner in Salem and you would definitely find something worth staring at for a good ten minutes, from hats made out of paper to people casually walking their pet iguana. Salem had it all.
The amount of color for a place that is known for being dark was actually very surprising. Currently, New York has not had that much of a foliage change, but as we were driving to Salem we would get glimpses of trees that had fully turned bright orange and red and that made us even more excited for our weekend. Once we got there, I could not help myself with the amount of pictures I was taking... every single place is photographable!
I know what you are waiting for... the ghost stories... We did go on a ghost tour at night, and it took us around the most haunted places of Salem. All of the ghost tours happen at night and you get the choice of going on a trolly or walking, we opted for the trolly. Some of the stories we heard were actually quite chilling, and honestly I would not want to be wandering the streets at night by myself!
One thing we all agreed upon was that on Sunday we 100% needed to have a phenomenal brunch, so naturally we looked for the best spot! We went to The Ugly Mug, and this place is known for having mugs that are donated by people that do not want them anymore - hence "ugly mug". I recommend getting the pumpkin pancakes!
This was an unforgettable weekend. Every moment I spent with my friends was priceless and spending it in Salem just made it infinite times better. I am so lucky to have been able to share this experience with them, from driving five hours to having a psychic reading (which I highly recommend, we all got chills with our individual fortunes). I love discovering new places, especially during fall and this small taste of Salem just makes me want to go there for longer... and it makes me excited for my next fall trip! Until next time wetchez!
#Salem #Travel #Camping #LifeAlive #HauntedBizBazStreetFair #Witches #HarryPotter #TheUglyMug #Fall