Parking in Salem for new residents

If you are a new resident of the city of Salem you might find that the area where you have been parking (if you park on street) in is blocked or reserved in October. Head over to the parking clerk or city hall and bring a utility bill and your car registration with you.  You can get a month of October pass which will let you park in resident parking areas.

Where should I park?

There are quite a few parking lots in the main tourist areas of Salem in addition to on street metered spots and the two garages.  We built a map to help you out a bit.

View Salem MA Parking Map in a larger map

How much will it cost?

Most metered spots cost $0.50 per hour and are enforced Monday through Saturday from 8am to 6pm.  Some spots have a max of 2 hours while others are only good for one.  Read the label on the meter to find out how much you need to pay. Some people try to park in one spot all day and just feed the meter every two hours.  However, depending on what meter maid is working the area you are parking in you might find yourself with a “meter feeding” ticket.  People who work down town have learned to move their car every few hours, tourists usually take a chance by feeding the meter but this can end in a big fat orange ticket.

Due to the success Salem is seeing with its robust nightlife, the parking garages now charge until 2am on Thursday – Saturday (Sunday morning) and are a flat fee of $20 on weekends in October.  Your best bet might be the MBTA commuter rail lot at $4.00 a day.  The walk to down town is a few minutes longer but ad the end of the day those few minutes will save you frustration and $16.00 As an added bonus the Salem News is reporting that funds have been approved for a six story 750 – 900 car garage at the commuter rail lot to be finished by 2011.

Salem Ferry the Bowditch

As a person who has to travel to Boston more often come June 1st, I’ve been looking at taking the Salem Ferry once in a while.  The Salem Ferry is a 92-foot high-speed catamaran with a capacity of 149 passengers. It makes the trip between Salem and Boston in 45 minutes that’s about 10 minutes longer than the commuter rail but if you are going to the financial district your overall trip may be shorter.

As with any method of transportation the Salem Ferry has it’s pros and cons. Aside from a season opening fire a few years back, some of the obvious cons are price, weather and schedule.

The price of a round trip ferry ride is $24 ($20 off season) commuters can get a 10 ride pass (one week) for $54.  Compared to the commuter rail which is $163 a month the ferry costs $53 dollars MORE!

If you are a 9 to 5 worker you would have to take the boat at 7am getting you to Long Wharf at 7:55 (that’s 10 minutes longer than they claim it takes, maybe it’s the “new math”).  Then heading out of Boston there is a 5:10 or 7:10.  It’s like they missed the obvious departure times.  For this to be worthwhile to the commuter it should depart Salem around 8am and arrive in Boston around 8:45 then for the evening commute depart around 6 and arrive in Salem around 6:45.

Is the Salem Ferry only for tourists?

It looks like the schedule and time isn’t very conducive for the daily Salem to Boston commuter but what about tourists?

The Boston dock for the Salem ferry is centrally located at Long Wharf, right near the Aquarium, Faneuil Hall, the North End and plenty of other tourist locations, hotels and restaurants.  If you are a tourist going to Boston you will no-doubt find yourself near they ferry so it’s quite convenient.  Let’s face it, taking a boat through the harbor islands and up along the coast is much more fun than the MBTA’s Orange line to North Station then a commuter train through Everett, Chelsea and Lynn on your way to Salem.  Sure it costs a few bucks more but when you get off the boat in Salem you are right by the House of Seven Gables, a big attraction for Salem tourists.

Splitting the difference

If you are someone who prefers a more enjoyable commute but can’t fathom a 7am departure, maybe splitting the difference is the way to go.  Why not take the train in to Boston in the morning and then decompress with a leisurely cruise home?  We forgot to mention one of the Salem Ferry’s strong points – their on board bar.  What would be better than soaking up the late afternoon rays, enjoying the ocean scenery as you zip away from Boston sipping on an adult beverage?  Looks like for us Salemites taking the ferry once in a while could be the best of both worlds.

The Salem Ferry opens for service on May 22 with its summer schedule going into effect on June 20.  Tickets can be purchased at the ferry or online.  Visit salemferry.com for schedule and other info.

