Spooky Salem

Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween is nearly as insanely crowded and fun as New Orleans at Mardi Gras. The seaside town capitalizes on its history as the home of the witch trials and has a bunch of events for Halloween including a fun run, a costume contest, and plenty of scary events at the local museums.   The optimum way to experience Halloween in Salem is to attend one of the costume balls.  One of the best balls takes place at one of Salem's Hawthorne Hotel. The event features some of the most amazing costumes I have ever seen and people often work on them for months in advance.  The Hawthorne sells out months in advance each year for Halloween and starts accepting reservations on November 2 for next year's festival.  The Hawthorne is fun to visit any time.  It has great restaurants, a traditional Federalist decor and is within walking distance to Salem's historic waterfront.