Checking Things off on the Fall Bucket List; Salem, Ma.

It’s all about the lists I tell ya! I’ll make a list of lists, because that’s a thing!

I scrolled back through a fall bucket list I had written a few years ago and added some more things on there that we have either done that I wanted to do or things that now we want to do, catch my drift?

A BIG CHECK OFF THE OLD LIST:

Since I was a little girl every Halloween isn’t complete without watching the classic, Hocus Pocus. I didn’t even know until a little later on that the movie was filmed right here in my very own state of Massachusetts. Another thing I didn’t know was just how wild Salem, Ma was. Now I have a little bit of an idea but there is just so much magic all over the city that you can’t not go. Says the girl who literally just went, BUT I did love what I seen.

It’s hard, maneuvering COVID with a 5 year old is tough, it’s just tough as an adult never mind with kids. We tried to decide what would be fun for us and V mostly and what wouldn’t involve the biggest crowds. I mapped out some areas and that’s where we headed.

The Hocus Pocus House was our first stop and the main reasoning for the day trip. As soon as we approached the house I got a little anxious and wanted to jump right out to see it as close as possible! When you love the movie as much as I do, you get that excited! What I didn’t expect to fall in love with aside from the house was the location, it’s beyond beautiful. Out on the water you see boats all over, there is a little rocky beach front area to explore and it smells just like the beach should smell. The area was so perfect to just glare out and explore. We loved it so much we stayed for a little while. There were no crowds just another family or two, most people were coming taking their photos and leaving so it left us endless space to roam and enjoy which we loved!

Aside from the Hocus Pocus house we passed some of the other well known Witch Houses, which were pretty neat to see. However, the crowds were intense as they are all walking distance as the Hocus Pocus House is set off alone. Pickering Wharf was our final destination for the day. I had read about this fun little popcorn and icecream shop which are my girls two favorite treats. It was a must see in our day. If you have time to go there, check it out! The icecream was DELISH and the smell of the store I told them they should make into a candle cause holy moly it was so amazing! I could have sat there forever just smelling it sounds weird, but take my word for it. They had so many flavors of popcorn from your beloved caramel or kettle cooked all the way to hot Buffalo and confetti. Super cool! We snagged many goodies and headed out to the marina area to enjoy our treats.

The wharf has old ships that still sail. It’s a little harbor side shopping-village that has landmarks and beautiful ocean scenery. This is the perfect place to explore a part of what Salem has to offer especially for families with littles. You can go and see the Salem Maritime Site and the Friendship trading ship. V was so excited to see the big ships and she played pirate along the wharf setting her little eyes on the tall boats. There are shops and places to eat and just so much to see. Walking along the wharf alone was such a wonderful way to end the day!

I’m sure once things semi go back to normal or if we head back down adults only I’ll see much more and have the patience to navigate through traffic, for now… this was perfect for checking off of our fall bucket list and making memories!