The Salem start-up isn’t the only walking tour available, Untravel Media a Boston based company offers a variety of tours one of them being Seeking Sanctuary in Salem.  This walking tour was written and mapped out by Salem filmmaker Mike Boudo.

Already in the tours business for the past 92 years is the National Parks Service.  They offer “audio tours” of various Salem sites owned or run by the NPS.

We decided to check out these downloadable tours and give you the low down.

Format

All of these tour providers offer MP3 download formats.  Seeing as though Apple has sold over 100 million ipods (1 in 3 Americans own an ipod or mp3 player) formats other than mp3 are not needed. However Untravel Media goes the extra mile and offers not only audio downloads but M4V video as well and has a windows mobile OS download option for people with Crackberrys and the like.

Cost

Tourists are already spending money getting to their destination and especially these days every penny counts.  Iseesalem.com and the NPS have free downloads of their tours while at Untravel Media you will fork out $6.99 for any of their three versions of the tour.

Narration & production quality

If I’m going to listen to someone talk to me about Salem I want it to be a pleasant experience. If you’ve ever been to a National Park and used one of their “press this button” features to hear or see some multimedia about whatever you’re looking at you know this is nothing short of professional, one might say the industry standard. The Salem audio tours are cut from the same cloth, professional voice actors with clear elocution, good use of ambient sounds, clean consistent sound and volume featuring male narration.

Iseesalem.com does a good job with a clean recording although it does feel as if it were recorded in a small room.  The female narrator does a fine job reading an informative script. These tours offer no actor portrayals and ambient sounds limited only to royalty free music when directions are given to the next location on the tour,  keeping the emphasis on the narration.

Untravel Media sits on the other end of the spectrum offering ambient sounds, background music, actor portrayals, interviews, and narration.  The male narrator is not as polished as the NPS narrator but offers much more enthusiasm and character.  Recording quality of the different segments changes widely in some places the audio noise and background sound shows the user that many of the interviews must have been done on location, it’s not distracting but it is noticeable.  They do go above board with a nice selection of photographs from interiors, exteriors and of the people talking during the audio tour.  They do a great job instructing you where to walk but the photographic cues are a true bonus for users of video ipods.

Do they deliver what they promise?

The National Park Services says of their Audio Tour of Salem Maritime:

The tour takes about an hour to complete, and consists of ten stops within the nine acre site. The stops are marked on the map, which is available here in pdf format

Each of the 10 downloadable files are between 2:45 and 7:04 minutes long and quite informative.  Using the accompanying map you move from place to place and once there listen to a new file.  This is truly an audio tour as opposed to a walking tour as there are no walking directions or comments on what you see as you walk from one location to the next.

When we did the tour with four adults and two children it took us just over an hour.  This tour delivers exactly what they claim.

Iseesalem.com says of their tours:

Download these free walking tour podcasts and enjoy learning about Salem’s history at your pace.  You will discover tales of Salem’s famous residents, long nautical history, haunted sites, witch history, and more!

Currently they offer 3 downloadable files with two “coming soon” (we need to add a special section for “coming soon” to our web site post) ranging in length from 6:28 to 6:52 minutes and walking from location to location took us about 45 minutes for the Revolutionary War tour and slightly less for the other tours.

While not as leisurely as the NPS tour these tours did offer directions to the next location.  Unlike the NPS tours their “click here (*ahem*) to download a map” doesn’t actually download a map, it opens up google maps with points plotted.

These tours are free to download, they offer directions and you can take it at your own pace so once again their claims true.

Untravel Media says of their tour:

The first part of the tour highlights buildings that are on the grounds of the Peabody Essex Museum. Through their foresight, some of Salem’s oldest and grandest architecture is being preserved.

The last part of the tour takes you to the Salem Maritime Historical Site which has preserved a number of waterfront buildings including the Narbonne House and oversaw the building of the 1797 replica “Friendship” merchant vessel.

