Nate and I decided to kick off “Spooky Season” with a visit to Salem, Massachusetts to run the Witch City 5k on Saturday, October 4th. This annual “haunted” race through the streets of the Witch City is hosted by and supports the Salem YMCA. Plus, you’re welcome to run in costume!
To get to Salem, we flew into Boston the day before the race and took an Uber from the airport, which ended up being a long, slow 45-minute drive. This being our first visit to New England, we didn’t realize how long it would take or how heavy traffic would be. Once we got to our hotel, we were eager to stretch our legs, refresh, and explore Salem on foot.
Before going too far, we stopped for a beer at Couch Dog Brewing Company, which was just a few blocks from our hotel, and then lunch at Howling Wolf Taqueria. While the Wolf’s tacos and margaritas weren’t particularly memorable, their avocado fries were unique and delicious. From there, we made our way over to Essex Street, a cobblestone and brick pedestrian mall lined with shops, museums, and other attractions.
What we also didn’t realize is that Halloween is a month-long celebration in Salem and it’s a major tourist destination for the season. Many of the shops boast witchy and occult trinkets and souvenirs, and costumed performers act and pose for photo ops with pedestrians. We saw Jason Voorhees, the Addams Family, Pennywise the Clown, fortune tellers, and lots of witches (or normal women wearing souvenir hats).
The most fascinating thing about Salem is the embracing of the history of the 1690’s Puritan witch trials. Attractions and memorials like the Witch Museum, the Witch House, the House of Seven Gables, and the Salem Witch Trials Memorial both entertain and educate tourists about the unfortunate history of the persecution, prosecution, and execution of people, mostly women, accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts.
Yet another thing we didn’t realize was the sheer popularity of the museums and attractions in October. Most of them release tickets at 8pm or 10pm the night before, and they sell out fast. Needless to say, we weren’t able to get into any of interest that first afternoon, so the rest of our day was spent experiencing fun bars like the All Souls Lounge and enjoying a late dinner and beers at Notch Brewing.
Race day, we woke early and donned our costumes. With my Kansas connection, I HAD to go as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, and Nate chose the Scarecrow. Check in was at Dead Horse Beach, about a mile and a half walk from our hotel, and the moment we left, we received many laughs and compliments. The race volunteers and other participants loved our costumes.
The weather was perfect for a run, sunny with a morning chill. The course wound through the park, residential neighborhoods, and part of downtown Salem, and both of us did pretty decently! Nate accomplished an 8:08/mile pace and I maintained a 9:55/mile pace. We enjoyed the number of observers who recognized our outfits, and best of all, our costumes won Best Pop Culture Reference!
After the race and awards ceremony, we spent more time exploring Salem. Nate decided to change out of costume, but I kept in dress, literally. We checked out more shops on Essex Street, explored the Witch City Mall, and visited the Salem Public Library, which had a copy of my book Librarian Tales on the shelf. People loved the Dorothy outfit!
Overall, we had a wonderful time in Salem, and would highly recommend visiting in October. The Witch City 5k was a lot of fun, and exploring the unique colonial history of the town was fascinating. We would definitely do it again!
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