Hooray for April 1st!

The trolleys are running, and tomorrow The Witch Dungeon, Witch History, and New England Pirate Museums will open for the 2008 season. These are three indoor experiences, so don't let New England's chilly spring habits keep you away. If you plan to visit all three sites, you can purchase a combination pass that will save you a little money.

WITCH DUNGEON MUSEUM - REOPENING APRIL 1st. 16 Lynde St. Award winning live re-enactment of a Witch trial followed by guided tour of the Dungeon. Open daily 10:00am to 5:00pm, April through November. Contact: 978-741-3570 http://www.witchdungeon.com/

WITCH HISTORY MUSEUM - REOPENING APRIL 1st. 197-201 Essex St.The stories of 1692 are told through a live presentation followed by a guided tour downstairs where you will see 15 life size scenes depicting these stories. Open daily 10:00am to 5:00pm,April through November. Contact: 978-741-7770 http://www.witchhistorymuseum.com/

NEW ENGLAND PIRATE MUSEUM - REOPENING WEEKENDS IN APRIL A guided tour through the Museum where you will view historical artifacts, experience the adventures of New England sea-robbers, board a pirate ship and explore an 80ft cave. Open daily 10:00am to 5:00pm, May through October, weekends in April and November. Contact: 978-741-2800 http://www.piratemuseum.com/

Discover the magic of witches and pirates in Salem!

Waves & Witches

I love this - excerpted from TransWorldNews article I found online. I only included the paragraph about Salem (Yes, I know, I'm self-serving. What can I say? It's a living!) if you want to read the rest, follow the link!

Massachusetts Bed and Breakfasts Attract Financially Savvy Travelers
Laguna Beach 3/27/2008 06:00 AM GMT (TransWorldNews)

Be Merry in Massachusetts – traverse this entire state -relax in some wonderful B&B’s, dine on some scrumptious gourmet breakfasts and still have money left over for souvenirs! While most travelers know the benefits of off-season travel – fewer tourists, shorter lines and friendlier prices – the bed and breakfasts listed below also participate in iLoveInns.com Buy-One-Night-Get-One-Night-Free Program so there are substantial savings possible.

Waves & Witches
Although not as well-known as Cape Cod, the North Shore of Massachusetts offers its own great artistic ocean communities. While Salem is best known for its witch trials and great Halloween celebrations, there is so much more. First, drop your bags at the historic Salem Inn with a range of inviting rooms, many with period antiques and working fireplaces. To begin, there is a stunning harbor to explore. Then continue on to great boutiques, restaurants for every budget, the classic House of Seven Gables- fascinating for young and old; and the amazing Peabody Essex Museum, which is truly a voyage through culture and art.Or head to the next town, Marblehead, where you can watch spectacular sunrises over Castle Rock at the lovely Seagull Inn Bed & Breakfast. You will start the day with homemade baked goods and fresh coffee and perhaps end the day at the local Landing Restaurant with its fresh seafood.

Everybody loves this bag!

In Salem, green is the new black!

The Salem Main Streets environmentally-friendly tote bag is the bag to have. Each bag purchased is a step towards less paper and plastic waste and towards promoting downtown Salem. More than 30 Salem businesses are participating in the green-bag promotion.

Get yours for $2.00 at Angelica of the Angels, Artemesia Botanicals, The Broom Closet, Crunchy Granola Baby, Maria's Sweet Somethings, Pamplemousse, Picklepot, Pyramid Books, Salem Cycle, Treasures Over Time, and The Trolley Depot.

You couldn't ask for a hipper, more environmentally friendly souvenir!

Coffee Time Bake Shop

Isn't this a great cake? This is the cake that Coffee Time Bake Shop provided for a reception Destination Salem held last week at the National Park Service Salem Regional Visitor Center. We were celebrating the launch of the 2008 Salem Visitor & Travel Guide, and we were celebrating the 70th birthday of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site.

Coffee Time heard there was a birthday party, and you can't have a birthday party without a cake, so here is the stunning cake - which was equally delicious, I must add. The Custom House is hand-"painted" in frosting, as is the lighthouse (Derby Light). The Friendship image is scanned onto the cake. Along the front it read, "America's First National Historic Site."

Thanks to Rob and his team at Coffee Time for this great cake. If you haven't been to Coffee Time, make it a stop as soon as you cane! The season for Paczkis (My favorite Coffee Time treat - a double rolled, stuffed "donut" that is made only during Lent!) is over for this year, but that doesn't mean the cases aren't filled with donuts, cakes, cookies, real cream bismarks, and other decadent treats. They whole wheat chocolate chip cookies are really good, too, and I consider them guilt-less because they are made with whole wheat flour. (Please don't ruin my delusion by telling me how much butter and sugar go into the cookies!) Come fall I won't be able to get enough of their glazed cider donuts.

Discover the magic of treats in Salem!

Destination Salem in the News

This post is more industry-related then it is going to inspire you to pack up and visit Salem, but I'm going to write it, nonetheless. The Salem News ran a great article in today's paper about the increase in Salem's hotel/motel tax revenues. Here is a link to the article: Salem sees big boost in hotel taxes.

Trolleys are running - It must be spring!

There are three sure signs that spring is coming in Salem: 1: St. Patrick's Day, 2: Daylight Savings, 3: The trolleys start running again. And, Hooray! - because the trolleys returned to the streets of Salem last weekend, and they had visitors aboard! I'll say it again, Hooray!

There is a lot to do in Salem during the winter: Movies, museums, shopping, dining, art & culture abound year round here. But it's still warmer and sunnier in the spring, and when visitors return to Salem there is a great buzz to the City. The great thing about living or working in a destination city is that there are always people around you who just love where you live or work.

To you, the visitor, I say Thank you! When you choose to come to Salem (presumably instead of going somewhere else), you bring your enthusiasm for this place and it rubs off on the rest of us. It's hard to be grumpy when we're surrounded by people who are happy to be here. And visitors are happy to be here - happy to learn things in the museums, happy to have fun at the attractions, happy to shop, to dine, to eat. It's a vacation - long or short - and it's a good time for everyone involved!

April 1st is the real kick-off to the 2008 season in Salem. But the trolleys started running on March 21. CityView Trolleys are running Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays (and daily during school vacation week, which is April 21 - 25). The first one-hour tour is at 9:30 am and the last tour starts at 4:30 pm. Tickets are available on the trolleys and on-line. If you have any questions, call CityView Trolleys at 978-594-0969. They are in the process of updating their web site, so a phone call may be the best bet for the most current information.

Whether you are coming from near or far, we look forward to welcoming you to Salem this season. There's a lot of magic here - come discover it for yourself!

(PS: I have to note that the picture above was taken last May - our trees and flowers are not blooming yet.)

Visit Destination Salem on Facebook!

Destination Salem is a new group on Facebook. Most of the information you will find there, you can find on Salem.org, but on Facebook you can post your feedback, your photos and videos of your trip (trips?!) to Salem, and invite your friends to learn more. Join the Destination Salem group on Facebook, and invite your friends!