Highlights

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Itinerary

Day 1 – Salem, MA

Arriving in Peabody, Massachusetts, just outside of Salem you check-in for a three night stay at a local hotel. Hotel arrival is followed by a family-style dinner at Marco’s Restaurant serving delicious authentic Italian Food. (D)

Day 2 – Salem Tour & Morning Coffee Walk – House of Seven Gables – Haunted Happenings Harbor Cruise – Ghostly Night Tour

This morning you share an overview of Salem on a Coffee Walk that includes organic coffee or tea (or bottle of water), a sweet treat, a mini spice tasting. During this delicious walk you share the town’s history in the spice trade and see the famous sights.  The House of the Seven Gables (also known as the Turner House or Turner-Ingersoll Mansion) is a 1668 colonial mansion in Salem, Massachusetts, named for its gables. It was made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel The House of the Seven Gables.

See a different side of Salem in October with a Haunter Happenings Harbor Cruise! This 75-minute cruise includes tarot card readings and live stories full of local pirates, haunted islands and living monsters who wreak havoc on ships to this day! All while cruising by the local shorelines and the Misery Islands.

Tonight, dinner is included at an area restaurant.  Followed by an evening tour that is an eerie experience not to be missed! Travel to some of the most haunted sites in America and learn of the bone-chilling stories behind each haunting! Learn about the history behind these amazing locations and about the tools that early ghost hunters would have used to examine these phenomena. You will also hear about some of history’s most famous Gothic horror authors and the real events in Salem that inspired such legends as H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, and Salem’s own Nathaniel Hawthorne. (B,D)

Day 3 – Salem Witch Museum – Bewitched Sculpture – Friendship of Salem – Cry Innocent: The People vs Bridget Bishop – Ghost Hunt

This morning features a tour of the Salem Witch Museum. It examines one of the most enduring and emotional events in American History…the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The museum consists of two presentations. The first presentation provides an immersive look into the events of 1692. Experience the drama of that dark time though thirteen life-size stage sets, figures, lighting and narration as they are witness to the web of lies and intrigue of the Salem witch-hunt.

The second exhibit, “Witches: Evolving Perceptions,” is a tour focusing on the meaning behind the word witch and evolution of the image of the witch over time. This presentation focuses on the European witch trials and the background leading to the Salem witch trials. In addition, this presentation discusses the emergence of the stereotypical witch and the frightening phenomenon of witch-hunting.

Next, visit the Bewitched Sculpture, honoring the TV Show, “Bewitched.” It was donated by TV Land and was officially dedicated on June 15, 2005. The statue depicts actress Elizabeth Montgomery astride a broom and framed by a moon crescent. It’s a nice, goofy sculpture in small, neatly manicured Lappin Park.

Then visit the first National Historic Site in the United States, Salem Maritime National Historic Site consisting of nine acres of land and twelve historic structures along the Salem waterfront as well as a downtown visitor center. During your time there, stop at the Salem Armory Visitors Center, watch the park film, and explore the rotating exhibits.  Walk through The Friendship of Salem, a replica of a three-masted, square rigged “East Indiaman”, the type of merchant ship that made Salem a leader in opening international trade with the Far East, Europe and Russia in the years immediately after the American Revolution. The new Friendship was built through a unique collaboration between volunteers, the greater Salem community, and the National Park Service.

This afternoon, see a theatrical performance of Cry Innocent: The People vs Bridget Bishop.  It’s 1692. Bridget Bishop is accused of witchcraft and YOU are the jury. Hear the evidence, cross-examine the witnesses and determine the outcome. The actors respond as Puritans, revealing much about the Puritan mind. Is Bridget Bishop capable of witchcraft? You decide.

Tonight, dinner is included at an area restaurant. Following dinner, enjoy a Ghost Hunt of Gallows Hill with Kimberly Bizjak, former owner of Paranormal Salem. This is a real paranormal investigation with real ghost hunting equipment. If you are a fan of all those ghost hunting shows on TV, this is your chance to collect your own evidence in haunted Salem. The night will include instruction on paranormal history, activity, communication, mediumship, and protection. You are then armed (her newly trained ghost hunters) with various ghost-detecting equipment such as EMF detectors, infrared thermometers, audio recorders and more. You’ll then participate in a hands-on indoor investigation. (B,D)

Day 4 – Depart for Home

Following breakfast at the hotel, check out and travel home. (B)

Tour Map