While Untravel Media offers a bunch of tours only one is devoted to Salem.  They go above and beyond by being concerned with your safety and pointing out facts that only insiders know.  You get much more from this tour than you would from reading books or any of the available tourist literature.  I would like to see better photography (only applies to video ipod downloads) and some info is a tad dated (no more horse drawn carriages, sorry).

The format holds true to the description as the tour takes you from downtown by the PEM and Visitors Center through some of the PEM grounds, across the common and down to the Wharf.

Is it worth it?

The NPS tours give you some good info in a professional manor but having been at some of the houses I have to say that your best bet is a tour given by one of the Park Rangers.  If the Rangers are not available these tours are a fine substitute.  And since they are free you have nothing to loose.

As for iseesalem.com’s tours you might want to listen to them before you head out.  They do offer some good facts to know but as for a walking tour they don’t hold up to our other two options.  Once again they are free so judge for yourself.

Untravel Media is exceptional and exactly what I want out of an audio walking tour. As I said earlier, they are the only tour offered by these three companys that you have to purchase but, I think its worth it.  If you don’t want to be bothered with other tourists, set your own walking pace and still see some sites and learn some tid-bits, spending $7 for a tour you can enjoy over and over again is a bargan as compaired to some of the guided tours of Salem costing $10 or more.

People visit Salem year round. Obviously October is the busiest month of the year but tourists flock to this historic city from April till November, giving the residents a brief respite during the winter.

If you are thinking of coming to Salem there are a few options on how to get here. You can take the MBTA Commuter Rail and get off at the Salem Depot which is a 3 minute walk to down town. From May to November you can take the Salem Ferry which goes from Central Wharf (New England Aquarium) in Boston to the Blaney Street Dock in Salem. But for most people driving is the way to get here.

Now that it is April 1 (no joke) street cleaning is in effect and parking enforcement is stronger. Last year Salem brought in $1.7 Million in parking fees. This post is your guide to the dos and don’t of parking in the Witch City.

Where can I park in Salem?

Parking lots and garages are you best bet if you are unfamiliar with the area.

• Museum Place Mall garage
• South Harbor garage ( on Derby Street)
• MBTA Commuter Rail parking lot
• Blaney Street lot
• Church Street lot
• Crombie Street lot
• Sewell Street lot by the YMCA
• Front Streetl lot behind the Fire Station
• Riley Plaza lot in front of the Post Office

What about resident parking?

Like other cities Salem has plenty of streets in its historic neighborhoods that offer resident parking. All residents who live in an area that offers resident only parking can go to the Parking Office at 1 New Liberty Street across from the Visitor Center and get a resident parking sticker.

In October, any resident can get a month long resident pass allowing them to park on streets that have temporary resident only parking due to the Halloween season.

Tell me about “on street” parking

If you are coming up for the day or perhaps a short stay at one of our B&B’s you might be interested in on-street parking. In the down town and surrounding areas many streets have metered spots. Parking meters run from 8am to 5 or 6pm after that you can park in the spot for free. Unlike the exorbitantly prices you would pay in Boston (5 minutes per quarter) one quarter will buy you an hour in Salem with most meters having a max time of two hours. Meters take nickels, dimes and quarters so remember to bring change.

Parking Enforcement

Salem meter maids hit the pavement with a vengeance every morning. Don’t expect to be given any slack… ever. Do yourself a favor and remember where and when you parked so you can avoid these Salem witches.

If you do find yourself with an orange greeting card on your windshield you can take care of it any time of day or night. Simple meter expired parking violations only cost $10 which is less than parking a full day in the garages during Halloween season. For your convenience there is a 24 hour drop box in front of City hall where you can pay your ticket.

See Salem from a Trolley Tour

There are two tour company’s that operate in Salem, City View Trolley Tours and Salem Trolley. I noticed both companies were out this past weekend. City View has taken up residence in an empty retail space on Essex Street and is looking for employees if you need a cool April through October job. Both Companies start their regular schedule next week, in the beginning of April.

(c) jdong

Salem Trolley
8 Central St.
978.744.5469

Salem’s original narrated Trolley Tour, the red Salem trolleys that you see around town have been here since 1982. For a flat fee you can board this trolley and take a one hour 8 mile ride around town. One reason tourists love the trolley is because with your ticket you can get on and off the trolley all day long. It is so convenient for someone who isn’t familiar with all the side streets of Salem and still wants to maximize their sight seeing time.

