FAQ #1: Are there any deals? Discounts? Packages?

Travel anywhere is expensive, so it is logical that the most often heard question at Destination Salem involves saving money during your trip. 


We travel.  We travel with family.  We get it.

We occasionally see Salem businesses pop up on Groupon, Living Social, and Where deals, but we usually don't know who or when these deals will be available.  When they are available, we post them on Facebook and Twitter, so if you are not following us, you might want to ad us to your list. 

There are three combination tickets in Salem that might work for you and your trip.

Discover Salem Passport - If this is your first trip to Salem, or you are looking for a sampling of all things Salem - Witch Trials, Maritime, Architecture, Art - this is the combo-deal for you.  This passport includes admission to the House of the Seven Gables, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem Trolley and Salem Witch Museum.  The passport is also good for 15% off your meal at the Tavern at the Hawthorne Hotel, Victoria Station, or Salem Beer Works.  Note: if you qualify for senior pricing, the Discover Salem Passport will not offer any savings.  You may want to purchase attraction tickets individually. The passport must be purchased online, in advance of your trip, and it is not valid in October.


The Land of Witches & Pirates:  This is a great way to see the Witch Dungeon Museum, Witch History Museum and New England Pirate Museum.  The combination ticket to all three will save you $5.00 off the three tickets.  The discount on all three tickets is offered through October, and it is available when you purchase your tickets at any of the three museums.  Between the three attractions, you will gain insight into the events of 1692 as well as Salem and New England's pirate history. 

The Hysteria Pass:  The Hysteria Pass is good for admission to the Salem Wax Museum and the Salem Witch Village, saving you $2 per person.  The Salem Wax Museum is self-guided, allowing you to see scenes from Salem history at your own pace, perhaps pausing on Roger Conant, the founder of Salem, or Elias Hasket Derby, Salem's first millionaire, and the Witch Village provides insight into Witchcraft.  The Wax Museum has an interactive "Souvenir Factory," as well, which is great for kids who want to make grave rubbings (which are illegal on real grave stones), wax hands, or Salem bears.  

There are several ways to save when you stay overnight, and many of Salem's inns offer packages that include museum tickets.  The Hawthorne Hotel, Salem Inn, and Salem Waterfront Hotel each have packages outlined on their web sites. 

Where you stay and the sites you visit greatly depend on the experience you are seeking in Salem, but one of these combination tickets might help guide you through the 400 years of history you will experience during your visit. 

Salem Jazz & Soul Festival this weekend

The Salem Jazz & Soul Festival is an awesome opportunity to catch some of the hottest Jazz and Blues around.  Headliners this year are Bonerama on Saturday and Big Sam's Funky Nation on Sunday. 

The Berklee series of music that has been entertaining us on Derby Square on Saturdays have been building to this moment since May.  The crescendo has nearly peaked.  Salem Jazz & Soul Festival is here!

Click here for the full music schedule.  

 

Searching for Striped Bass

This is one of those events that will make people say, "Really? In Salem?"  I love that. Because you never know what's going on in Salem - on land or at sea.  The seventh annual Mass Bay Striper Shootout is a perfect example.  (This is the fifth year they've held it in Salem!)

The seventh annual Mass Bay Striper Shootout organized by New England Kayak Fishing rolls in to Salem this weekend. For the 5th year in a row the event will be centered on Winter Island in Salem, Massachusetts on August 19th through the 21st and is catch, photo, and release tournament. There will be close to 150 anglers and their families coming to Salem from as far away as California to participate.

Check in for the event will be in downtown Salem at Joe's Fish Prints at Artists Row.

Most of these kayaks are equipped with electronics including GPS, fish finder units and VHF radios and lights for safety. If you see a parade of tiny lights out on Salem Sound and local harbors, it is fishermen searching for Striped Bass. The winning fish are typically in the 45 inch range. All fish are released.  

Proceeds of the event will go to Casting for Recovery, The floating Hospital for Children and the Boys and Girls Club Of Greater Salem.

Set your DVR, or your alarm clock, for Wednesday night

Salem Chefs are taking over prime time! First there's Chef Jennifer Normant from the Hawthorne Hotel, who has made it to the Top 10 on Hell's Kitchen. Now, Chef Antonio Bettencourt from 62 Restaurant is going to be on Bravo's show, Rocco's Dinner Party.

