A Whimsical Witchy Weekend in Salem (and the Magic We Didn’t Expect)

Two small town Minnesotan girls on a trip of a lifetime to Salem, Mass, 20 years in the making.

If you’ve ever dreamed of wandering cobblestone streets under glowing lanterns… sipping a perfectly brewed coffee while the air feels charged with history… and ending your evening at a night market surrounded by cloaks, candles, and mystical vendors, then you already understand why Salem has a certain kind of pull.

This trip to Salem, Massachusetts was a cozy, enchanting, slightly chaotic (in the best way) adventure that I’ll be thinking about for a long time. We packed our days full of the most magical places, some spooky, some historical, some downright delicious, and I’m sharing all of our favorite spots and our experiences at them in this post if you want to plan your own witchy extended weekend.

Staying Somewhere Witchy: Our Eclectic Airbnb

Before we even stepped foot onto Salem's streets, the trip felt special because of where we stayed. Our Airbnb was the kind of place that felt like it had a story. It was located a mile away from the middle of town so it was a perfect distance to get away from the business to recharge. It was eclectic, cozy, and very witchy, layered with moody decor, vintage touches, crystals and curiosities, and that warm “you’re safe here” feeling that makes you want to curl up with tea and a book the moment you arrive. It felt like stepping into a (spell) storybook. We connected with our host right away and were able to spend time with her and hear her stories throughout our stay as well!

If you’re traveling to Salem, I highly recommend choosing lodging that feels like part of the experience. A witchy Airbnb isn’t just a place to sleep… it’s part of the vibe, part of the memory, and honestly part of the magic.

Black Craft Coffee: Our “We Need This Daily” Stop ☕🖤

First on the list: Black Craft Coffee.

The name alone is already a vibe, but the experience is even better. It’s the kind of coffee shop that feels edgy, cozy, and modern all at once, like a witch who also loves good design and high-quality espresso created it.

We ended up loving it so much that it became one of those spots we’d naturally drift back to during our trip. If you’re someone who needs a coffee stop to ground you before diving into a day of adventure, this is the one.

What we loved:

• cozy, moody atmosphere

• great coffee & hot chocolate (like, actually great)

• “Salem energy” without being overly touristy

**Please note during the month of October, they do reservation only, and we were lucky enough to get three reservations during our five day stay.

Salem Night Faire: The Most Magical Night Market

If you’re planning a trip in October, let me say this clearly:

DO NOT MISS THE SALEM NIGHT FAIRE.

This was the detail that made the idea leave the chat and we actually planned the trip. It felt like stepping into a fantasy world, string lights, music, costumes, and vendors selling handcrafted magical goods. The energy was absolutely buzzing… but in that fun, creative, inspired way.

It wasn’t just a market. It was an experience. I loved seeing all the artistry: candles, crystals, jewelry, artwork, handmade apothecary goods, so many treasures that felt like they belonged in a woodland witch cottage.

It doesn’t feel like a typical market, it feels like a portal. There are actors scattered throughout the crowd, and if you tip them they’ll pull you into a quick moment of magic: a fortune, a tarot-like message, a voodoo-style ritual, a whispered warning… sometimes ending with a strange little trinket placed in your hand like a charm. They’re incredible actors with professional-level makeup, and it truly feels like you’re walking beside spirits, beings from different realms hidden in plain sight. It’s haunting, playful, and completely unforgettable.

This is peak Salem magic. If you’re going during a time of year when it’s happening, make it a priority. They only do this two weekends in October. When we went, right at opening time, we stood in line for an hour to get inside. Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY.

Pioneer Village: A Walk Back in Time

One of the things I love most about Salem is that it’s not only spooky, it’s deeply historic.

Visiting Pioneer Village felt like stepping back in time to early colonial life. There’s something grounding about being in a place where you can see what daily life might have looked like centuries ago, simple homes, practical tools, hard survival, and community living.