Salem Trolley’s fleet consists of two handicapped accessible trolleys and two traditional ones. Their service runs from 10am to 5pm and a map of stops and times is available here on their website. You can also charter a trolley if you are having an event in Salem.

Ticket prices (available at select locations in town)
Adults $12
Seniors $10
Kids $3
Toddlers free when accompanied by an adult so don’t let your 1 year old ride the trolley by himself.
They also have a variety of combo packages.

(c) City View Trolley Tours

City View Trolley Tours
PO Box 729
Salem MA 01970
978.594.0969

City View is the new kid in town and is easily recognized by their silver trolleys. Their business has been running in Boston for over 25 years, but they just came to Salem a few seasons ago. With nine stops, including one at the Salem Ferry, the City View tour is a one hour narrated historical ride. Like it’s competition, you can get on and off all day at whichever stop you wish. Unlike it’s competition, City View offers service to the ferry and MBTA Commuter Rail station. A full map of stops is available here on their website.

Ticket prices (available onboard or online)
Adults $12
Students & Seniors $10
Kids $5

Seeing Salem MA from a different perspective

Regardless of which Trolley company you decide to try, they are an excellent way to learn more about Salem. I always suggest to new visitors and locals alike to give it a ride at least once a year. Each driver has a different perspective and is knowledgeable about different aspects of Salem’s history. One driver might know more about the maritime history where another might have a better understanding about the early settlers and witch-related items. Either way you slice it, seeing things from a new angle is always a treat.

Whats going on in Salem the weekend of February 8, 9 and 10

Festivals / Special Events:

• 6th Annual Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival all weekend
• Red Cross Blood drive @ the old Town Hall 10am – 3pm Saturday

Music

Friday February 8th

• The Love Dogs @ Rockafellas
• Meatstick @ Dodge Street
• Alana Manning (jazz 6:30-9:30) Speakeasy (rock 10) @ Bangkok Paradise
• DJ Seth @ Gulu Gulu

Saturday February 9th

• Spiral Circus @ Rockafellas
• ol Brown Shoe (jam) @ Dodge Street
• Jon Kelly and Tom Petrekas (jazz 6:30-9:30) Scratch my Back (rock 10) @ Bangkok Paradise
• Chaz & The Motorbikes (8pm) @ Gulu Gulu
• renowned jazz vocalist Dane Vannatter and his quartet (Benefit Concert for Salem Public Schools 8pm) @ Peabody Essex Museum Atrium

Movies

Cinema Salem will be showing:

Fool’s Gold (PG-13)
Fri & Sat: (11:20 AM), (2:00), (4:30), 7:00, 9:30
Sun: (11:20 AM), (2:00), (4:30), 7:00

There Will Be Blood (R)
Fri – Sun: 12:30, 3:45, 7:30

Juno (PG-13)
Fri & Sat: (11:30 AM), (1:45), (4:00), 7:15, 9:40
Sun: (11:30 AM), (1:45), (4:00), 7:15

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (R)
Fri: 11:30 PM

Art

Samuel McIntire, Carving an American Style @ PEM
This exhibit is a must-see for Salem residents (who get in for FREE) and comes to an end on February 24th.

Insider Picks

If you want to start your Friday night off early, swing by Hamilton Hall for a Chocolate & Wine Tasting at 6:30pm. Once you’ve had your fill put your night into high gear. Tonight if you like martinis, swing / blues music, dancing and partying your ass off, head over to Rockafellas and tell the Love Dogs that “Big Daddy” sent you. If beer and Metal is more your style, Meatstick is rocking Dodge Street to it’s foundation.

Saturday (if you didn’t drink too much Friday night) help your neighbor and stock up on some karma points by giving blood at the old Town Hall during the day. Head to the PEM at night to hear Dane Vannatter perform some great jazz for a good cause, our Salem schools.

