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!

Fantastic Tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and friendly. It's a difficult subject and she…read moregave some made it educational and enjoyable.

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

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

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!

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.

Learned about Jeff's tour from his podcast "Salem the Podcast" when researching for my trip. Jeff…read morethe owner and tour guide is extremely knowledgeable, engaging, and a natural presenter and entertainer. The tour was funny, mysterious, informative and frankly one of the best tours in Salem given by a true insider and lover of Salem. My group left the tour buzzing with energy cause his energy was so contagious! I highly recommend!!

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!

We did the extended tour last night. Guide was very nice, meeting spot was easy to find. The group…read morewas way too large and it was very difficult to hear at times. It also ran long so plan for extra time. I only took one photo the whole time because I love hocus pocus and when I zoomed in on the lit window this morning this is what I saw ...

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!

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!