The House of Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts, c. 1915, courtesy of the Detroit Publishing Co. Available through the Library of Congress.

Most people who think of Salem, Massachusetts think of the infamous Salem Witch Trials (there’s a museum there, dedicated to the trials) and the city and its residents have definitely capitalized on that. There are additional museums, memorials, and tours of the area, including ghost walks, walking tours, food tours, and harbor cruises devoted to the topic. October includes two major festivals. Salem Haunted Happenings  is a celebration of Halloween that lasts the entire month, and Festival of the Dead focuses on spirits and the “mysteries of death”, witha Salem Witches’ Halloween Ball on October 30. Whether you’re visiting for a more secular celebration or something witchier, Salem has it for you, especially in October.

Salem is also the hometown of Nathaniel Hawthorne, best known for that required reading we all had to do in high school, The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne also wrote The House of Seven Gables, named for a real place, the House of Seven Gables (which actually does not have seven gables, but does have some unique architectural features, according to Duncan Ralston, the author of Ghostland). It has also been a settlement house for immigrants and is now a historic site and community resource. The historic site does have tours, and it’s suggested you book in advance. A look at the website shows that it is not nearly as creepy-looking as you’d expect from a hundreds-year-old haunted house.

There are a couple of ghost tours that visit the house, the Requiem for Salem Walking Ghost Tour , and The Ghosts of Salem Walking Tour.

If you want to see more than the spooky side to Salem, it’s been around long enough that many other historical people and places are associated with it, but October is the time for haunted travels there.

For some books you can take along on your trip, check out this book list.