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SALEM - Do you believe in having a magically good time? Does the allure of walking the streets where alleged witches once ran around send a chill up your arm?

Then Salem, quite possibly the quintessential New England destination for everything witchy, may be the perfect place for a Halloween-time day trip.

The sight of the infamous 1692 witch trials, in which a group of young girls' accusations against over 100 townspeople sent 19 to the gallows (and one to an even more gruesome fate) has since become a major tourist attraction for those up for a sense of devious history.

And that group recently included myself, my travel companion/boyfriend and several members of my family as we embarked on another attempt at a 50/50 trip. (We travel 50 miles or less from home and have a day full of fun for $50 or less.)

This trip was just a little different. Since my family and I were in town to see my younger brother tie the knot, and we were all excited to see Salem, I split my trip into two mini-trips: one at night and one during the day. But everything we did easily could be accomplished and enjoyed on a single visit.

Nothing says Halloween like Salem, and Salem says hello to Halloween in a big way.

This year is the town's 27th annual Haunted Happenings and the local haunts certainly were happening when we visited last Saturday night.

(There was no way our group of 18 was going to take in this town for $50 or less collectively, so I tallied up expenses for my boyfriend John and myself.)

I didn't count the shuttle transportation we took from our hotel to downtown Salem because there is no way I would recommend it to anyone.

Jalpert, the shuttle company, charged each member of our party $14 for a round-trip ride to Salem, but their 20-minute-wait promise for the ride home extended into the 80-minute mark. When our driver did return, he came with a small bus and said ours was "two seconds down the road." He then came back, 30 minutes later, with the big bus after dropping another group off.

When asked for a reasonable explanation, he could give none and did not offer a partial refund or apology.

Since we had several young children with us, who were freezing in the late night chill, I found this totally unacceptable.

But that was the only dim mark on our pre-Halloween adventure.

Walking down Essex Street, you'll immediately take in all the sights, sounds and smells of classic fall fair. Hot apple cider wafts through the cobblestone street and fried dough beckons your taste buds and dollars. Tree tops illuminated with orange bulbs light up the dark and twisty old New England nooks and crannies, while the heckles and cackles of little ones and the young at heart clomp up and down the street.

And then there are the costumes. Visitors seemed to have a perfect grasp of the concept of family-friendly but adult fun, and everyone in our group marveled at the array of witches who passed us by.

My family - all 18 of us - managed to stick together through the massive crowds that lined nearly every street around Salem Common, and found our way into Essex Pizza inside the Museum Place Mall. (The main entrance is on Washington Street.)

We each grabbed a couple slices of pizza, for around $8 total, just to refuel before continuing our self-guided night walk.

We got an extra treat on the way out, as a group of characters were reenacting "The Time Warp" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" right in the middle of the mall.

One thing we didn't count on was the harshness of fall weather, and we were forced (OK, it wasn't that hard) to purchase a couple of souvenir sweatshirts from a street stand for $15 each.

From there, we walked to the Witch Trials Memorial, where my uncle David searched for the stone bench marking the memory of his seventh great-grandmother, Mary Esty.

(Yes, my uncle, who married into the family, is a direct descendant of one of the hanged "witches." His daughter, Carrie, and granddaughter, Katherine, posed with him for a commemorative photo.)

The memorial isn't all that much to see, at least not at nighttime, but it was a hoot to find the bench and a bit of an eery thrill to be walking around there in the pitch black night.

Our day-time trip took place two days later, on a very quiet Monday morning.

Salem is quite a different place when the sun is up, but it isn't any less thrilling. Walking along the same historic streets, it became apparent the town isn't only for Halloween. The streets are lined with pubs, cafes and unique shops that offer plenty of poking around opportunities for travelers.

But we went straight for the Salem Witch Museum, a must-see for the first-time Salem visitor.

I strongly suggest purchasing your tickets ($8 per adult) as soon as you arrive in town. The half-hour tours, which begin every half-hour, sell out quick and you don't want to miss out.

The museum was founded in 1972 inside an 1845 stone building that was originally the Second Church Unitarian. Its mission is to present a historically accurate history of the witch trials.

Visitors are led to a round theater-style room, where 13 sets loom overhead to capture the audience's attention and illustrate a condensed account of the short-lived witch hysteria that rocked Salem. As a graduate of a New England school system, I was quite familiar with the general story, but I did find a few new details in the impressive show, which was just the right length.

From there, the group goes to the second part of the museum for a look into the general history and longevity of witchery and witchcraft. Be sure to take some time to browse the museum's gift shop, which has really cute souvenirs and a shelf full of interesting books, should you want to further your witch trials knowledge.

Thirsty, we made a pit stop at Salem Beer Works, where we gratefully sipped some crisp, cold North Shore Ale for around $10 total.

Our other Monday stop was Turtle Alley, a small but amazing chocolate shop inside the Museum Place Mall. Featured on The Food Network, the shop's turtle candy was awarded a "best turtle in New England" honor by The Phantom Gourmet.

Owner Hallie Baker opened the Salem shop as her second franchise. The flagship store is in Gloucester. All her chocolates and candies are handmade in small batches and while the selection inside is minimal, you can thank her for keeping it that way.

Her caramel is made in-store and delectable. Extremely smooth, creamy and flavorful, it melts inside your mouth the second you take a bite into its chocolate coating. Her turtles come in milk, dark and white chocolate and can be purchased with a variety of nuts. I sampled the milk chocolate macademia nut turtle, and I could have eaten an entire box.

I forked over just around $11 for four turtles, two caramels, a bag of candy corn for my mom (her favorite) and a chocolate lollipop for my niece.

While we were tempted by Salem's countless attractions, especially psychic readings, costume shops and vintage dress up photograph stops, our time in the witch city had come to an end.

But the magic has bewitched us, and I am certain we will return.

REBECCA KEISTER can be reached at 508-236-0336 or at rkeister@thesunchronicle.com.