Salem sees jump in visitors this October: "It has been growing so fast"

Forget Frankenstein and Ghostface. One of the scariest sights in Salem, Massachusetts, this October might just be the lines to get in and out of there.

"We were a little nervous about it, but once we got off the train and we got on the street here it was smooth sailing," said train rider Bill Risky.

The Witch City is casting quite the spell on visitors this year. Just last Saturday, 136,500 people descended on Salem.That's a 12% jump from the same Saturday last year when 121,600 visitors went to the town.

"It has been growing so fast especially this year," said Wicked Awesome Tours guide Allie DelFranco. "It's intense, you can see it on the locals' faces, we love it, we survive off tourism, but this is very busy, I've seen lines at 7:30 in the morning last week on a Monday. It's insane."

It's all worth it for one mom and daughter duo from Seattle.

"I just love it. I love the spirit of the people and everybody wearing different hats, we didn't wear our witch hats tonight, but I brought them," said Cathy and Brandy Burton-Podel from Seattle.

But keeping all these crowds safe takes some serious safety planning, with more police manpower and more pedestrian barricades.

"The population of Salem is only about 45,000, so more than doubling our population in visitors, which is of course a public safety challenge," said Salem Chief Lucas Miller. "The public is our eyes and ears and of course visitors are the same thing if you come here and see something that doesn't seem right, call us."

To keep things moving, the MBTA and Keolis are adding 30 extra trains every weekend in October on the Newburyport/Rockport line.

For Monday's holiday, trains will run on a weekday schedule, with service between Boston and Salem about every 30 minutes.

But the warning to Halloween revelers is don't wait until the witching hour. Police say the best bet to avoid the scary crowds is coming on a weekday.

And the ferry from Boston to Salem can also be an option too.

"Prepare for your trip. If you're planning on coming to Salem, have a method of getting here, have a method of getting home and keep your wits about you," said Chief Miller.