Salem's foodie appeal is going up in leaps and bounds.

Set your DVR, or your alarm clock, to catch Executive Chef/Owner Antonio Bettencourt of 62 Restaurant & Wine Bar on Wednesday night August 17th (that's tomorrow!) as he makes his national television debut on Rocco's Dinner Party on Bravo at 10:00PM eastern/9:00PM central.

According to IMDb, the episode titled Liza with a 'B!', pits healthy caterer Frank Picchione, opera singer Lucia Palmieri and restaurant owner/chef Antonio Bettencourt against each other as they vie to throw the best bash ever for Liza Minnelli's 65th Birthday. There's $20,000 at stake; as well as some serious bragging rights- as the chefs compete to throw a fete worthy of the incomparable Liza with a Z!

If you watch the video - keep watching through the commercials to see clips of Tony.  

“62” is a Modern Italian trattoria serving contemporary versions of regional Italian classics in downtown Salem. Chef Antonio Bettencourt and his team are dedicated to using the best locally –sourced, all natural ingredients in season and at the peak of flavor. The cooking at 62 shows true soul and a commitment to the true "craft" of cooking.

North Shore Wine Week

More than forty restaurants and wine shops  are participating in North Shore Wine Week, a week-long celebration of food and wine north of Boston, August 21 - 27.  Six of the participating businesses are right here in Salem!

Participating restaurants and wine shops will be offering pairings, tasting flights, and tasting events.  There is a detailed calendar of events on NorthShoreWineWeek.com.

You can celebrate North Shore Wine Week in Salem at:

62 Restaurant & Wine Bar
Finz Seafood
Grapevine Restaurant
Nathaniel's (at Hawthorne Hotel)
Pamplemousse
Salem Waterfront Hotel

Short of Restaurant Week, this is the best excuse we've heard to get out and experience the great dining and shopping north of Boston, and especially in Salem. 

A busy weekend in Salem

This weekend is the final weekend of Heritage Days, and the schedule is packed with events. 

Tonight the kids can bounce and play and run around at Kids' Night on the Common. Tomorrow Essex Street and its will be lined with arts, crafts, jewelry, soaps, toys, and food as the annual Essex Street Fair returns. 

At 3:30 on Saturday and Sunday the annual Improv on the Bricks will take to Derby Square.  I need to laugh-til-I-cry, so I'll probably check that one out.  Right next door, Caffe Graziani will be celebrating their 20th Anniversary with a grand Festa Italiano from 2:30-4:30 PM.  Check out the Spaghetti Eating Contest at 3:30 PM.

And there's a Bluegrass Jam at Gulu Gulu at 2:30 PM on Saturday, Family Activities at the PEM all weekend, and a Pet Fair and Show on the Common on Sunday.

And that's just the special stuff - the extra programming, in addition to the museums, attractions, tours, shopping, dining, live music and theater that is always happening in Salem. 

Where are you going to start?



Visit Salem.com for the complete schedule of Heritage Days events.

The Phillips House Car Meet Turns 10

Join Historic New England’s Phillips House and the North Shore Old Car Club for the Tenth Annual Car Meet on historic Chestnut Street.  Members of the North Shore Old Car Club will display their vintage and antique vehicles; there will be special tours of the Phillips House and Carriage House, including a close-up look at the two Pierce-Arrows, Model A Ford, and five carriages on display in the collection. Special family activities and games will be set up in the backyard. Jazz music will be provided by the Trent Austin Duo. Light refreshments will be provided as well.

New this year, RFT Insurance of Lynnfield will be sponsoring two award categories for the meet. All visitors will be able to vote for a People’s Choice and there will be a Sponsor’s Choice Award. The awards ceremony will take place at 2:15 p.m. Raffle tickets will also be available for an array of auto related prizes with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the preservation efforts at Historic New England.

The meet takes place on Sunday, August 14 from 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. Admission is free. The car meet is open to all participants, though members of the North Shore Old Car Club will receive priority parking near the Phillips House.

For more information, please call 978-744-0440 or visit www.HistoricNewEngland.org.