When it comes to fascinating, spooky and historic (or possibly commercialized, depending on who you ask!) places to visit in October- you can’t go much bigger and over-the-top than Salem, Massachusetts. While the gorgeous little city on the water is one of my favorite places to visit and spend time in year-round- I usually try to avoid it around Halloween because of how insanely busy it gets. Some of you may remember I made a delayed visit last November to see some of the remaining creepy, crawly decorations before they were taken down and packed away for the year.
I digress, as busy as Salem can get- it’s significantly less crazy on a weekday afternoon while people are still at work and kids are still in school. When Monday afternoon plans fell through earlier this week while I was taking a couple of days off- I decided to head into Salem to visit a tiny museum I’d heard about but had never found the time to check out- the Salem Ouija Museum– which is reportedly the only Ouija Board Museum in the world!
Located on Essex Street, the museum has hundreds of boards- including rarities and oddities- from all over the world and spanning decades (and centuries!) I learned a lot of history- some of it very eerie and alarmingly coincidental- about a toy I used to freak out my friends at sleepovers with when I was a kid. The museum also had mementos from the inventors of the board and those who would go on to take over it’s creation/production.
And they also had boards that brought bad luck to whoever owned them or found them- which were kept behind locked glass.
… You know, just in case…
I had so much fun, and was super appreciative of how in-depth the curator/guide was. He has a great sense of humor and answered all sorts of questions from different visitors.
The museum wasn’t all I did in Salem, however. I got to see my friend Phill (who just bought the most beautiful house out there with his wife! I absolutely love it!) and see plenty of Halloween displays while walking around downtown. I stopped by the Witch Trial Memorial in-between tour groups and grabbed a quick bite at my beloved Gulu-Gulu Café before it was time for me to head home as the afternoon wore on and the crowds started to descend for the evening/night.
Given how much of a breeze the day was- I wouldn’t be opposed to trying my luck and heading out there again before Halloween this year- but that’s something I’d very much need to play by ear!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 