Boston to Salem in October
 

My partner and I are looking to do a long weekend to MA to visit Boston and Salem. We want to do this in October so we can take advantage of the Haunted Happenings in Salem. I know it will be very busy and tourist-y and to avoid driving in the area at all costs, which I am totally fine with. We would be staying in Boston and making a day trip to Salem. We are from New Jersey so we would be driving. I understand the time between the two cities is an hour? What is the best way to get from Boston to Salem in October other than by car? Train? Ferry? Bus? Any information or suggestions would be appreciated!

Probably train. It's less than a mile from the train station to the center of the sites. You could use uber or lyft or a taxi if you didn't want to walk, but the walk is through some nice areas.

FWIW, I don’t see much reason not to drive. It isn’t that bad.

When we last visited Salem it was in the month of September, not October, so not as busy. We drove but even in September, there's not a lot of places to park. It might be a good idea to take the train and then use uber or lyft or a taxi. I think the advantage of having your car might be to go to a restaurant someplace other than Salem before heading back to Boston. If you like seafood, you might enjoy a non-Boston restaurant.

In October, Salem residents get a tag to park near their houses, so there is very little on street parking for visitors and the parking garages fill up early, which is why I suggested taking the train.

There is also a ferry that runs from Boston to Salem through October 31st. I have never taken it
Boston to Salem Ferry Schedules & Fares | Boston Harbor Cruises

The later in October, the worse the driving/parking is, even on weekdays. I commuted through Salem for 5 years and dreaded the month and still live 2 towns away and won’t go near the city for the entire month of October. Take the train. It’s 30 minutes from Boston to Salem and you can walk from the depot in about 10 minutes to where the Happenings are. You don’t want to drive, believe me.

The only way it might make any sense to drive into Salem in October would be if you went in extremely early. Maybe. Parking by late morning on the weekends is usually non-existent unless you get very lucky and the streets get really crowded in the town by then.

I’d take the train, myself. The ferry would be a reasonable second choice, though it gets in further away from all the sights and doings than the train. It takes about a half hour by train each way if things are running right.

I think the train sounds like our best bet. Thank you everyone for the information!