It helped balance the more touristy witchy fun with a deeper appreciation of the place itself.

If you’re traveling with kids (or you’re a history-loving adult like me), this is worth doing.

GUILTY! An Interactive Play

We went to an interactive show called GUILTY!, and let me tell you… it was SO Salem. The audience is essentially placed on trial for witchcraft, complete with accusations, dramatic storytelling, and plenty of moments where you feel like you’re standing in the middle of a historical courtroom. It was equal parts entertaining and eerie, like you’re play-acting something that once carried very real consequences. An unforgettable experience. The back and forth bantering and accusations were both hilarious and haunting that those were legitimately reasons people were killed.

Hocus Pocus Filming Spots: Pure Nostalgia 🎃

Okay… I’m not even going to pretend I wasn’t excited about this.

Seeing the Hocus Pocus filming spots in real life is such a fun Salem moment. It’s nostalgic, wholesome, and just plain magical if you grew up loving the movie (or if you still watch it every fall like the rest of us). Walking through town and recognizing scenes feels like you’re stepping inside the movie. And honestly? Salem already feels cinematic, so it fits perfectly.

Walking with a Witch: Mushroom Tour 🍄✨

This was one of the most unique experiences we did: a Walking with a Witch mushroom tour.

It combined nature, folklore, and learning, which is basically my favorite combination of all time. I love anything that reminds people that nature is magic. Mushrooms are mysterious, beautiful, and wildly important to ecosystems, and learning about them through a witchy lens just makes it even better.

There’s something about being in a historic place like Salem while learning about the natural world that feels extra poetic, like the old world and wild world weaving together.

If you like:

• foraging curiosity

• nature education

• folklore

• “witch walks” with storytelling

…you would absolutely love this.

Witch City Hibachi: Dinner + Fire + Fun 🔥

One thing we didn’t expect to love so much: Witch City Hibachi.

It was delicious, fun, and exactly what you want after a day of walking around and soaking in Salem energy. Hibachi is always a good time, lots of food, lots of laughter, and a little performance magic. It was a perfect way to end a busy day.

Ascend Aura Readings: A Special, Soulful Moment 🌈

We visited Ascend for aura readings and this was hands-down one of the most memorable parts of our trip. It felt peaceful, meaningful, and grounding. Salem can be busy and overstimulating (especially during peak seasons), and this was one of those moments that made everything slow down.

And the actual aura reading? INSANE. We did individual readings AND a couple/relationship reading (as best friends) and the reader was… spot. on. Like I’m talking SPOT. ON. She totally nailed our energies and personalities and then basically read our friendship like a book, how it’s grown, why it works, and why we’re such a good match as humans. We walked out like… “Welp. That was magic.” ✨

We left feeling inspired, reflective, and honestly… a little emotional in that good way.

Witch City Walking Tours: History by Day, Haunting by Night

We booked two different Witch City Walking Tours, and honestly, they ended up being one of the best parts of our trip for us history buffs.

During the day, we did a historic walking tour and somehow it was just four of us total in the group. It made the whole experience feel so intimate… like we were just friends hanging out while someone told us the real stories of Salem. It wasn’t rushed. We could ask questions. We could pause. We could actually feel the places we were walking through. I loved that it felt like learning, not just “touristing.”

Later that evening, we came back for their haunting tour, where we walked to some of the most haunted places around Salem. The energy at night is completely different...darker, quieter, a little eerie...but also really beautiful in its own way.

The tour ended at the Witch Trial Memorial, and it was honestly moving. The memorial is simple, solemn, and powerful. Standing there at night, hearing those names, thinking about what happened… it hits you in a way you can’t fully prepare for.

But I have to admit… I also had some very confusing feelings in that moment because directly across the street, a restaurant was blasting Katy Perry’s “FIREWORK” like it was the Fourth of July.

