Five things I want you to know if you’re planning an October visit to Salem, MA

Hey everyone, happy Monday and welcome back to the blog. Today’s content is FIVE THINGS I want you to know if you’re planning an October visit to Salem, MA. Please note this list is not all inclusive, of course. These are just the top five things you need to know. These are also loosely based on common questions I see in my Facebook group. So here we go!

First and foremost – make sure you have your copy of my 2024 Fall guide to Salem! It’s 60+ pages of events, travel tips and tricks, info and more.

The most obvious: lines and crowds

Salem is busy during October, especially on the weekends. You can expect lines to enter shops, long (long long) wait lists at restaurants, attractions sold out by late morning and extremely large crowds. Weekends are the busiest and worst when it comes to this, but weekdays are still busy too. Plan ahead, buy tickets ahead, make reservations anywhere you can and be patient. We want you to have a good visit here but the crowds are intense so everyone is simply doing their best.

The weather does what it wants

I’d strongly suggest dressing in or bringing layers. New England weather does pretty much whatever it feels like, so be prepared. There have been Halloween seasons where I didn’t even need a coat and others where it literally snowed. Bring layers. If you find yourself here in Salem and in need of some warmer options, check Moon’s, The Trolley Depot and Zitelle for hoodies, gloves and hats.

Don’t drive here

For the love of God, don’t drive here. Traffic is intense, parking is nonexistent by mid-morning and you’ll find yourself circling for hours trying to figure it out. Please take the train or utilize the weekend shuttles in October. Taking an Uber or Lyft will land you in the same traffic as everyone else and doesn’t solve the problem. Please use public transit like the train.

Salem isn’t Disneyland

Salem really isn’t Disneyland. We don’t have nearly the infrastructure to handle the visitors we get, let alone at the level Disney gets! We are a regular city. Please treat it and us residents with respect.

The “1692 – You Missed One” shirts…

They’re rude, in poor taste and historically inaccurate. I said what I said.

Bonus: There is such good shopping!!

During the fall we have an abundance of street fairs and markets. Enjoy! GO SHOPPING! Support Salem’s local artists and makers. The Haunted Biz Baz street fair and the Creative Collective Haunted Happenings Marketplace are two great options. So get a head start on your holiday shopping or just treat yourself – there are tons of one of a kind finds waiting for you.

I hope this helped give you some insight into the fall here and what to expect. Enjoy!! <3