SALEM

By FINDER BOSTON

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Despite the fact that right smack-dab in the middle of metropolitan Boston sits one of the largest unmarked graves in the US (that's right, kids—the Boston Common), come October, Halloween HQ explodes roughly 20 miles north of the city in Salem. A 30-minute ride on the Newbury/Rockport line of the Commuter Rail [mbta.com], which adds extra trains to and from Salem on Halloween, will land you in a quiet little town that milks its sordid past for all it's worth. Just stroll through Washington Square and you'll practically trip over all the witches, fortune tellers and psychics.

A carnival of seasonal attractions and treats lines the pedestrian-heavy Liberty Street. The Salem Wax Museum's [288 Derby St. 978.740.2929. salemwaxmuseum.com] Haunted Neighborhood is filled with exhibits, haunted houses and a plethora of goodies like hot apple cider, fried dough and caramel apples. And for real old-timey sweets, visit America's oldest candy company, Ye Olde Pepper Companie [122 Derby St. 978.745.2744. yeoldepeppercandy.com]. Be sure to bring ye olde money bag to splurge on fudge that's to die for.

For pure scare factor, check out Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery, Salem's only monster museum [285 Derby St. 978.740.0500. nightmaregallery.com]. If you'd rather see the spooks in the town itself, try the Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour [8 Central St. 978.745.0666. salemhistoricaltours.com]. But walking around the town can be a bit difficult in some costumes, so if travel by foot/tail/claw/peg-leg/tentacle proves tricky, take the trolley. Salem Trolley presents the Ghosts and Legends Tour [8 Central St. 978.744.5469. salemtrolley.com]. As you wander through all these attractions, visit the event that started them all—the Terror Fantasies Supernatural Art Show [Museum Place Mall, 176 Essex St. terrorfantasies.blogspot.com] for a wild display.

With all the excitement, we can't forget about the real history of Salem. Take a walk through the Salem Witch Trials Memorial and see the stones dedicated to those executed as witches in 1692. For some interesting insight, check out the Salem Witch Museum [19 1/2 Washington Square North. 978.744.1692. salemwitchmuseum.com] and the Witch History Museum [197-201 Essex St. 978.741.7770. witchhistorymuseum.com].

For more information, visit HauntedHappenings.org.