2025 has been anything but uneventful. The U.S. faces deep political divisions and economic uncertainty marked by inflation, trade tensions, and slower growth. Visa changes, park cutbacks, and the ongoing federal shutdown have hit travel and tourism the hardest. Air travel is already feeling the strain, with more delays and cancellations expected. Amtrak passengers are also being warned of possible Thanksgiving disruptions if the shutdown extends into November.
Amid uncertainty, America enters the holiday season. Halloween arrives tomorrow, celebrated nationwide but especially in a few iconic destinations known for their festive spirit. Top Halloween destinations include New Orleans for its spooky carnival spirit, New York for its Sleepy Hollow roots, Los Angeles for movie-themed haunts, and Orlando for its theme park festivities.
However, no place embodies Halloween’s dark history quite like Salem, Massachusetts, home to the infamous witch trials. Each October, its month-long Haunted Happenings festival transforms downtown into a spooky wonderland, drawing record crowds—87,351 visitors on Halloween in 2024, compared to 63,856 in 2023 — a 37 percent increase in a city with a population of just under 45,000.
This year, however, the federal shutdown threatened to disrupt the season by closing key historic sites like the Salem Maritime National Historic Site and its visitor center. Beyond the loss of tourism revenue, the closures also meant no public restrooms, complicating logistics for a city that welcomes more than a million visitors during its Halloween celebrations. Yet America’s spookiest town refused to cave in.
America’s Spookiest City Refused To Let Federal Shutdown Spoil Halloween Celebrations
Although Salem’s month-long Haunted Happenings festival spans the entire city, the Armory Regional Visitor Center serves as the central hub for the Essex National Heritage Area and the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. When the government shutdown forced the center to close on October 1, it also shut down all public restrooms, a significant inconvenience for the thousands of visitors to shops, haunted houses, and museums. But the Salem community refused to let the shutdown dampen its Halloween spirit.
“We don’t want anyone coming here and having a negative experience,” Ashley Judge, executive director of Destination Salem, told WBUR. “And so it was really important that this not become the crummy year — the year without bathrooms. It was a problem we needed to solve.”
The Essex National Heritage Commission contacted the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, America’s oldest National Historic Site, and discovered that the Armory Regional Visitor Center could reopen if October’s operating costs were paid in advance.
Annie Harris, CEO of the Essex National Heritage Commission, then reached out to Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo, who helped craft a donation agreement between the National Park Service, Essex Heritage, and Eastern National, which operates the center’s gift shop.
Community Donations Towards Running The Armory Regional Visitor Center And Its Bathrooms
Donation
Donated By
$18,600
+ 10.5% fee
Local businesses
$8,000
Salem Witch Museum
Staffing
Essex Heritage
Staffing
Eastern National
Other donations
Destination Salem, Peabody Essex Museum, the Salem Wax Museum, and Creative Collective
Thanks to donations and support from local organizations and businesses, the visitor center reopened within 48 hours on October 7. The funding, which covers utilities, restroom maintenance, and other operating costs, will keep it running through November 2. Staffing is also being provided entirely by volunteers at no cost.
“We want to recognize the extraordinary collaboration that made this happen,” wrote Ashley Judge on the Salem.org blog. “Salem steps up time and time again—to protect our businesses, our visitors, and our residents.”
Through the combined efforts of the Essex National Heritage Commission, the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, the mayor’s office, and numerous local businesses and organizations, the Salem community beat the odds, banded together to raise funds, keeping the visitor center open, supporting thousands of visitors, and sustaining the local economy.
How The Federal Shutdown Threatened Halloween In Salem
During Salem’s peak October tourism season, the federal shutdown forced the closure of federally run historic sites, including the Salem Maritime National Historic Site and its visitor center. The timing has been especially disruptive, coming as more than a million visitors were arriving for the city’s Halloween festivities and Witch Trial–related landmarks.
Non-federally owned attractions, such as the Salem Witch Museum, The House of the Seven Gables, and the Salem Heritage Trail, should not be affected by the government shutdown.
Under the National Park Service contingency plan, all staffed buildings remain closed, while open-air sites stay accessible. The Salem Maritime National Historic Site includes 12 historic structures along the waterfront, such as the 1762 Derby House, the 1675 Narbonne House, and the 1819 U.S. Custom House. According to the park’s website, all programs and interior access are currently suspended.
Salem Maritime National Historic Site & Armory Regional Visitor Center During Halloween
Haunted Happenings at Main Street, Salem, MACredit: Shutterstock
The Salem Maritime National Historic Site joins the Halloween festivities with ghost-hunting lectures and tours at historic sites like the Deane Winthrop House. Though it offers a maritime viewpoint on Salem’s eerie past, it’s just one part of a citywide celebration featuring parades, haunted cruises, and festivities that draw over a million visitors each October.
With over a million visitors in October and thousands on Halloween night, travelers are urged to plan and use public transport whenever possible.
Housed in a restored 1880s Gothic Revival building, the Armory Regional Visitor Center at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site offers exhibits, films, and insights into the region’s rich past, from maritime trade to the 1692 Witch Trials. Open daily, the center also directs visitors to all public restroom locations listed on Salem’s Haunted Happenings website.
Armory Regional Visitor Center
- Hours: Daily 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Location: 2 New Liberty St, Salem, MA 01970, United States
- Phone: (978) 740-1650
Originally known as the Salem Armory, the visitor center once served as the headquarters and training facility for the Second Corps of Cadets, whose history dates back to the 18th century. Today, National Park staff and volunteers welcome visitors with information about Essex County and its many historic sites.
