We almost didn't make it see the Ropes Mansion before heading back home last week, but we decided…read moreour trip wouldn't be complete if we didn't see it. Do you remember in the movie when Dani and Max are outside the mansion just staring up at it in awe? That was me. The infamous mansion where Allison lives is a sight that can't be missed! It is located in a residential neighborhood at the very end of the street, but it is worth the quick detour away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist area. We came later in the evening so were only able to get a couple of night time shots - we wanted to get one of us in front of it, but a tour group was coming through at the same time and we didn't want to be too distracting. I'm not sure if they ever do tours inside, I believe the Ropes Mansion is owned by the Essex Museum, but the outside was definitely enough for me. If you're a fan of Hocus Pocus, this is a must stop!

As a fan of Hocus Pocus (it's one of my favorite Halloween movies!), I was very much looking…read moreforward to visiting Allison's house. While I didn't enter the house, it was great to see the exterior and take photos from outside. The Ropes Mansion garden is free to enter, and is accessible through an arched pathway at the side of the mansion. The garden, while small, is beautiful and tranquil to walk through, complete with plenty of roses and a small pond. It's a great spot to take tourist photos as well. A must-visit for Hocus Pocus fans!

Let light be your guide to safe travels and coming home!…read more Here in the Salem Harbor stands a light house only about twenty feet high. The light house is not open to the public from the outside. Guests to the water front can walk around the light house. Pose for a picture. Pick up seashells. In a great year, 1977; the national park service actually acquired this property. The light house is at the end of the derby wharf. It allows ships to come home and into the harbor safely . Wave your hands high as we soak up the water and all that salty air. As I watch individuals play along the water front it's hard not to smile and laugh. The twins make fun noises of joy. It's a sort of dance with life that makes me feel alive. Life is this beautiful gift, all the circumstances that has transformed us to this moment were worthy of wonder and joy. Close your eyes, imagine that salty air . The smells of the sea, your breath in rhythms of happy as your heart beats. The waves crash against the shore . If only the smiles were mine. I live in the moment with the children. For it is their happiness that is mine. If life seized right now, I would be happy that we shared this happiness.

A must see, got up early just to see the sunrise and it was 100% worth it! Just park in parking…read moregarage and be prepared to walk.

This is one of my favorite Trustee properties! I love that I…read morecan visit every month in the spring and summer and find different flowers blooming. It is a great place to go for a walk or a picnic. I've also been to the Halloween festival a couple of times and that's really fun as well. Make sure to book ahead of time because prime times are booked early.

Pumpkin show was the best! It was family friendly and so many cute themes. It definitely is worth…read moreit for a fall activity.

I haven't had much experience with historical societies, but touring this house and seeing the…read moremuseum was really great! The staff are very friendly and helpful. They helped my husband and I discover some wonderful things about our current home. They have an excellent room dedicated to Beverly's part in the Revolutionary War.

BHS has 3 houses from three periods of New England history. Seeing all 3 provides a great…read moreoverview of the 1st period English settlers, the rich maritime merchant class of the 18th century and the carefree summer lifestyle of a Boston brahmin family. Each house is loaded with period artifacts relevant to Beverly and to top it off there is a huge accessible collection of documents, records and personal items for researchers and genealogists. A must stop for anyone interest in North Shore or early American history.

A great memorial--the victims' name engravings were treated with respect and remembrance…read more I loved how people left stones/flowers/trinkets/coins/etc. I recommend coming to the memorial after you've been to one of the museums that spoke about the history of witches/witch trials in Salem

In a town that seems to now embrace what was once a dark spot on its history, this Memorial is…read morepoignant and non commercial. Feels like a place to reflect and remember in a quiet way. There are lots of "stories" but the history reveals a movement that took Women and Men, young and old, mostly by hanging (not burned at the stake as sometimes is portrayed) though there was the one older gentleman who was pressed. A docent told us a bit about him and his refusal to plead which resulted in the "pressing", a legal process at the time. It occurred in a relatively short window of time with several individuals being hung on the same days. Each person is memorialized with a stone ledge and I took the opportunity to speak each one's name. Looked like folks were also leaving flowers and other tokens. If your time is limited, I would make this a priority.

