New Blog, New Feedburner

We are launching a new-and-improved Salem.org, which is very exciting for all of us at Destination Salem.  We have completely rebuilt the back-end of the site, improving the database that provides all of our attraction, tour, museum, restaurant, and shopping listings to you in an organized and (we hope!) easy-to-read format.

We also have a new calendar - which is the most exciting thing for us, because none of us loved the old calendar. We really love the new calendar, and its pictures, and its searchability.  I hope you love it, too.

We are still putting some final touches - adding pictures, double-checking links, creating itineraries - on the site.  But we think it looks pretty great.

What does this mean for you, gentle blog-subscriber?  Well, the blog is no longer going to be written on Blogger.  We've enjoyed Blogger for these past four years, and the 882 posts will remain here as an archive, but your subscription will now come through Feedburner.

If you subscribe to the Destination Salem Blog on Blogger and you do not receive the blog via email, please let me know.  You can also subscribe again by visiting the new blog at salem.org/index.php/blog.

Thanks for being a blog subscriber.  I hope the transition is seamless, but just in case it is not... I thank you for your patience!

Salem Trolley Tours this Weekend!

Spring must be getting closer, because the Salem Trolley will be operating during weekends in March beginning this weekend!  You can explore Salem via Trolley on Saturdays and Sundays, first tour departing the Visitor Center (corner of Essex and New Liberty Streets) at 9:40 AM and last tour departing at 4:00 PM.

As long as the forecast remains snow-free, this will be the Trolley's weekend schedule throughout March.
The Trolley is a great way to explore Salem - especially if you have never visited before (or, perhaps it has been a while?).  The one-hour, live narrated tour talks about Salem's history and heritage, tells stories and reveals little-known secrets about the City.  It makes stops throughout the City, including at the Trolley Depot on Essex Street, Chestnut Street, Pickering Wharf, the House of the Seven Gables, and the Salem Witch Museum.

The trolley will also take you out to Winter Island, where you will have a great photo opportunity with the picturesque Fort Pickering Light.

What's your favorite historical tidbit about Salem?  Let us know here, or Tweet us at twitter.com/destsalem.
For more information on the Trolley, visit SalemTrolley.com.

Re-Find Mens Opens

We have a new clothing shop in Salem! Re-find, which opened on Washington Street last year, has opened a brother store - Re-find Men's.  Similar to its big sister, Re-find,  the masculine shop has a mix of new and consignment clothing.  Graphic T's,  hip button-down shirts, funky socks punctuate the new apparel.  Consignment items include shirts, jeans, ties, and more.  The store also has a selection of gift ideas for the guy in your life.

The renovations to the space have created a Restoration Hardware meets J. Crew ambiance, perfect for browsing and shopping for him and her.  Re-Find Mens is located at 244 Essex Street.  You can find more pictures and info on their Facebook page.

The original Re-Find is around the corner at 72 Washington Street.  Check them out for new and consignment, incdluding designer, women's clothing and accessories.

Vote for Finz!

We are so excited that Finz Seafood & Grill has been selected as a finalist in the 2012 About.com New England Travel Readers' Choice Awards. Between now and March 21, About.com readers will be voting for the Best Place to Eat Lobster in New England. 

While it's thrilling that Finz Seafood & Grill was nominated and made it onto the final ballot, we think Finz should win, win, WIN!  So we need your help.  

Visit gonewengland.about.com to cast your vote (for Finz!).  You can vote as frequently as once each day, so vote early, vote often!  

Go Finz! 

Celebrate Shapeshifting at the PEM

This Saturday and Sunday, February 18 and 19, the PEM will celebrate their remarkable Shapeshifting: Transformations in Native American Art exhibit with wonderful weekend festival.  The programs will include incredible dance performances, art making and demonstrations.




My son was fortunate enough to go to the PEM on a field trip this week, and his class participated in the Weaving demonstration with D.Y. Begay and the dance demonstration by Yellow Bird, and it was amazing.  Any program that can keep forty 11-year-olds transfixed and wanting more is a great success in my book.  I highly recommend taking the family to the PEM for this unique Weekend Festival this weekend.

All activities are Included with museum admission unless otherwise noted.  Click here for Sunday's schedule.

