Six ways to raise your spirits in Salem

The forecast for this weekend looks awfully good. Here are six ways - of many - to raise your spirits in Salem this weekend.

1. Dine Outside! Grab a table in front of Rockafellas, Caffe Graziani, or Gulu Gulu Cafe and watch the world walk by on Washington Street or sit harbor side at Finz, Capt's or Victoria Station on Pickering Wharf for a maritime view. Find the perfect restaurant for your taste at Salem.org.

2. Take a Lighthouse Cruise aboard Mahi Mahi Cruises. This weekend kicks off Mahi Mahi's summer cruise series. The two-hour lighthouse cruise will take you out and around the historic lighthouses of Salem Sound, including Beverly's Hospital Point, Marblehead Light, Derby Light, Pickering Light, and Baker's Island Light. MahiCruises.com

3. Eat Ice Cream. Stop by Maria's Sweet Somethings or Ben & Jerry's and get an ice cream cone, and eat it fast because it's going to melt all over your hands. Don't forget the jimmies.

4. Slow down, Stretch, and Breathe. Stop by Green Tea Yoga and find a calmer state of mind for your weekend. Classes range from high intensity Forrest Yoga to a gentler Hatha Mix. GreenTeaYoga.com

5. Be inspired by the Maya. The Peabody Essex Museum "Atrium Alive" Series will celebrate Fiery Pool: The Maya and the Mythic Sea with family programming on Saturday and Sunday. pem.org

6. Unplug. Fretless, an a capella quintet will be performing in the Cornerstone Books Cafe on Saturday at 7:00 pm. This is a cover-free show in the Cafe. CornerstoneBooks-Salem.com

Shop, Dine & Explore Pickering Wharf

I had lunch at Finz on Pickering Wharf last week, and thought it was a great opportunity to take some pictures for the blog.

Pickering Wharf is a great shopping and dining district in Salem. The wharf is bordered by the Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites, Salem Harbor, and the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. The horseshoe of Wharf Street is worth exploring in any season.

(They are top of mind right now because I am working on the Haunted Happenings calendar of events, and Pickering Wharf will become HalloWharf for October.)

When you walk to Pickering Wharf from downtown Salem, and you turn right onto Wharf Street you will discover incredible restaurants, including Sixty2 on Wharf, Finz, Victoria Station, and Capt.'s. Finz, Victoria Station, and Capt's all have water views and outdoor dining. Victoria Station has a salad bar and great prime rib - and they just opened the new Vic's Boathouse section of the restaurant for casual dining. Capt.'s has great seafood and features both pub and dining options. Finz has creative and fresh seafood and great gazpacho. Sixty2 on Wharf is a more formal dining experience - no kids' menus here! - with the freshest local ingredients and delicious fare from apps to dessert.

A progressive meal through these restaurants wouldn't be a bad way to spend an evening!!

Between the restaurants, you'll find great shopping at The Picklepot, Awakening Guild, Salemdipity, QuintEssentials, and Artemisia Botanicals - among others.

The Picklepot has a bead bar, so you can shop for or make your own artistic originals! QuintEssentials has great accessories and jewelry. Salemdipity is the best stop for souvenirs and t-shirts. Awakening Guild is a Witch shop filled with unique gifts from around the world. At Artemisia Botanicals you can have a reading done and shop for holistic herbs, oils, and remedies.

Schooner Fame sails out of Pickering Wharf, too - her berth is adjacent to Victoria Station.

Need I say more? Shop, dine, explore...Pickering Wharf!

Al Fresca Yum Yum

It's gorgeous out today - hooray! Grab your lunch and head outside. We all need the sun's vitamins after this stretch of gray. Check out the outside dining at these Salem restaurants:

On Washington Street, which is being called "Eat Street" by the locals, you can dine outside at the new tables in front and back of Caffe Graziani. The tables in the back are in a delightful shaded corner of Derby Square. Continue up Washington Street to Rockafellas, and across the street behind the Bewitched Statue, Gulu Gulu Cafe and Upper Crust Pizza each have outdoor dining.

Down on the water, you can sit harborside at Capt.'s, Victoria Station, Finz and the Regatta at the Salem Waterfront Hotel.

On Essex Street you can eat sushi fountainside at Asahi.

And on Front Street in the vicinity of Old Town Hall, you can sit outside at the Lobster Shanty (particularly fun when they have live music in Artists' Row), and you can eat ice cream at Maria's Sweet Somethings.

Don't feel limited by these restaurants that offer table service out of doors. If you're looking for something more casual, grab a dog at Boston Hot Dog or a sandwich at Reds, Brothers, or Essex Pizza and head to the picnic tables at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site or the cafe tables behind Old Town Hall on Front Street.

The steps of Old Town Hall and the Gazebo in Salem Common are also excellent picnic spots, as are the walls of Armory Park adjacent to the Salem Regional Visitor Center.

Bon apetit!