New England is old, at least by American standards. European settlements dating back to the 1600s have left behind centuries of stories involving deaths, wars, epidemics, shipwrecks, family tragedies and other events that have naturally become the basis for ghostly legends.
But the region’s historic architecture isn’t the only thing contributing to its spooky atmosphere. Dense forests, rocky coastlines, foggy harbors and winding country roads can make even an ordinary fall evening feel a little… otherworldly. Add in New England’s rich folklore traditions (and a little amplification of local legends to boost tourism), and it’s easy to see why the region has become a popular fall destination for travelers looking to embrace the season’s supernatural side.
One state in particular really ups the ante when it comes to tourist attractions that combine history, mystery, and a touch of the macabre: Massachusetts.
Salem, Massachusetts
The Salem witch trials are probably New England’s most famous association with the supernatural. Although the trials were rooted in fear, social tensions and deeply misunderstood beliefs rather than actual witchcraft, they became an enduring part of the region’s identity.
Over 300 years later, Salem has fully embraced its historically “witchy” reputation, drawing practicing witches and those interested in the occult to visit on pilgrimage or — sometimes — permanently set up shop. As a result, the town is often made up of a mercurial soup of Boston day-trippers, college kids, New Agers and history buffs. Then, every October this tiny hamlet (it only occupies 8 square miles) sees over a million visitors hoping to partake in a mix of witch-trial history, pop-culture movie locations and festive street fairs. While the locals appreciate the tourism dollars, it does put a strain on the town.
According to locals who have generously shared their expertise on sites like Reddit and personal travel blogs, the crowds can make October a challenging time to visit Salem — but it’s not impossible. They recommend booking hotels and restaurant reservations as much as a year in advance, especially if you plan to visit on a weekend. Weekdays tend to be quieter while still offering plenty of opportunities to experience Salem’s infamous Haunted Happenings events. (Of course, if you’d rather visit when people aren’t cram-packed shoulder-to-shoulder in Salem’s narrow streets, many of the major draws to the town are open year-round, when you wouldn’t have to fight for your place in the seasonal chaos.)
Regardless of when you visit, there is no shortage of haunted hotels in which you could choose to stay. The Hawthorne Hotel, built on the land where (the first accused witch) Bridget Bishop’s orchard once stood, is reportedly haunted by her ghost as well as those of long-dead sea captains drawn by the hotel’s use of old ship parts for decor.
The Salem Inn holds a place among the most haunted hotels in Salem, according to the spooky accommodations experts at Haunted Rooms company. Guests and staff have shared eerie experiences, like being harassed by the ghost of a woman scorned named Katherine, or brushed up against by a spectral cat in the parlor.
And the lovely Merchant Hotel, formerly known as the Joshua Ward House, has its own dark history. It was reportedly within those same brick walls that the sadistic Sheriff George Gorwin interrogated and tortured the accused during the trials. The spirits of his victims, including that of Giles Corey who was crushed to death under heavy stones, are said to haunt the residence. Guests have reported being strangled by unseen hands, discovering unexplained scratches and burns on their arms and finding warm candle wax in rooms where no candles have been lit. (Sounds like a great place for a restful night?)
But if you do visit Salem, remember that for all the fun, spooky adventures it offers, it is – first and foremost – a historical testament to what cruelty humans are capable of inflicting on each other while in the throes of hysteria. Much needless suffering occurred there, to real people, and the monuments paying homage to the victims of the Salem witch trials are meant to be sobering reminders to all who visit.
While You’re There, Be Sure to See:
- Salem Visitor Center. Locals insist you should start your visit here, to get the lay of the land, so to speak.
- Old Burying Point Cemetery and Witch Trials Memorial. Where many statesmen (and victims) involved in the trials are buried.
- Walking tours. Take your pick from hundreds of options: haunted tours, food tours, candlelit tours, ghost hunting tours, historical tours… (You can even download a self-guided tour onto your phone.)
- Cry Innocent: The People vs. Bridget Bishop. Live, interactive, critically acclaimed re-enactment of an infamous witch trial.