Double-sided Drum, ca. 1890

10:30 am–3:30 pm
ARTIST DEMONSTRATION: WeavingArtist D.Y. Begay (Diné Navajo), featured artist in Shapeshifting: Transformations in Native American Art, demonstrates how she creates her original handwoven Navajo rugs.
10:30 am–3:30 pm
DROP-IN ART ACTIVITYUse strips of paper to explore abstract landscapes.
11 am–3 pm
ARTIST DEMONSTRATION: Transforming PotteryAtrium
Artist Jason Garcia (Okuu Pin) transforms materials into a visually rich mix of Pueblo history and culture, comic book super heroes, video game characters, religious icons and all things pop culture. Watch as he shares his artistic process and inspiration.
11 am
STORY TIME: Jingle DancerMeet at information desk | For families with children ages 4 and up
Tickets available at admissions desk on day or program
How will Jenna be able to perform a jingle dance in the upcoming powwow without enough tin jingles? Hear what happens when we read Jingle Dancer, by Cynthia Leitich Smith, a tribal member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
11:30-Noon
FAMILY GALLERY EXPLORATIONFor children ages 5 and up with adult
Tickets available at admissions desk on day of program
Explore Shapeshifting: Transformations in Native American Art, in a 30-minute, hands-on tour designed just for families.
Noon and 2:30 pm
PERFORMANCES: Yellow BirdAtrium
The internationally renowned family dance troupe from Phoenix, Arizona, led by Ken Duncan (Apache), perform the energetic and stunning hoop dance and more.
1–2 pm
DOCENT-LED GALLERY TOUR: ShapeshiftingMeet at information desk | For adults and teens
Tickets available at admissions desk on day of tour

3:30–5 pm
FILM: Dear Lemon LimaMorse Auditorium | For adults and teens
Reservations by February 16
While rallying her fellow misfits to compete in their school's Snowstorm Survivor competition, an awkward Alaskan teen discovers her Yup'ik heritage. PG-13, 87 minutes.Purchase Tickets

Second Annual Artists and Authors Winter Exhibit

The Hawthorne Hotel and the Salem Arts Association are delighted to announce the second annual Artists and Authors Winter Exhibit at the Hawthorne Hotel on Thursday, February 23, 2012, from 5 to 9 p.m.

The Hawthorne Hotel’s Ballroom will be overrun by local fine artists and authors—both famous and nearly so—including visual artists Charles Lang, Wendy Snow-Lang, Sara Ashodian, and Ellen Hardy and authors Robert Booth and Nelson Dionne. Robert Booth is the author of Death of an Empire: The Rise and Murderous Fall of Salem, America’s Richest City. Nelson Dionne’s Salem in Stereo: Victorian Salem in 3D—just recently published—comes complete with 3D glasses.

Audial pleasure will be provided by the music of Brendan O’Reilly and Clay Ventre & the Bond Girls. To complete the delight  of visitors’ senses on this cold winter night will be a cash bar featuring a special ‘arts menu.’ The Artists and Authors Winter Exhibit is free and open to the public.

Artists and Authors Winter Exhibit

The Hawthorne Hotel at 18 Washington Square West, Salem, MA
Thursday, February 23, 2012
5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Music by Brendan O'Reilly and Clay Ventre & the Bond Girls
Cash bar and special 'arts menu

School Vacation Week Special at the Salem Wax Museum

The Salem Wax Museum is offering a great special for School Vacation Week! 

$4 off the Hysteria Pass, which includes:
- Discounted Admission to the Salem Wax Museum
- Discounted Admission to the Witch Village
- Free Witch Trials Memorial Information Scroll

The Salem Wax Museum and Witch Village are located adjacent to the Old Burying Point and the Salem Witch Trials Memorial.  The Wax Museum is a self-guided exhibit about the history of Salem, including Roger Conant's arrival in Salem in 1626, pirate history, maritime heritage, and, of course, the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.  The Witch Village is an indoor, guided tour through the history of witches. 

The Salem Wax Museum is also home to the interactive Souvenir Factory, where kids can make grave rubbings, spin art, and wax hands (for a fee). 

Learn more & buy tickets online here.