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Spooktacular Salem

A Guide To Salem, Massachusetts: Attractions, Accommodations, Haunted Happenings

By Kim Knox Beckius, About.com

Oct 2 2007
Is there any spookier place in America than Salem, Massachusetts, forever branded by the hysteria in 1692 that led to accusations of witchcraft? And yet--I'm drawn to the town. Maybe it's the salt air of the sea and the lingering specters of sailors and pirates. Maybe it's Salem's association with my favorite author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose writings sometimes revealed his own tortured wrestling with an ancestor's involvement in the witch condemnations. Maybe it's that I ate the best prime rib of my life there!

But enough about ME! If you're looking for a spooky spot for a getaway this October or any time of the year, Salem, Massachusetts, can't be beat.

October is a particularly good time to visit Salem--in addition to the town's normal host of bewitching attractions, you'll find a full calendar of Haunted Happenings that range from an exhibit of the papers from the witchcraft trials to a costume ball to ghostly guided walking tours. And there's nothing quite like being in Salem on Halloween!

Here are some ideas to get you started in planning a step back in time to days when a five-year-old in a Shrek suit was not the scariest thing in the world!

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