I'm a Massachusetts native. Skip Salem and check out this less-crowded neighboring city for Halloween fun.

I think Beverly, Massachusetts, is better than Salem in the fall.

Sarah Sweeney/Endicott College I'm from Massachusetts, and I love visiting Salem, but it can be too busy in the fall.

Instead, I think Beverly, Massachusetts, is an amazing, less-crowded alternative.

Not only is the Halloween decor incredible, but the place also has great food and historic charm.

Anyone from Massachusetts knows that during Halloween, Salem is packed tighter than a Candy Crush board.

I've visited Salem many times, but I like to avoid the area from September through the beginning of November because of the surge in tourism.

Each year, the city welcomes roughly 1,000,000 visitors every October, with 96,000 people going on Halloween alone.

During the fall, crowds flood the streets on ghost tours, take selfies in front of the statue of Elizabeth Montgomery from "Bewitched," line up at the Salem Witch Museum, and try to snag a ticket to the Haunted Witch Village at the Salem Wax Museum.

It's always exciting to welcome new guests who are eager to learn about the city's twisted history.

But during October, Salem's narrow streets and scarce parking make its charm hard to enjoy.

However, a recent three-day staycation in Beverly, Massachusetts —just three miles away from Salem's city center — gave my family and me the best of both worlds: easy access to Witch City, plus a quieter place to eat, explore, and sleep.

Until this year, I'd thought of it as mostly Salem's sleepier sister, but my time there made me realize I'd been overlooking it as a must-visit destination in its own right.

Beverly has Halloween spirit without Salem's October crowds Halloween on the Hill features thousands of hand-carved jack-o'-lanterns, twinkling lights, and decorations.

Mary Dettloff/The Trustees of Reservations Downtown Beverly has the independent restaurants, family-owned boutiques, and historic architecture that I love about Salem, minus the holiday crowds.