I found Hocus Pocus Tours while seeking things to do in Salem on Yelp and TripAdvisor. Fellow…read moreYelpers' rave reviews did not disappoint! In messaging Hocus Pocus Tours with a couple questions about the tour and travel to and from Salem, the owner Susan replied immediately and suggested that I call her. This led to a one hour phone conversation where Susan was so gracious with her time, knowledge, and suggestions, not just about how to make the most of the tour, but how to appreciate a day in Salem. I can see why those who had the opportunity to take the in-person tour with Susan really enjoyed it. Covid changed the business model and Hocus Pocus now offers a self-guided tour by purchasing one of two tour apps. I opted for the $19.99 grand tour and it was well worth it. It has 37 points of interest. The app is user friendly and well designed. It provides a map of all stops, tracks where you are, and guides you to the next stop that you select on the tour. When you get to your stop, you can confirm you're at the right spot by comparing a photo of the site with what you see. Then you click on a 2-3 minute audio recording that provides a great snapshot of the significance of the site. As Susan had pointed out to me, there is much more to Salem than the historic witchcraft trials. It includes author Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of Seven Gables, America's oldest candy company, and other interesting sites. Of everything I visited, I experienced a very deep emotional connection with the 1692 Witchcraft Memorial with 20 stones dedicated to each of the victims of the witchcraft trial. The tour includes brief descriptions of some of the victims including those written about in Arthur Miller's The Crucible. If you plan to visit Salem, I highly recommend this tour. All sites can be visited on the outside and some on the inside at no charge. Some sites, such as The House of Seven Gables, charge separate admission fees. If you want to travel to Salem and don't have a car, the ferry from Boston offers a nice, scenic, and entertaining 50 minute ride. The commuter trains run more frequently and can come in handy if the ferry schedule coming or going doesn't meet your needs. There are plenty of good places to dine at to break up the tour. We had lunch at FINZ and really enjoyed it (I'll post separately about that).

This was legit SO much fun! The name Hocus Pocus kinda throws you off because you may be thinking…read moreabout the movie, but this tour really is amazing. Start off with the tour guides, extremely friendly and beyond knowledgeable. They really know their history for Salem. The tour itself was a few hours and you walk to all of the sites in Salem with historical significance. There is so much to learn from Salem. So much history and heartbreak. It really is eye opening to hear the stories oof the witch trials and how the witch trials began and who all was wrongly persecuted. The tour guides were so nice and explained everything with such great details. This tour was definitely the highlight of our trip in Salem. I highly highly recommend Hocus Pocus Tours, I learned so much regarding Salem, the witch trials, the history behind the two, and a little bit of Hocus Pocus and Bewitched. So much fun!

Great tour guide. She controlled the chatty Cathy in our group asking off the wall questions with…read morekindness and d a firm redirect. The tour was a tad long because of this but the guide was knowledgeable and I learned more about Salem than just the witch stuff. It seems like you walk around town all Over but then after the tour I realized we were actually in a pretty small area and everything was actually pretty close together

To be honest, this may have been the best walking tour I've ever done. Our tour guide, Sarah Black,…read morewas extraordinary. - Smart - Funny - Clever - Clear - Answered every question - Very easy to listen to - Really good speaking voice and personality I even liked that she threw a little bit of shade on the terrible tourist traps in the city. Honestly, I thought Sarah must've been an actor or something because she was so engaging. Nope. She's a local historian. Awesome. Overall, very informative and fun. I would absolutely recommend Sarah Black and the Bewitched Tour for anyone looking for a great tour of the city of Salem.

This was my first time in Salem, and I booked this tour with 8 of my coworkers--we had an absolute…read moreblast. From the moment it started, it was spooky, fun, and incredibly entertaining. Our tour guide was great: super knowledgeable, hilarious, and very interactive. They kept everyone engaged while sharing tons of fascinating and spooky history. The Hocus Pocus and Bewitched references were a huge bonus and added such a fun, nostalgic vibe. Seeing the Witch House in person was especially cool and definitely a highlight. For the price, this tour was 100% worth it. $37 for a 2.5-hour tour felt like a steal for how much you see. The only downside was the other group that was paired with ours. They were loud and kept interrupting the guide, which took away from the experience at time but that had nothing to do with how great the tour itself was. Overall, we still had an amazing time and would absolutely recommend this tour, especially for first-time visitors who want a spooky, fun, and memorable Salem experience

Anne's tour was excellent and the perfect way to start our day in Salem! My guest and I aren't huge…read moreon ghosts, so we were looking for a more history-focused tour, and the History and Hauntings of Salem tour was the perfect balance. The two hours truly flew by. Would recommend to anyone visiting! PS - we went the first weekend AFTER Halloween. It was pleasant weather and not crowded at all. Anne showed us a picture of the crowds during peak Halloween season...that was the spookiest part!!! People packed in like sardines, a la Disney world in summer. Consider going in November if that's not your style.

