One Disappointing Tourist Trap In Salem Is Totally Skippable On Your Massachusetts Fall Bucket List

The two months leading up to Halloween are the most popular time to visit Salem, Massachusetts, a town that fully embodies the spooky spirit of the season. Salem is a wildly popular harbor town with witch tours, ghost lore, and colonial charm. It's one of — if not the best — places in America for all things paranormal. Between museums, monuments, and occult shops, Salem is not lacking in the witch department.

One of Salem's biggest attractions is the Salem Witch Museum. Open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., this may seem like the obvious spot to visit for a history of the Salem Witch Trials, but it has been described by past visitors as a disappointing tourist trap. Tripadvisor users describe being rushed through the museum, traveling in tightly packed crowds, and not getting the quality of attraction that they pay for, among other complaints. The Peabody Essex Museum is highly recommended by locals as a good alternative in town. There will be significantly less witchcraft discussed during your visit, but they do have a permanent exhibit on the Salem Witch Trials. 

Overall, the Salem Witch Museum is definitely skippable if you're deciding what to hit on a busy day — USA Today even listed it as the second biggest tourist trap in the United States on a list of global entries. The study they conducted found that "three of the top tourist traps involve paranormal phenomena — witches, ghosts, and UFOs." Paranormal attractions aren't just bad in the U.S., as these types of tourist traps are among the most disappointing attractions in the world. It seems that mythical spots are often overrated, but if you're planning a trip to Salem this fall, don't fret, there are still plenty of paranormal and historical attractions worth checking out. And just note that right after Halloween may be the best time to visit Salem for all the fall fun without hectic crowds.

Salem, Massachusetts, is most famous for the Salem Witch Trials. Over the course of just two years, between 1692 and 1693, more than 200 townspeople were accused of practising witchcraft in the Massachusetts colony, 20 of whom were executed for it. Perhaps one of the best ways to get a comprehensive history of the town — without overpaying for a gimmick — is to do a walking tour of Salem.

Guided walking tours are conducted during the day, or, often mixed in with ghost tours, you can opt to do a storytelling tour of the town after dark. This is a great experience any time of year, but particularly during the fall months when Halloween festivities are in full swing. Tours usually provide a history of the conflict in Salem, as well as stories of "witchcraft." You'll likely hear about notoriously haunted houses in town, the powerful men who ran Salem during the trials, and about a particularly brutal punishment at the time. The Witch House is a popular attraction you'll hit on a tour of Salem. 

This town is also full of witchy and occult shops. You don't need to pay any entrance fees to get into the spirit. Everything from kitschy decor and artifacts to modern Wiccan goods, sage, and tarot decks is sold. Some popular spots in town include Artemisia Botanicals (a witch's apothecary), The Sea Wych Salem, and the largest witchcraft shop currently in Salem, HEX: Old World Witchery, plus plenty more where that came from in other genres of spooky.