Our spot in Salem was right on the beach in Salem Willows Park. We arrived in the evening on October 22nd, found a pair of free parking spots, and rested for the night.
In the morning, we made friends with our neighbors, Jon and Maria, and took a stroll on the beach looking for sea glass and stones.

Jake found a horseshoe crab shell and everyone collectively found about a gallon ziplock bag full of sea glass.
After we walked around the beach for a bit, we drove into town to walk around and see the haunted happenings.

We loved all of the witchcraft and wizardry shops in Salem. Some of them were legit and some of them were tourist attractions. Either way, we had fun walking into the stores and checking out the herbs, crystals, wands, spell books, and jewelry.

We visited the Salem Witch Museum gift shop and I picked up some post cards for my collection and one to send to my sister and niece. We took an obligatory photo with Samantha Stephens. Fun Fact : Bewitched aired on my birthday, September 17th, in 1964.

It’s fun to be in Salem around Halloween, but the history of this town is dark and the memorial for those who were falsely accused and executed for witchcraft is a reminder of the reality behind the stories that we read about the witch trials.

I got a sinking feeling when I read the names on the stones, names that I am familiar with from reading the  stories about the witch trials of the 1600s. Many innocent people died right here on this land and their energy remains present to this day.