This was an incredible experience, and a huge part of that was our fantastic guide, Vin…read more Vin is a born storyteller. He was incredibly theatrical and had a way of bringing the city's haunted history to life. His performance was captivating, and he kept our whole group on the edge of our seats with every twist and turn of the ghostly tales. He was also great at answering questions and made everyone feel like they were a part of the story, not just listening to it. If you're looking for a tour that is both spooky and entertaining, this is the one. Vin's passion for the supernatural and his flair for the dramatic made for an unforgettable night. Highly recommend!

Vinnie was very knowledgeable and a great story teller. We really enjoyed ourselves.read more

Michael was very informative, he showed us sightings around the downtown area. Was kind and easy to…read morekeep up with.

Amazing tour! Dr. Vitka was super knowledgeable, fun, and brought Salem's history to life. Perfect…read moremix of spooky and informative. Highly recommend!

The gift shop was pretty cool, didn't do the tour. The place had some cool decor. The staff was…read morefriendly and I sent a while checking out all the cool items on display and for sale.

My second time visiting Salem, but my first actually getting to explore witch village. I went on…read moreHalloween with my boyfriend and it was definitely a fun experience. Would purchase tickets earlier if possible to avoid the raise in prices (hence losing a star).

Ken really brought this city to life in an authentic and detailed way that other tours lack. It's…read morenot full of Disney fluff but is instead representative of all the true history and culture here- including the native Americans, the Caribbean influx, the culture of sailors as well as (of course) the witch hysteria of 1692. I've been coming to visit Salem since I was a little girl and I can't believe how much I learned and appreciated in a new light! Ken carefully answered all questions, and was diligent about taking any he couldn't answer down so he could find the answer and email us later. He was so thoughtful and knowledgeable!

When we decided to come to New England for a trip, I knew I wanted to stop in Salem and learn a bit…read moreabout the history of the witch trials. However, I did not want a tour that was tacky or strange. The morning stroll tour of Salem with Kenneth got good reviews and seemed legit and not too cheesy. I definitely have to say that he delivered! The tour group was about 25 people, which was a good size and did not feel too big. We walked around Salem and learned about not just the witch trials, but also many other stories of the history of Salem and important people who lived there. We spent some time at the memorial site for those that were executed and he brought some flowers to place on the stone, which was a tad cheesy but also kind of nice. Kenneth is very informative and was willing to answer any and all questions. He very obviously has a passion for Salem history. The only thing I would say is a bathroom break and maybe even a snack break would have been nice. The tour went at least 2.5 hours even though it was supposed to be 2 hours. We appreciated the extra time he gave us and it was nice that he wasn't in a rush. However, we had traveled over 4 hours that morning to make the tour and could have used some food and a bathroom. The tour is reasonably priced and a recommended thing to do to see Salem and learn some actual history!

Bobby was an AMAZING guide. He was very knowledgeable and charismatic. This tour was the BEST part…read moreof my Salem trip.

We could not recommend the Salem Night Tour enough. Sebastian was our tour guide and he was…read moreincredible! He did a great job of humanizing the people he was telling us about so that the history felt alive, which was a perfect compliment to the ghostly stories he shared. He kept it entertaining without sensationalizing, and it is so clear that he genuinely cares about both his tour guests and the historical figures he talked about. If you're the friend who's booking the tour for your bachelorette/girls trip/etc., pick this one. Your friends WILL thank you for it!

My friends and I really enjoyed our tour with Mikayla! She was the absolute best at storytelling…read moreand history. We learned so much and appreciated her enthusiasm on what was a bitter cold, rainy day! Thank you!

I had a great time on my ghost tour with Sam. It was a little awkward as I was the only one on the…read moretour. In a way, I'm thankful they still ran the tour, but on the other hand, I wouldn't have minded if they had re-scheduled. Being the only one on it made it a little awkward. That said, Sam was great and theatric and was a blast, you can tell he really likes what he does. I didn't seem to catch any ghosts in the pictures I took, but overall, I still enjoyed myself and had a better time on this tour than I did on another I took with a different company earlier in the year.

Didn't get to take the tour, it seemed a little expensive to me... but I felt like it did offer…read moremuch more bang for your buck then some other near by attractions. And honestly I would have paid it but we were almost out of our fun money for the trip. I will probably do it next time, or honestly staying here would be really cool!

Great day for a visit! Worth the drive Spent the day in…read moreSalem. Very comforting! conveniently located.