Don’t forget, all the ice sculptures around town are free to see and you could win some Salem booty if you pick up a Golden Ticket.

What the heck is Baker’s Island?

Most people are familiar with Salem’s 8.1 square miles of land but know nothing about our 10 miles of water or what exists out there. Salem maritime properties include Children’s Island, Ram Island, Cunney Island, Tinkers Island, Great Misery Island, Little Misery Island and Baker’s Island. While some of them have summer homes none are inhabited year round.

The 60 acre Baker’s Island lies 3.5 miles off shore. In addition to its one light house (visible from the Salem Willows) the island is home to 55 cottages most built in the late 1800′s to early 1900′s. The island also has a store, fire house, meeting hall (Sherman C. Burnham Hall), and gift shop known as Driftwood. Baker’s Island it’s Massachusetts’ largest residential island north of Boston.

History of Baker’s Island

During the golden age of sail, Salem was the wealthiest city in the States all because of her port but there were no major aids to navigation to help mariners past the islands and rocks outside her harbor. A conical day beacon erected in 1791 was 57 feet tall, painted red, and topped by a two-foot diameter black ball. Unfortunately this beacon was not much help at night or in the fog and after three wrecks in 1796 killing 16 men the Salem Marine Society sent a message to Congress stating they needed to replace the beacon with a lighthouse.

That much of the property and many of the lives of their fellow citizens are almost every year lost in coming into the harbour of Salem for want of proper lights to direct their course… This calamity can, in the opinion of this society be prevented only by erecting a lighthouse on the northern end of Bakers Island . . .

Congress authorized $6,000 for the establishment of twin lights on Baker’s Island which first lit up on January 3, 1798. The two towers were located on top of a two-story keeper’s house, about 40 feet apart at either end of the building with four lamps being fueled by whale oil. In the early part of the 1800′s there were some configuration changes to the light houses, one was shortened then later restored to its previous height after some confusion with Boston light. In 1926 one of the lights was removed and by 1938 the sole remaining light was electrified.

Baker's Island Light c. 1929

In addition to the light house (set on 10 acres) the remainder of the island was privately owned. In 1888 a homeopathic doctor from Salem named Nathan Morse built a hotel/spa on Baker’s Island called the Winne-Egan. It had 50 guest rooms and catered to seekers of “health, pleasure and needed rest.” In addition to island activities such as sailing, fishing and swimming, guests could play tennis, or even shoot a short round of golf on the hotel’s six-hole course. Like many of Salem’s old buildings the hotel met its demise in 1906 when an accidental fire burned it to the ground.

Baker’s Island real estate; old money, private sales and coastal views.

There is not an abundance of information available about properties on Baker’s Island. No rentals what-so-ever and according to my real estate agent “There hasn’t been a public sale (in MLS) of anything on the island since 1999 – all private sales, and at that only a few”. I examined Salem’s GIS (Geographical Information System) viewer and found most parcels of land have been owned by family’s since before 1900.

Homes on Baker’s Island

Today access to the island is limited to residents and their guests. The islands one pier is where all visitors arrive and depart. Many residents have their own boats but a water shuttle the Double Eagle, is available from Salem harbor.

a view from the pier at sunset

Final thought

I am still looking for my summer retreat. Many Salem residents visit this site, so if you have a place out on Baker’s Island contact me, I would love to learn more about what is in our own back yard. And for all my out of town readers, if I get the opportunity to go over there, walk around and shoot some photos, you can be sure to find them right here at theSalemInsider.com.

I enjoy the bunghole for something fun and different once in a while. It’s also fun to share a friends first bunghole experience with them, I love to see the look on their face. The bunghole never fails to get a smile. I love Bunghole Liquors.

With the recent holidays, I hosted a few out of town guests who were excited to go to the bunghole of all places. This modest package store (packie and package store are Massachusetts slang for liquor store) probably sells more T-shirts than cases of beer. They have parlayed their unique name into an online brand and sell swag near and far.

