A Halloween Surprise in The Land of Witches and Pirates

Do you like the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you, like an unexpected surprise, or do you like something more chilling, provoking more fear and terror as in a scary halloween movie or tales of murder and revenge?

Well, I'm glad you asked because I am going to take you on a tour of Haunted Happenings, an American Halloween Festival known as the Ultimate Halloween Celebration in the World.

Come raise the devil if you dare for a halloween surprise and celebrate the "Ghosts, Spirits, and Demons" this halloween season in the bewitching seaport of Salem, Massachusetts. This colorful coastal city is attracting people from all points of the compass but is most widely known as the site of the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692. Are you spookable? Well then, you'd better keep an open mind and let your imagination set sail.

"Stop here stranger, cast an eye

As you are now, so once was I

As I am now, so you must be

Prepare for Death and follow me"

A month of fun and halloween surprise brings a haunting life to this historical town and a glimpse into Salem's eerie past. If you don't believe in the supernatural you may have a change of mind after experiencing a spine-chilling reenactment of the witches trials inside the Salem witch house bringing you back to the seventeenth century.

The Witch House is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. In February 1692, three accused women were examined by Magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne. John Hathorne, an ancestor of Nathaniel Hawthorne and author of "The House of Seven Gables", is buried in the Charter Street Old Burying Point.

Taking a tour through the oldest standing mansion in America, the House of Seven Gables offers a magical and mysterious glimpse into over 300 years of history. The House of Seven Gables served as the inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel of the same name. His tortured characters and the spirit of John Hathorne, responsible for the condemnation of the accused witches of 1692, haunt the hallways and secret staircase seemingly bringing their spirits more alive during the month of October, when blood-curdling tours, such as "The Legacy of the Hanging Judge" and "Spirits of the Gables", bring a ghostly atmosphere to the historic mansion.

The New England Pirates, and not the accused witches, were the little rascals and villains of 1692. In this old Salem town of rich maritime heritage you can board a full-length pirate ship and explore an 80-foot cave, where you may stumble upon a rascal or two. Inside the museum you can mingle with Captain Quelch and his crew, Blackbeard, Kidd and others who once prowled the Salem coast.

Experience the adventures of new England's sea-robbers and see artifacts from sunken ships and pirate treasures. A fascinating fun-filled adventure is your guarantee. Enjoy an interesting history lesson on local pirates and pirate lore that you won't soon forget in the scary world of Haunted Happenings.

The Haunted Happenings also offers a peak into witchcraft today or for a more thrilling halloween surprise you may take part in a ghostly seance.

O Christian Martyr Who for Truth could die

--Words written by John Greenleaf Whittier and inscribed on a monument marking the grave of Rebecca Nurse, one of the condemned "witches" of Salem.

Won't you all come back to Salem's eerie atmosphere in the bewitched land of witches and pirates. Nobody celebrates Halloween quite like Salem, Massachusetts.

Have a Spooktacular Halloween season!