Pack Your Black-Flame Candle and Head to Salem—It’s Time for a ‘Hocus Pocus’ Walking Tour
While Halloween might invoke images of children in costumes running from door to door or creatively carved pumpkins sitting on a stoop, it can mean only one thing to this particular writer: It’s now socially acceptable to watch Hocus Pocus on repeat until November. Other fans of the Disney movie aren’t exactly hard to come by, and now, thanks to one blogger’s hard work and adoration of the film, those fans can take a self-guided walking tour of the film’s most important scenes in Salem, Massachusetts.
Amanda Gordon, creator of the blog Life at Cloverhill, put together a walking tour for herself after visiting Salem in 2013 for the 20th anniversary of the film. Because much of the movie was actually filmed in Salem, tourists can stop by many of the real-life locations where Max, Dani, Allison and Thackery try to put an end to Winnie, Mary and Sarah Sanderson.
Gordon’s tour includes paying a visit to Max and Dani’s house (built in the 1870s and a popular tourist spot), Allison’s house (the real-life mansion built in the 1720s is rumored to be haunted and is open to the public to roam about) and Thackery’s village.
A visit to John Bailey High School is a must, although we’d avoid the kiln if we were you, as is a stroll through the graveyard where Jay and Ernie Ice steal Max’s cool new sneakers. You can also swing by the old town hall to recreate your own rendition of “I Put a Spell on You,” although we’re not sure how it could top Winnie’s spellbinding performance.
In addition to packing your very best Sanderson witch costume, you might want to stick a container of salt in your bag as well, you know, just in case. That is, unless you think this is all just a bunch of hocus-pocus.