Hilary; with one L, at Witch City Tours is hands down the best tour guide in Salem. I know because…read moreI listened in on a few other tour groups, and no one else compared. She spoke with the authority of a historian and the presence of an actress onstage, drawing us into each story through carefully crafted imagery and tone. She was approachable and engaging, and she projected her voice so clearly that I could hear her no matter where I stood and I am hearing impaired. The tour beautifully blended history with well crafted ghost stories that made the historical details even more memorable. Wear comfortable, supportive shoes because you will be walking and standing quite a bit--your feet and lower back will thank you! This was an excellent tour, and I would absolutely take it again. Bring cash, she earns her tip!

We did two walking tours in our one day we had at Salem. Crazy I know, but stay with me, I don't…read moreregret a single thing about it. Our first tour was the hocus pocus walking tour with Hilary. Amazing. Hilary was funny, knowledgable, and just a true joy to be around. That two hour walk went by faster than I thought it would. She has so many behind the scenes knowledge of the movie, I was thoroughly impressed. Oh, she also had a candy bucket! Cant ever go wrong with candy. Thank you Hilary for opening our day in such a positive way. My second walking tour was the history and hauntings of Salem. Our tour guide was Claire and she was great. She was able to keep the attention of our 13 yo son, no small feat these days. However, her story telling and live of history kept him into the walk and he didn't complain once. Thank you Claire for giving us a great tour of Salem and completing our night out!

We had such a great tour with Sebastian, he was funny and very knowledgeable not just on hocus…read morepocus but also on Salem history which was amazing! Definitely recommend

This tour is as amazing! We learned so much about the movie, actors and locations! It is a 3.1 mile…read morewalk so be prepared. Thanks Topher!

This was a great walking tour of Salem!! I went in knowing basically nothing about the witch trials…read moreand left knowing a lot more about- and with some local restaurant recommendations. We got plenty of steps and saw a lot of Salem. I carried my baby around, and he got a great nap!!

This was an excellent tour! Sarah is the host and she is terrific! She is very knowledgeable and…read moregreat in telling the stories and historical facts and events.

Truly enjoyed every minute of this tour. Check in was easy and the staff inside the store was very…read morefriendly. Our tour guide, Vin, provided stories full of historical facts and just enough humor to make it a fantastic adventure. (We did another tour with another company and the tour guide made constant jokes making the tour corny and we lost interest) He didn't rush us and answered all of our questions I would 100% book with Black Cat Tours next time we visit Salem and request Vin to be our guide

Such an amazing tour with our guide Jack. He was so knowledgeable, answered questions, and was…read morehighly entertaining! Highly recommend to anyone who is looking for the history of the Salem Witch Trials. You get to stop at some of the key places during your tour, plenty of time to take photos to see if you catch a spirit, or two.

My wife and I decided to visit Salem and wanted to do a walking tour to get even more historical…read morecontext, after visiting some of the museums. Better Than Fiction exceeded my expectations! Given that there are a lot of different walking tours to choose from, it can be overwhelming. Better Than Fiction gets my vote for being easy to book, centrally located/easy to find, and very informative. Jeff was our tour guide. His knowledge of the town's history was vast and he had a great sense of humor. There was never a dull moment with the stories he told - each story built off of the previous one, and really answered a lot of the questions I had about Salem's history. Not only were the witch trials interesting in Salem, but the general colonial history was fascinating. Salem is lucky to have so much rich history that should not be overlooked during your visit. Thank you Jeff and Better Than Fiction for a great experience!

Wonderful walking tour through Salem! We wanted to hear stories and the history of the buildings,…read moreand this was perfect for a busy October when we couldn't get into the museums! The guide was a wonderful story-teller and took us all around Salem.

Recently went on the tour with my wife and friends from Miami Florida on Saturday September 21st on…read morethe 7pm tour. This was one of my favorite tours I have been on in many years. Our guide was dressed like a revolutionary vampire and definitely looked the part. He was very knowledgeable of everything he said based on history, others experiences and his own. We had to walk everywhere "walking tour" but he was very fast and efficient to be able to show us a lot of spots in a considerably short time. He really cared about everyone in the group and made sure everyone was having a good time. I recommend this tour to anyone looking to hear and see the history of Salem including the haunted items in their store.

From the owner: Vampire Ghost Adventures, A Walking Tour of Salem! The only…read moretour in Salem where you enter a Haunted Building, see a collection of Haunted Objects and hear their stories! Welcome, Come hear the Ghostly secrets of Salem you won’t hear anywhere else! This is not like the other tours in Salem. You will be led around town by a Vampire for starters! While all the stories I will relate to you are true, this is not just a historical tour. We will be talking about vampires, ghosts, and spiritual phenomenon around this unique town. Experience the mystery and wonder of these tales. I will tell you what people have seen, heard, and experienced, and show you where these things happened. You will decide what you can believe or not believe. But I assure you, the reports of these incidents are all true. And there’s more than you might think! Now, How many here believe in ghosts? How many have had experiences with the paranormal? I myself am what is called a “sensitive” to an extent, But I’m a skeptic first. I don’t automatically assume the supernatural. And yet I have had spiritual experiences that I cannot explain. Come with me and I will tell you things and show you places the other tours won’t! And you will actually enter Chambers of Terror to see some Haunted Objects! The only walking tour in Salem where you actually enter a building!