Salem’s Bunghole has a storied past with the building being used as a funeral palour during the time of prohibition (19th century prohibition not Salem’s first prohibition in 1657). Downstairs in a room perhaps used for embalming, the funeral director and his cohorts would meet to put back a few cocktails (he put the “fun” back in funeral). For whatever reason, the group refered to this private drinking spot as “the bunghole.” A bunghole is actually a hole bored into liquor casks (think scotch, wine or rum) which is plugged by a large cork known as a bung. One of the owners drinking buddies suggested that if prohibition was ever lifted he should turn the place into a liquor store. On December 5th, 1933 when the Twenty First Amendment was ratified Bunghole Liquors applied for and was granted the second liquor license that Salem issued.

There are plenty of better package stores in town but the Bunghole is fine for a neighborhood packie. And if you are like many tourists you’ll want to swing by for a photo and perhaps a coosy, church key or t-shirt. Just don’t forget, they sell alcohol in there too.

Gideon Tucker House
Once a single family home this was converted in the 1900′s to condos. I was pleased to see that much of the original feel of a McIntire home was still in this now modern condo. The beautiful fireplaces and great use of space made this an outstanding home. Turning what was probably an unused or underused area (walkway) into a dining nook added much charm to this elegant condo.

Gardner-Pingree House
Owned by the PEM, this house was a treat to tour because it has been restored to its original 1805 grandeur. With no lighting and no heat you were able to better understand how life may have been two hundred years ago. Too many hand carved items to list.

photographer and date unknown

The Emmerton House
Known as the Woman’s Friend Society, formed in 1876 to help girls and women in need, is a charitable organization still helping people (and still accepting donations and volunteers). When I walked in I instantly recognized the home, it is discussed at length in a few books I own. One of it’s most notable features are the two McIntire stair cases.

John Hodges House
There was just too much to take in at this home. One of the stand out features was the staircase with it’s hand carved spindles from the workshop of Mcintire. Three different spindles per step with the base being made of two spindles one set inside the center of the other each carved as opposing spirals.

White-Silsbee House
Once again I walked into a house I have never been in but knew like the back of my hand. Most of the photos I have seen of this home were taken in 1930 but all of the relevant features have been preserved. The parlor and sitting room oppose each other with fireplaces at either end, the rooms being sectioned by a three panel foldout door. Also of note the original stove. The dining room however was magnificent. With the original wood mantle being discarded in the Victorian era, a black marble mantle was put in it’s place. Vastly surpassing the fireplace was the original 18th century French wall paper depicting the four climate regions of the earth. Having been in many of the great homes in this country I can tell you this is a rare treasure, one which needs to be preserved. It simply is breathtaking.

Forrester-Peabody House/Bertram House
Known as the Home for Aged Men, this is another example of a historically relevant home being used for charitable purposes and keeping much of it’s architectural value. I was impressed with how warm and inviting the large rooms were. It gave you a sense of how the architect envisioned the usage of space. The most impressive feature of this home had to be the massive dining room. I wonder if it originally was used as a dining room or perhaps a ballroom. The dining room ceilings had to be at least 18 feet high (the guide did not know the height) with over 1 foot high crown moldings surrounding the room. Once again I was simply awestruck. It reminded me of the Red Room in the White House which has a ceiling height of 20 to 22 feet (depending on who you believe).

Pierce-Nichols House
McIntire’s first commission at the ripe old age of 24. There is a wealth of information about this home available. It is a must see for any student of the Federal period.

Benjamin Carpenter House
Unfortunately this is the only house on the tour where I felt someone dropped the ball. While the home was beautiful, the volunteers knew nothing about any of the rooms or the pieces in those rooms. Not to dwell on the negative, the library was both comfortable and livable while also being a fine showpiece.

Cottington-Smith Assembly House
Did I happen to mention it was bitterly cold this weekend? Thankfully this house which is used as a lecture hall and meeting place was set up to serve hot tea and coffee. George Washington once danced and dined here.

Cook-Oliver House
Some wonderful examples of McIntire’s woodcarvings, both on the exterior and interior of this home. The parlor features hand-cut chair rail and the quintessential McIntire wheat sheath mantle. The original crown molding was removed in 1902 (I believe) and sold to the Metropolitan Museum in New York. If you pay attention in this home you will notice quite a few examples of modern art, an interesting juxtaposition. This home was last opened 50 years ago for the 200th anniversary of McIntire.

