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Salem's History Gets an Annual Rush Hour

October 31, 2026 at 6:01 AM EDT · New York time

NPR's Scott Detrow spoke with reporter Megan Johnson about life in Salem, Massachusetts, during the Halloween tourism season. The city is famous for the Salem Witch Trials, a history that draws attention at precisely the time of year when visitors are most interested in witches. For residents, the seasonal audience means living in a place whose name carries a story well beyond its borders. For visitors, the attraction is a chance to encounter that history in the place where it happened, along with the atmosphere that has grown around Halloween. The combination makes an ordinary local setting into a destination with an unusually busy calendar. It also gives the city two very different clocks. Residents have errands and routines that continue throughout the year, while tourists arrive for a particular season and a particular version of Salem. The contrast is not unique to a tourist town, but few places have a historical reputation that fits so neatly on a Halloween calendar. The old trials remain history, not a seasonal invention, even as the modern city receives a fresh wave of attention each fall. Salem has managed the rare civic feat of being both a real place and a recurring October appointment. Its residents must share the address with the appointment, whether or not they have scheduled anything festive themselves.

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