Visiting The Witch City
Welcome Back!
Hey hey everyone! Welcome back to our channel.
Sorry! It’s been awhile since we’ve last posted but life kind of gets in the way sometimes.
Anyhoo – we recently visited Salem Massachusetts this past October. This visit was during the weekend before Halloween so it was super busy. We are going to share our experience about getting there, staying there, dining, and exploring the local attractions.
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Going to Salem, MA from Long Island, NY
If given the choice to travel the traffic of the Cross Bronx Expressway OR splurge on a ferry ride. A ferry ride always wins! No question. It doesn’t save us any time. It certainly doesn’t save us any money. But it makes the trip soooo much more enjoyable and that’s enough reason for the expense.
Camping at Winter Island Park
When it comes to RV camping at Salem, Winter Island Park is the only game in town.
After passing the guard booth at the camp entrance you will need to register at the camp office for paperwork and camp site info. You will also be in a shared parking lot for the marina and one of the two RV camp sections. This parking lot section overlooks Salem Harbor.
We reserved a spot in the field lot and for some reason I chose one of the two corner spots which meant that we had to unhitch. I think these spots are actually meant for camper vans as they cannot exceed 20’ in length. Lesson learned!
Winter Island is not a full-service hook-up. However, you will have access to water and 30/50 amp electric. The dump station is off site but only .5 miles away. You’ll need to get buzzed in by calling the security office. And you’ll also need the combination for the lock which will be on the paperwork from the camp office.
You’ll have to book your site at Winter Island Park six months in advance if you want to visit in October. Remember that this is the closest and most convenient RV campsite in the area with limited spots. Spots will book fast!
Visiting the Witch City!
Essex Street
Visiting Salem on the weekend before Halloween would be like visiting NYC the weekend before Christmas. Parking would have been a nightmare so Kerry and I brought our e-bikes to travel from our campsite to the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall. This strip is arguably the center hub of the Salem experience with the historic attractions positioned around its surrounding areas. As the crowds start filling in, you will be treated to a variety of street performers. Don’t forget to tip if you take a picture with one of them!
Essex street has many shops and eateries. It’s also home of the Peabody Essex museum. This is a not-so hidden gem of Salem which provides a nice break from the crowds. There were historical exhibits that documented the history of Salem and exhibits that provided a glimpse into other cultures.
As you see from the split screen, displayed are two different times of day on Essex street. We got there early to park our bikes by the Bewitched statue so we could walk around and take pictures before the crowds flooded in.
Dining at Salem can be a challenge depending on the size of your group. Hauntedhappenings.org is a great resource for those curious about food options. We had breakfast early at the Fountain Place restaurant which offered both indoor and outside dining. We chose an outdoor table and actually watched people wait in line for an indoor table longer than it took for us to order, eat, pay our bill and leave.Later on that day we had dinner at O’Neill’s Pub with only a 10 minute wait. Nice staff and good food. What more do you need?
Bewitched Statue
Why is there a Bewitched statue of Samantha Stevens in Salem? Well, At one point in the show’s production history they couldn’t film the series due to a fire in their usual Hollywood set. So they shot some episodes in Salem known as the “Salem Saga” and was a boon to the area’s tourism. If you’d like a photo with this iconic statue during the Halloween season, get there early or you will be waiting awhile.
Proctor House
Another tourist favorite spot in Salem is the Proctor house. This two story structure is believed to be inhabited by John Proctor who was convicted and hanged for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials of 1692. For more info scan the QR code to visit the official website.
Witch Memorial
There is a weird duality of visiting Salem. It’s a place of fun Halloween tourism but also a historical landmark where people were accused and put to death based on superstitions and false accusations. The Witch Memorial reminds of that and hopefully reminds us not to repeat history.
Witch Museum
It turns out that we needed one more day to fully explore Salem MA. One of the most popular attractions is the Witch Museum and we weren’t able to get tickets. Tickets are only available online the day of the intended visit. So you have to be on the website at 12am in order to have a chance at getting a spot. Even with me on my laptop and Kerry on her phone we couldn’t secure tickets as they were selling out fast! I think one of our issues was that cell service and wifi at Winter Island was not strong so our devices couldn’t efficiently load the site when we searched for a non-sold out time.
Final Thoughts
Kerry and I had a blast visiting Salem for the first time! If you are an RVer, you’ll definitely have to plan your trip way in advance. Winter Island Park served its purpose – it gave us a place to park Our Itty Bitty RV for two nights that was close to everything we wanted to see. The whole Salem experience was fun! However, if crowds get to you then consider visiting during an off-time and not Halloween weekend like we did. Expect long lines for just about everything and have realistic expectations about parking and crowds. All of this considered, we will definitely be back to visit Salem again!