Dodge-Shreve House
Again we find a strong oriental influence in this home. The dining room in addition to beautiful origami swans on the dinner settings was papered with Chinese tea paper, original to the home.

Johnathan Hodges House
The only house on Chestnut Street to be built by McIntire. The volunteers in this home did a great job of explaining many of the details of this home. I was amused by the story of Capt. Hodges near demise. The use of large antique mirrors made the already spacious rooms look even bigger.

sketch of floor plan by McIntire

Robinson-Little House
Standing out from other homes on the tour the first floor of this house was remodeled in the early 19oo’s. It features a rich mahogany interior, unique as it is not wood paneling but wood veneer laid out over stretched fabric with the cross molding pieces set atop the veneer. Also standing out from other homes on the tour, the McIntire fireplaces were not monochrome but had the relief painted “Wedgwood” blue on two of the fireplaces. A bonus feature for people on the tour, the owners had a few printed out sheets and old photos describing the history of the home and a few of the relevant pieces inside.

Hamilton Hall
This year the great space of Hamilton Hall was consumed by a Christmas fair. Luckily this building is open much of the year and available for private functions.

photo from this past summer’s walking tours

Loring-Emerton House
Another condo that just changes how you think about condos. The McIntire influence on this home is evident. Walking through the portico into the foyer you are greeted by a staircase featuring the same spindle work as the John Hodges house. Once in the home I was blown away by the domed bedroom ceiling, not to mention the seamless integration of a modern bathroom and kitchen into a classical interior. One of the best features had to be the one person seating/reading nook tucked in one of the rear rooms.

Final Thoughts

As is the case each year, I had a great time. I learned so much an was inspired by what I saw. A big thank you goes out to Historic Salem Inc., all the home owners who graciously opened their homes and all the volunteers that made the event a success.

I would love to know what you thought about this years house tour.

For the past 28 years, Historic Salem Inc. (the people responsible for those cool plaques on our homes) has been organizing a walking tour of historic homes to help raise money for their organization. Let me say right up front that I am a member, choosing to join after attending a series of walking tours this summer. I felt it was $40 ( for a household membership) well spent. They do a great job for the community so please don’t be put off by their website www.historicsalem.org.

Two years ago I went on the house tour and walked through 15 homes (only 14 were on the tour but someone left a door open and next thing you know 50 people walked through their house). Most were private residences but some were public and/or notable, like the House of Seven Gables and the Home for Aged Women (a McIntire home). It is a true pleasure to see how some of the historical homes you walk by every day look inside. I often get inspired by how some people have kept up or restored their homes. I also am bewildered by some of the other things that people do to their houses. Either way its a win win for me and Historic Salem.

This years tour keeps the summer walking lecture series alive by focusing on Samuel McIntire.

McIntire: Mansions and More will be the theme of the 28th annual Christmas in Salem house tour sponsored by Historic Salem Inc. This year’s event will showcase the work of Samuel McIntire, Salem’s renowned Federal period architect and carver, in the 250th anniversary year of his birth. Fifteen of Salem’s finest properties, designed or inspired by McIntire, will be featured on this tour, which will be located in the Washington Square/Salem Common area as well as in the Federal and Chestnut Street neighborhoods which make up the aptly named McIntire District.
- Historic Salem Inc.

I know that Salem is a walking city and this walking tour is a prime example of a great way to spend a weekend day here in town. The tour runs from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday December 1, 2007 and 11:30 am to 4:30 pm on Sunday, advanced ticket holders get a Friday night bonus of five homes open just to them from 5 pm to 8 pm.

Advance tickets can be purchased at the following retailers before Thursday Nov. 29th at 5:00pm. Ticket prices are $20 in advance, $18 for HSI members and seniors.

