In February I decided to do a staycation with my friends in Salem. We like to visit Salem often and explore the downtown area. So this time we decided to make a trip out of it to celebrate valentines day.
We timed it with the So Sweet Chocolate and Ice Sculpture Festival because of the nonpeak season hotel prices. We chose the Hawthorne hotel because it’s always been on our bucket list and because of the rumors that it’s haunted.
Itinerary
Friday
I arrived in downtown Salem early and headed to Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie before I checked into the hotel. It is America’s oldest candy company and I have never been before. Then around 5 pm, I head to the hotel to check in and get settled while I wait for my friends to arrive.
Around 6:30 my friends arrive and we finish unpacking before we get dinner. We went to O’neills pub and restaurant and chatted while we waited for our food. But we forgot that restaurants in Salem can get really busy because it was a Friday and ice sculpture weekend. That’s usually why we don’t eat at sit-down restaurants if we visit Salem in October. However, October in Salem is a story for another day. Luckily we ordered appetizers to enjoy while we waited for our main course. Usually, I don’t order appetizers at restaurants to save money but after waiting an hour for our food I’m glad that I decided to splurge this time.
After we got our food we decided to eat and then ask for takeout boxes because we were getting tired. We made a stop at Goodnight fatty a late-night cookie store only open on weekends.
After we got back to the hotel we decided to explore the hotel before settling in for the night.
Saturday
We decided to explore the rest of the hotel before we checked out. Then we all stopped at Ye Olde Pepper Candy Company. We live near Salem so we decided to go home and get ready for the ice sculptures tonight. We were going to stay at the hotel Saturday-Sunday night but some of my friends had plans on Sunday so this was our compromise. We explored the ice sculptures for about an hour or two then we went to Village Tavern before calling it a night.
Total costs:
Hotel: 50 (Split the cost of the hotel room with my friends)
Food: 58 (Dinner at Oneill’s and Village Tavern, Goodnight Fatty cookies and candy from Ye Olde Pepper Candy Company). We brought food to eat in the hotel room for breakfast to save money.
Advice for visiting Salem
- Make reservations: During peak seasons October, Ice sculpture festival etc make reservations for anything you want to see or restaurants. Ice sculpture weekend isn’t as busy as October but with pandemic-related staff shortages, wait times can be longer. However in October if you visit and don’t make reservations you will encounter long wait times at restaurants.
- Public restrooms: If you are looking for public restrooms they are located in the Witch City Mall, Visitors Center, Artists Alley, and Derby Wharf. During the month of October Salem also usually have porta-potties around.
- Be respectful: Please be respectful to the residents and employees in Salem.
- Wear comfortable shoes
Overall I had a great staycation in Salem and I am hoping to do this next year.
