I will be spending this Halloween in Salem,Ma.I am curious if anyone else from here is going too or has in the past and can give me any advise on what to see with the family.

i'm not going, but just wanted to let you know... i'm soooooooo jealous !!!  LOL !!!!  i've heard it's incredible to spend halloween there.....have a great time !!!!

I'm from MA and I can tell you there is a lot of things that go on all week long for Halloween.
Heres a couple of sites that can give you great information on current planned events that week,

http://www.hauntedhappenings.org/

http://www.salemweb.com/hh/

http://salemhalloweencity.com/

One of the best thing I can advise you on is get a all day pass for the trolley cars. This is the best way to get around town. They hit all the major locations and the rest is walking distance away.
Don't try to walk from one place to another, you'll burn out the family in no time. Buy the all day trolley pass. Worth every penny.