• A Touch of the Past, 83 Washington Street, Salem
• Borders Books & Music, 151 Andover Street, Peabody
• Peter D. Barter Gift Shop, 201 Derby Street, Salem
• Waters & Brown, 281 Derby Street, Salem
• Waters & Brown, 14 Elliott Street, Beverly
• The Trolley Depot, 191 Essex Street, Salem

Tickets may be purchased the day of the tour (Saturday & Sunday) for $25 at:

• Hamilton Hall – 9 Chestnut St,
• Treasures Over Time – 131 Essex Street #4

Note:
Usually when I contribute to this site I stock the post with photos, unfortunately I am on the road now and don’t have access to last years images. I will do a follow up to this post with a selection of pictures from this years tour so stay tuned!

Salem Massachusetts was founded in 1626 and incorporated in 1629. You may recall from history class that there were no automobiles at this time. As such, most of the oldest neighborhoods including the down town area were in close proximity to each other and to the waterfront where Salem’s wealth came from. Luckily for us as Salem grew, it’s core foundation of neighborhoods stayed put and the same roads they walked hundreds of years ago we walk today.

Since many of our visitors stay in the down town or wharf neighborhoods when they come to Salem I ran those locations through the walk score algorithm and came out with a whopping 98 out of 100! So if you are a tourist or are looking for someplace to live where you don’t need a car, Salem is the place for you.

Find the walking score of where you live or where you are going.

With Salem being one of the top tourist destination cities in the US for a variety of reasons, there are plenty of places for the traveler to stay. We have two large hotels, inns, a motel and a plethora of Bed & Breakfasts. For you thrill seekers, some rooms and houses are even said to be haunted.

Where to stay in Salem

Full Service Hotels

• Hawthorne Hotel
  18 Washington Square
• Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites
  225 Derby Street

Inns

• The Salem Inn
  7 Summer Street

Motel

• The Clipper Ship Inn*
  40 Bridge Street

Bed & Breakfasts

• Amela Payson House
  16 Winter Street
• Coach House Inn*
  284 Lafayette Street
• Henry Derby House
  47 Derby Street
• The Inn on Washington Square
  53 Washington Square North
• Morning Glory Bed & Breakfast
  22 Hardy Street
• Northey Street House
  30 Northey Street
• Stephen Daniels House
  1 Daniels Street
• Stepping Stone Inn
  19 Washington Square North

RV / Camping

• Winter Island Marine Park*
  50 Winter Island Road

* Not within 10 minute walking distance to down town

When to come to the Witch City

As with every other destination when you come determines what you pay. Since Halloween and all things spooky are why many people come to town, October is the most expensive month. What you might not know is Salem visitors start coming in April and don’t slow down until November. The hotels, inn and motel are open year round. If you are interested in a B&B check their sites because many close down November through January or November through April.

Room prices vary from an off season quaint B&B room for under $75 to a King Suite with a wet bar in October for over $300. Here is a simple chart to help figure things out.

January $
February $
March $
April $$
May $$
June $$
July $$
August $$
September $$$
October $$$$
November $
December $

Weekday rates are less expensive than weekends and reservations are recommended (required by most) in September and October.

Other things to consider

Salem is a walking city. With few exceptions ( see above) all of the accommodation’s are in walking distance to all of the attractions. There is no need to drive anywhere in town once you get to Salem. If you are planning to stay at one of the larger hotels parking is included. If you are thinking about a B&B you should call ahead and ask about parking availability. In the off season Salem has plenty of parking but starting in the summer parking gets tight. During October the city enacts a parking ban allowing only residents to park in many of the neighborhoods.

Food for thought

Regardless of where you decide to stay, seeing all that Salem has to offer requires you to keep your energy level up. If you want to stock some food in your room for when you get the late night munchies, keep in mind that Salem has one grocery store in the down town area (and one 24 hour quickie mart). We have many other markets in town but they are not within walking distance.

The hotels have restaurants serving round the clock and the Salem Inn has a dining room with limited service hours. Fear not because Salem is blessed with a variety of great restaurants, cafes and sandwich shops. If you don’t visit some of them you’re Salem trip will really be missing out.

Make sure to bring some good walking shoes and a hearty appetite. You’ll be sure to leave with a smile on your face and some great memories!