And it was one of those Salem moments that perfectly captures the whole town: This place holds real grief and history… and also bustling modern life… and sometimes those things exist right next to each other in the strangest way. It was beautiful, unsettling, funny, and surreal all at once.

Rebecca Nurse Homestead: The Part of Salem That Stays With You

We visited the Rebecca Nurse Homestead for a deeply personal reason, my best friend is a descendant of Rebecca Nurse, and being there felt like more than sightseeing. It felt like stepping into lineage… into memory… into land that remembers.

The homestead is a little ways outside of Salem, but I have to say: it was the most vibrant, alive, welcoming place we experienced on the whole trip.

We toured the buildings first, and then made our way toward the path that leads to the cemetery in the back. As soon as we started walking, the entire moment shifted. The field was SO green which honestly surprised us because it was mid-October and the sun was shining with this golden warmth that felt like a gift. It ended up being the warmest day of our whole trip.

Almost at the same time, both of us felt the urge to do something simple, instinctual, and honestly kind of sacred: we wanted to take our shoes off.

So we did.

We stepped barefoot into the grass and just… grounded. Frolicked a little. Let ourselves be in it. The land felt alive under our feet, like it was holding us.

As we headed toward the cemetery, we paused at the entrance and (of course) did what modern witches do, we asked Google if walking barefoot in a cemetery was disrespectful. We found that it wasn’t, as long as we were being reverent, so we continued forward, quietly, intentionally, and with so much respect.

We walked silently among the headstones, reading names, feeling the air shift, and taking it all in. It wasn’t spooky. It wasn’t heavy in a scary way. It was peaceful. Present. Like the land was saying, you’re welcome here.

When we were ready to head back, we started walking away from the cemetery and noticed two other girls coming toward us on the same path. We immediately realized… they were holding their shoes in their hands too.

They lifted their shoes up in the air as if to say, “Yes… we're barefoot too!” And we lifted ours up in the air right back, like some unspoken ritual of connection.

When we met, we started chatting and realized we had the exact same urge, to take our shoes off and ground on this beautiful land. We both felt pulled to do it. We just looked at each other like, okay… so this is definitely a thing.

It felt like total kismet. So naturally, we did what millennials do… we took a picture together. 📸

But what makes this story even more magical is what happened later.

When we got back to our Airbnb, we were telling our host about our day and visiting the homestead, and before we even told her our grounding/barefoot story, she said:

A couple weeks ago, another descendant had stayed with her, visited the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, and she said there was this energy pulling at her to take her shoes off while walking from the buildings through the field to the cemetery.

I swear, the timing of everything, the land, the green field in October, the barefoot moment, meeting the other girls… and then hearing that from our host? It felt like the clearest confirmation that Salem really is filled with a kind of magic you can’t fully explain.

Not the tourist kind.

The real kind.

The kind you feel in your bones.

That was the Salem Magic we were able to bring home with us.

Final Thoughts: Salem Is More Than a Place, It’s a Feeling 🕯️

This trip felt like the perfect blend of:

• playful witchy joy

• cozy coffee moments

• nature magic

• history that humbles you

• and a little sparkle of wonder everywhere you turned

  
  

Salem has a vibe that’s hard to explain unless you’ve been there. It’s whimsical and haunted and creative and deeply layered all at once. And everything there made it unforgettable, and my favorite experience!

Would I go again? 1000% yes.

And next time… I’m staying in another witchy Airbnb, sipping Black Craft Coffee (Hot Chocolate), and wandering through candlelit night markets like I live there.

Because honestly? Salem feels like a little portal.

Planning a Trip to Salem? Here’s Our Favorite List:

✅ Black Craft Coffee

✅ Salem Night Faire

✅ Pioneer Village

✅ GUILTY! An Interactive Play

✅ Hocus Pocus Filming Spots

✅ Walking with a Witch Mushroom Tour

✅ Witch City Hibachi

✅ Ascend Aura Readings

✅ Witch City Walking Tours

✅ Rebecca Nurse Homestead