Black Cat Tours

06/01/2025

Black Cat will ALWAYS be a place where you are respected and safe in your identity! Love is Love! Happy Pride everyone!

(The photo is of our beautiful girl Kaoru with a real rainbow, the background is a blended stock image from Canva!)

05/30/2025

We are disappointed to hear about the cancellation of the student performances of Arthur Miller's The Crucible at Fannin High School in Blue Ridge, Georgia. The Crucible is a thought-provoking and poignant interpretation of the Salem Witch Trials, written by Miller in 1952 as a parable for McCarthyism and the persecution of alleged Communists. Its themes of misinformation, religious extremism, and prejudice are particularly poignant to modern audiences. This school production, like the play itself, is mired in controversy.

The students involved in the production claim they were told it was cancelled after one performance due to audience complaints about “demonic” themes. The school claims it was closed due to an added scene which the school said would violate their licensing agreement. As theatre professionals ourselves, we know how seriously these agreements are held, since changes made to a script can sometimes subvert the message of the entire play. Any director who wants to add dialogue or scenes are required to get permission from the licensing company. It seems in this production, the change was to add a wordless enactment of the “dance” the young girls describe themselves having done in the opening scene. A parent of one of the students claims to have contacted the licensing company and says they were told this would not have violated the agreement. These students feel their production was censored by audience members who were uncomfortable with the play’s depiction of a community turning on itself due to fear, jealousy, and anger. They believe that the licensing argument is a pretense to close the controversial show.

There seem to be as many twists and turns regarding this school’s production as there are in the play itself. We are very interested to see how it all plays out.

As a side note, we would like to point out that while The Crucible is often the first introduction that many people have to the events of 1692, it is very much a piece of historical fiction and does not accurately portray the true events of the Hysteria and Trials.

The attached photo from the student production is from hesherman.com

05/26/2025

On this Memorial Day, we would like to take a moment to reflect on the many, many brave people from Salem who have given their lives in service to this country. Though war is the great horror of humanity, we honor those who chose to sacrifice everything that they were for a cause they believed in, as well as those who were conscripted and were given no choice. We hope that in our tours and in our books, we do their memory proud, and tell their stories with respect and compassion.

As of today (though Black Cat Curiosity Shoppe is open, we are not running tours this evening) going forward we are changing our policy from discounts for service members and veterans, to offering FREE tours to them for everything except our boat tours, which will be discounted by 50% Please book with us via email or in person at our shop to facilitate these free tickets.

We truly believe that education is the most valuable tool a person can possess, and we wish to do our part in sharing our knowledge of this very special city with those who have fought so hard, and given so much of themselves to help protect it.

05/24/2025

05/17/2025

In honor of Armed Forces Day, we are offering our evening walking tours today FREE to current and veteran service members. Thank you for all you have done during your service! Please see one of our staff at Black Cat Curiosity Shoppe for booking!

Painting below is of Leslie's Retreat by Lewis Jesse Bridgman, the first armed confrontation of The Revolutionary War, which took place here in Salem on February 26, 1775.

05/04/2025

05/01/2025

Ebi-chan rates the Dunkin' Donuts "Baker's Choice" an 11/10. You will never see a happier face.

Happy Beltane everyone!

04/20/2025

Happy Easter! And Happy 4th Birthday to the Twins, Hikaru and Kaoru (slightly camera shy)! They are doing a great job running both Black Cat Tours and Black Cat Curiosity Shoppe!

04/14/2025

Are we doing it right?

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04/01/2025

We would like to take a moment to celebrate everyone in the Black Cat family, and our many wonderful guests over the years who face adversity on a daily basis just for being who they are.

We hope that as time goes on, our society will finally understand that Trans people are PEOPLE.

Every single person has something about them that makes them different from the next, and that's what makes humankind so beautiful and special. We have the capacity to overcome the pack mentality of animals to share genuine love across borders. If you know a Trans person and are not Trans yourself, overcome the perception you have of them and just talk to them like a person. Overcome your fear and prejudices. Just talk.

If you are reading this and identify as Trans, we are here for you, we celebrate you finding who you are when it feels like there is no one around you who cares. We are here, we are not alone, and we will ALWAYS fight for you and your right to just be.

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