- Salem Witch Museum. (One travel blogger who grew up in the area says locals call this the “letdown” attraction; it is a good place to get started, but if your time is limited you might want to prioritize other locations.)
- Salem Witchboard Museum. (Small, but apparently well worth a visit.)
- Salem Witch House. The Jonathan Corwin House is the only standing structure with direct ties to the witch trials. Jonathan Corwin was a magistrate who helped investigate witchcraft accusations and served on the court which condemned 19 people to death based on “spectral evidence.” Today it is a museum, outfitted as it would have been in the 17th century, and offers programs about how the witch trials came to occur.
- The Ropes Mansion. Historic home and gardens, filming site for the movie Hocus Pocus, and rumored to be haunted.
The S.K. Pierce Haunted Victorian Mansion, Gardner, Massachusetts
Filled with ornate details and grand architecture, the SK Pierce Mansion was built in 1875 as a towering symbol of wealth for chair magnate Sylvester Knowlton Pierce. The 10-bedroom estate in Gardner was crafted using the highest quality materials, and possessed state-of-the-art running water and gas lighting in every room.
But just days after moving into their new home, Pierce’s wife, Susan, contracted an infection believed to have been erysipelas — which was historically described as “skin-eating” — and quickly succumbed to the disease. After her death, Pierce remarried Ellen, a woman 30 years his junior. Together they had two sons, whom they raised alongside Pierce’s eldest son. During this time, the family hosted a number of esteemed guests in the mansion, including President Calvin Coolidge, P.T. Barnum and Norman Rockwell.
After Pierce died in 1888, the family’s fortune began to decline, and when Ellen died a few years later, the three sons engaged in a bitter battle over who would inherit the home. Edward, the youngest, became the last family member to live in the mansion. (His daughter Rachel died tragically in the home at the age of 2, adding more loss to the house’s grim legacy.)
Facing financial hardships, Edward eventually turned the estate into a boarding house during the Great Depression. Shortly after, the Pierce family let go of the property, it passed through multiple owners and fell into disrepair.
Over the years, the house has become intertwined with decades of local legend. (It didn’t help when the pelvic bone of a 16-year-old girl was unearthed in the house’s basement in 2011.) The entire property has a reputation for paranormal activity, with reports of apparitions, disembodied voices, strange odors and other unexplained phenomena. Restored and reopened for tours in 2025, the mansion has a 3,000-person waiting list to spend the night.
The Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast and Museum – Fall River, Massachusetts
This modest Victorian-era home in Fall River became infamous on August 4, 1892, when Lizzie Borden’s father, Andrew Borden, and stepmother, Abby Borden, were found brutally murdered inside. Lizzie, then 32, was arrested and accused of the killings, but after a sensational trial, she was acquitted.
Lizzie’s story has captivated fans of the macabre for years, providing fodder for operas, a ballet, countless novels, plays, a film, TV shows — including a brand-new eight-episode series on Netflix — poems, songs and of course, the children’s rhyme (“Lizzie Borden took an ax and gave her mother forty whacks…”). In her essay “Lizzie Borden Took An Axe: History, Feminism and American Culture,” scholar Ann Schofield points out that the ongoing fascination with the gruesome murders has everything to do with conjecture regarding her possible motives. “Unlike the equally puzzling case of Jack the Ripper, where the fascination seems to be ‘who done it’,” she writes, “Lizzie biographers almost without exception agree that ‘she done it.’ All though, ask why she done it.”
The mystery has endured for more than a century, and curious travelers can visit the meticulously restored house to develop their own theories. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to midnight as an inn and museum, offering a variety of daytime and evening tours and experiences.
The Borden home has also earned the reputation as one of America’s most haunted houses, thanks to countless reports of spectral visitations from the Bordens as well as children from the house next door, who were reportedly drowned by their mother in a well. For those who really want to soak up all the supernatural spookiness, the Lizzie Borden House offers two suites and four rooms to rent for overnight guests.
*Top image: by A Guade via thewitchhouse.org