I am about 10 years too young to have watched Bewitched when it was released, but oh my did I watch…read morethe reruns. We took a tour of Salem and this was a popular stop. The tour guide said the town was not initially receptive to the show being based/filmed in Salem because they thought it was disrespectful to the tragedy of the witch trials. It turns out Bewitched helped revitalize Salem and locals became much more accepting. Elizabeth Montgomery visited the town and our tour guide said the little girls in Salem were all trying to wiggle their nose like her. The statue is easy to find and a very cute addition to the downtown area.

Worth a look and quick picture when walking the Salem area. Especially if you are old enough to…read moreremember the TV Show.

While in Salem Massachusetts we found the Witchcraft Victims Monument in Danvers MA. There is no…read moresignage directing you towards the village when it was over played Noël Teel & I visited while Tony helped the baby! Tony Vanoy Lisa Diane Boyce-Vanoy Dale Lisa Vanoy

A very somber place. It's on a one-way street. Not much parking there. It's off the beaten path…read more Commercial tours are not allowed to go there. We had the place to ourselves. Nice time to reflect on the tragedy. There's a small memorial plaque for each person that was killed.

Super cool historical experience. If you are a history buff and you are interested in what little…read moreremains of the Salem witch trials, then this is a must see. This is one of the only places still standing with a direct connection to the Salem witch trial. The grounds also hold the only known burial site of one of the victims of the trials. The docents were well informed and were kind enough to stand around answering our "history dork" questions.

If you are looking for a guided tour this isn't it. This is a self guided tour. Absolutely love the…read morehistory of this homestead. I would suggest learning a bit about Rebecca Nurse beforehand. There is a lovely old family cemetery attached as well.

The museum is perfectly situated among the witchy good fun area of Salem. Parking in the deck…read morenearby was less than $10 for several hours, way better than I did in Boston! There are loads of exhibits on several floors, as well as the Yu Tang house and Ropes Mansion (Ropes adds a few dollars, but the Yu Tang house is included, you just need to grab a time slot.) There's a restaurant on site, and to tour Ropes, you walk straight down the witch-i-center with all the shops, coffee, bakeries, and historic houses. The museum is laid out well, and you can come and go all day.

I visited the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) with my mom at the end of our day in Salem about a week or…read moreso ago, and we really enjoyed our visit. The museum has an extensive collection of Asian Art, but it holds more than 800,000 works of historical and cultural arts covering maritime, American, Asia, and Oceanic and African art. The highlight of our visit was visiting the Yin Yu Tang House. The house dates back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Huang, a prosperous merchant, built this stately 16-bedroom, two story-house with a courtyard and called it "Yin Yu Tang," meaning "Hall of Plentiful Shelter." It was home to the Huang family in the Huizhou region for more than 200 years until the last of the family descendants moved from the village in 1982. In the 1990s, as part of a cultural exchange, the home and its contents were dismantled and transported to Massachusetts, where it was re-erected in the PEM. The PEM opened to the public in 2003. The house is currently undergoing work to preserve its roof tiles and masonry walls, so there was a lot of scaffolding obstructing views of the home and pictures taken of the museum. But it still well worth a visit; it's incredible. (The website says the house is closed 7/27-7/31 and 8/3-8/7, so maybe they'll have the work done by the end of those stretches!) I only wish the staff that had walked us into the house had explained exactly how much time we'd get inside the house before being ushered out for the next group, because my mom and I were using the audio guide to learn about the house as we explored. Before we finished several rooms, we were told our time was up, which was a bummer - we barely had time to peek into the rooms we hadn't gotten to yet, so I wish we'd known and could use our time better. They call it a tour on the website, but it's a self-guided experience; no museum staff walk you around the house. (FYI: You need a separate ticket for the Yin Yu Tang House, which you can buy on the website.) We explored the rest of the museum as well, including some of their interesting temporary exhibits: "Anila Quayyum Agha: All the Flowers Are for Me," "On This Ground: Being and Belonging in America," and "Beyond the Broom: Salem Short Films." Other highlights of our time were visiting the East India Marine Hall and seeing art and artifacts relating to the Salem Witch Trials. They also have a great gift shop, so save some time for that. A very nice regional art museum that is worth visiting if you have time in your Salem itinerary!