I absolutely LOVE Newburyport - this area is so full of history - and the Museum of Old Newbury is…read morea wonderful introduction to it! Located in the historic Cushing House (built 1808), the museum is an extensive and interesting collection of artifacts from the long history of "Old Newbury" which encompasses the current towns of Newburyport, Newbury, or West Newbury. There are SO many pieces of interest here - and so many fascinating stories! The building itself has been in the Cushing family since the early-mid 1800s. Newburyport's first mayor, Caleb Cushing, even lived here. The early family members were integral in establishing trade around the world - definitely a lot of awesome history here. The historical society has done a phenomenal job of preserving many of the original features of the home such as the windows, carpeting, light fixtures, and even the faux-marble floors that were trendy in those eras. They've also gone to great lengths to obtain historical items belonging to the Cushing family and other prominent citizens from the area. For example, there's a lovely exhibit on a prominent Newburyport artist, Laura Coombs Hills, known for her intricate miniature paintings and pastels - as well as an extensive collection of silver pieces mined and made locally and books and books of historical records - and so much more! They also have some lovely 19th century gardens surrounding the house and also offer holiday themed events during December. One piece I really enjoyed was a large, ornate wooden sculpture that was meant to adorn a ship but never did - and became a local legend, so much so that HP Lovecraft even included it in his story "The Shadow over Innsmouth"! In order to tour the house, you must make a reservation online via their website (very easy to do) - it costs $10 and includes a docent to guide you and explain all the history. The tours run from end of May to October. In the winter months, tours are available as private tours for members only. PRO TIP: the tours are free to "Old Newbury" residents! Our guide, Shelley, was so knowledgeable and friendly!! We had a fantastic visit and learned so much more than we expected. Definitely made us love the area that much more and made our local adventurers more meaningful. Parking is all street parking but we were staying in Newburyport and just walked over (highly recommend- it's a truly lovely area)!!

From the owner: For the past 140 years, the Museum of Old Newbury has been collecting, preserving, and presenting…read morethe history of Newburyport, Newbury, West Newbury, Byfield, and Plum Island. With objects and documents, we tell the stories of local people from the past four centuries.

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!

A+ not to be missed. Enjoyed a fantastic afternoon seeing Portsmouth in a completely different way…read more Bravo! Well done! Fun even for the locals.

John Hancock was amazing! Great history and friendly! Highly recommended! Totally worth it!read more

Nate was our freedom Trail tour guide. It started from Boston Common and Internet at Faneuil Hall…read more Nate was very passionate very entertaining and a lot enough for all of us to hear. He dove in a lot of history in a very engaging way. I highly recommend.

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.

For $7 a person, this is definitely worth the price! It won't blow you away, but there is some…read morereally neat stuff and history in here. They also host local events as well which is neat. All in all, worth a stop in an you could spend an hour or so learning about the town of Newburyport and it's history.

Cool little museum! It was awesome to learn a bit about the local history and the coast.read more

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.

I cannot recommend Seacoast Trolleys enough for wedding day transportation! From the start,…read morePaul--the owner--was incredibly responsive, flexible, and offered a very reasonable price, which we truly appreciated during the planning process. He worked closely with us to create a thoughtful transportation schedule and determine the best hotel pickup locations based on where our guests were staying. On the wedding day, everything ran perfectly. Our trolley driver was punctual and professional, transporting the wedding party for photos before bringing us to the venue, and then seamlessly picking up guests from the hotels and getting everyone where they needed to be on time. The trolley itself was absolutely adorable--such a fun and charming alternative to a standard bus. We loved getting a few photos in front of it, and riding in the trolley felt like the quintessential New England wedding experience. If you're looking for reliable, well-organized, and unique transportation for your wedding day, Seacoast Trolleys is a fantastic choice!

Using Seacoast Trolley was a great experience. They have the perfect transport for your wedding or…read moreany sort of event. Paul was great to book the details with and Stan who was the driver the day of was exceptional. They have a very fair pricing model and help you plan the ideal route if you have multiple pickups and stops. Highly recommend booking them if you're looking for some transport for your guests!

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

We had a friend visiting from Michigan and she loves the ocean so this was a great way to sit,…read morerelax, and learn some great facts about the area. The Cider and Donuts were a great touch! Lots of free parking and a little area to hang out and enjoy the cider and donuts. I brought my own coffee and they didn't mind me bringing it on board. And the tour guide was excellent. Very knowledgeable about the area and had a great sense of humor as well. I highly recommend it! Side note: I do agree with another reviewer about the young children. It's not engaging enough for a child under 10. Two hours is a long time to sit still and listen! If you do bring young children, bring some entertainment and food/snacks for them.

This was a fun outing. We hadn't done this before. The cruise was about 1.5hrs and was wonderful…read more The weather was perfect. Along the way we learned about different areas around Ipswich. Essex, and Gloucester. We saw lots of wildlife too. It was truly an enjoyable ride and the staff were great. Our trip was packed with people and the top priority was safety which they did a great job ensuring we all knew about. Definitely something to check out if you're in the area.