Went on a ghost tour with Sam and was blown away with all the history behind the foreboding feeling…read moreand the famous witch trials. The tour lasted about one hour and thirty minutes which included a few stops in front of some iconic landmarks and monuments such as the first membership Library, the Witch House, Ropes Mansion, Salem Inn, Old Town Hall and Chestnut Street. To say it was nostalgic visiting some staples I have marveled in the movie Hocus Pocus is an understatement. Seeing Max and Dani's house, Allison's house and the Old Town Hall up close brought me back to my 5 year old self. If you have not learned about the Witch Trials or don't care to, no problem! However, if you find that Salem, MA is on your bucket list of places to go to, I would maybe listen to a podcast or read up on the trials beforehand because it's a lot of history to take in. I couldn't leave Salem without buying my own witch hat of course. Some things I recommend on a tour: 1) Dress comfortably and warm (if in the fall) it is cold and windy at this time and you will be walking over cobblestone most of the time 2) Wear a festive hat! I wore my witch hat 3) Make sure you use the restroom before you go on the tour. They don't stop for restroom breaks and there are only portable potties available which I would avoid as much as you can because - ugh!

A great tour! We chose the 1 hour tour because we didn't have a lot of time. A lot of great stuff…read morewas still covered. I appreciated the history and information about Salem that we wouldn't have known without doing the tour!

This was an amazing tour with a mix of history, ghost and vampire stories. Dr Vetka was welcoming…read moreand considerate of all our safety and what may have impressed me the most was his respect for others while we were on tour. He made sure we left room on side walks and spoke quietly when near other groups - not to interfere with their experience. I would definitely recommend this tour!

Excellent tour, our host was every bit as amazing as his tall leather top hat. Would definitely…read morerecommend.

I have used Salem Historical Tours three times; twice for private tours and a third time for a…read moreregular Salem Witchcraft Walk. The private tours were great because we could request customized information. For example, learning the fascinating Black history of Salem. The tour guides have a wealth of knowledge and experience. I've learned lots on every tour. The guides go into different angles of history. Last time, I learned about why the Puritans came to the New World (now the United States) in the first place and that they were very different from the Pilgrams who arrived before them. Giovanni, in particular, has always given me tips for more activities. He is active in the Salem United which had a free exhibit at Hamilton Hall about the Negro Election Day a couple years ago. I've appreciated that the guides are all conscientious about climate comfort too. It rained on the first tour and our guide made sure that we could be covered when he was speaking. The last time was a hot and sunny day and our guide found shaded spots for us.

Tried to take a walking tour provided by this company, but no one was there…read more I called their customer service number and was given a description of a person, but that didn't match what the operator ended up telling me. They continued to harass me after requesting a refund, which they denied. Just a gross company.

I can't believe it's taken me two months to review! Im so sorry Kenneth I was so busy... But I…read moredidn't forget about you! I had the best experience on this tour! The tour guide, Kenneth, is amazing! He had a huge impact on my visit to Salem even though my only time spent with him was on the tour. He's an amazing guide, performer, and story-teller with a great heart. I can't say enough good stuff about him! I booked this tour the morning of, and I decided to take a 5pm show. I guess that was a little early because no one else was there! When Kenneth showed up, I asked him if he would rather me wait for the later tour but he said it was up to me and does not mind taking me on the tour by myself. Wow... What a cool treat! Especially since it was so cheap for about 3 hours of his time (about twice as long as the original time posted). So I agreed and we proceeded to walk. I don't want to give away all of the details, but seriously, if you love history and theatre, take this tour! Kenneth acts out the scenes at almost every place we stopped. He had tons of information about Salem and lots of mind-boggling personal stories as well. He sings beautiful, heart-wrenching songs that he wrote. You can tell that he put a lot of work and thought into making this the best tour in Salem (I went on 4 tours while I was there and they were pretty mediocre). Kenneth said that he also changes up the tour so you will get something different every time you take it! It will not disappoint! Oh and at the end, there's an amazing surprise. Keep an open mind and have fun! If you're in Salem, you should already have an open-mind. I had such an amazing time that I tipped Kenneth well at the end of the tour. It was well worth the $15-20 (I can't remember) I paid for the tour. I really appreciated everything he did and I will be touring with him on my next visit to Salem! Wish you love and luck all the way from LA!

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!