The girls, my sister and I very much enjoyed our autumnal weekend in Massachusetts. We landed in Boston, spending a few hours warming up with some hot apple cider, hot cocoa and lattes then walking around the Boston Public Garden.
It was a little cumbersome with our luggage in tow so we opted to go ahead and book it to Salem and our hotel room.
We stayed at the Salem Inn, which was the home of Captain Nathaniel West and built in 1834. We booked the West room about a year in advance (the best places to stay book very quickly for October dates). We had to stay at least three nights and pay in full but it was easily the best decision we made. It was close to everything, boasted beautiful accommodations and even a delicious breakfast each morning downstairs in the kitchen and dining rooms. In fact, we could even see The Witch House (photo above) from our room.
Packing just the right perfumes to scent my first autumn in New England was important to me. I stuffed my quart sized ziplock bag for the plane ride with: Whisper Sisters Mabon, Moonalisa Broom Brittle, Sixteen92 Baba Yaga, Lycanthrope, The Bell Witch and Spirits of the Dead, Solstice Scents Library and Gibbon's Boarding School, House of Orpheus Raven and Tobacco Murder and BPAL Hair Gloss in Boo. I found myself layering scents and brewing up a new fragrant potion each day.
The Witch House is a bit of a misnomer as it really was the home of one of the judges who sat on the Court of Oyer and Terminer during the witch trials of 1692. But it is one of the last standing homes of that time period and looks amazing. You can go in for a public tour but we mostly just gazed at it morning, noon and night as our travels carried us by or we looked out the window.
I expected Salem to be packed more than it was. We are early risers so we hit the town at around 9am each day and it was quiet. Crowds started milling about mid-morning and noon until about 7pm or so then it became quiet once more. The weather was a perfect chilly 50 to 60 in the day time.
We walked Salem for three whole days and still found cool alleys and streets to discover. It is easily a place to go again and again and still embark upon something new. I loved how the whole town got into the Halloween spirit.
There was lots of shopping of course. I picked up a candle from Witch City Wicks, some crystals from the street market called Bizarre Bazaar, and loads of books and candy.
I think one of our favorite places was Ye Olde Pepper Companie, the first commercial candy maker in the United States.
Scarlette is looking at a time capsule that was buried under the Hawthorne Hotel 200 years ago full of the Pepper Companie's most famous candy, the Gibralters.
Across the street from the candy store was the House of Seven Gables, made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
The home and grounds are stunning and well worth the full tour experience.
This was the home Nathaniel himself was born in. I had not read the book so I picked up a copy in the museum gift shop.
We also did a tour of the Salem Witch Museum, heard ghost stories in Salem's Pioneer Village and participated in two Edgar Allan Poe plays given by Theater In The Open. We ate tons of clam chowder (Savanna and I both agree that Rockafella's was the best) and picked up so many colorful leaves and acorns you would think we were squirrels.
We also visited the cemetery and memorials for the 19 victims of the trials where Scarlette left coins as a token to each.
We spent the last day before our night flight in Boston where we walked some of the Freedom Trail, visiting Paul Revere's house and the site of the Boston Massacre, bought arm fulls of vintage books and ate some gelato in Little Italy.
I have a feeling the girls and I will be back one day. Boston and Salem were beautiful places swollen with the past waiting to be remembered.
What places would you like to go in autumn?
