Halloween Birthday

I %26amp; a group of 5 will be in Salem Fri-Sat Oct28%26amp;29th.We are celebrating my Halloween birthday. I have never been there %26amp; we are SOO excited to be going. Any advice for us amateurs? Best hotels, restaraunts, attractions. Also do the people dress up?,Like modern halloween or ancient Halloween ways?

Halloween Birthday

happy birthday- yes, people dress up, anything goes. if you do not have hotel reservations already, salem is booked up, so you%26#39;ll most likely need to look in neighboring towns. there are huge lines and big crowds everywhere that weekend, so you don%26#39;t really need to make plans for specific places, just wander around and go into where you don%26#39;t mind waiting in line. the atmosphere is zany, it will be the birthday weekend of a lifetime!

Halloween Birthday

Good luck. The city is nuts on Halloween, but if you don%26#39;t mind crowds I think you shall be fine. You%26#39;ll definitely have to look into a hotel in a neighboring area, which should give you a wider range to choose from. However, it also means you may have a difficult time finding parking. The towns of Peabody and Danvers are near by and both have a selection of the usual chain hotels which will likely be more affordable. My parents stayed at the Springhill Suites in Peabody and had a pleasant experience.

In terms of attractions, there is a TON to do in Salem. Especially around Halloween. It becomes a great place for people watching and vendors set up tons of booths with fair-like food, crafts, and such. My personal favorite thing to do is to take a tour of the House of Seven Gables, but it%26#39;s more historical than ';witch'; related. If you%26#39;re looking for more of the spookey fare there are haunted houses, ghost tours, and a witch museum. However, what you%26#39;ll find is that what you actually do will be limited since a lot of these places are either VERY crowded or sell out quite early in the day. The first time I went to Salem it was the weekend before Halloween and everything we wanted to do either involved very long lines or was sold out. I recommend looking at Salem%26#39;s website: http://www.salem.org and prioritizing what you MOST want to do. Then it%26#39;s worthwile for those which require tour or show times to call ahead to see if you can reserve tickets, or try to do the things you%26#39;re most interested in early in the day.

In terms of eating/drinking... I love Rockafella%26#39;s. Good food and semi-classy, but still casual. And according to my friend who lives in Salem it%26#39;s the best place in town to go drinking on the weekends. (They also have Sat. costume parties starting mid-October)

Enjoy your birthday, just make sure to plan ahead to make sure you%26#39;re able to make the most of Salem!

My favorite advice for amateurs: wear comfortable shoes. Remember there will be crowds - so consider that you will be squeezing through some tight spots. Also - if the weather is at all good - much of the fun is in walking around outside - so you will want something you can walk in (you don%26#39;t want to be tripping and you don%26#39;t want to be blinded by mask). The rest is ';anything goes'; - and you will see what I mean when you have been here for a few hours.

It%26#39;s a festival atmosphere - most people are there for fun and for people-watching - and for being seen. Sure - some people drink to much, others are obnoxious - and some just unpleasant -- but for the most part - people are there to have fun and to ';live and let live';. Also be aware of the fact that the Salem Police Dept - and those of surrounding towns - maintain a very obvious and active presence.

The costumes range from rainbow clown wigs to elaborate papier mache dragons, from feathered wings to a t-shirt that says ';This IS my costume.'; You will see Wiccans, Goths, Presbyterians -- and the guy who wears a sandwich sign and hands out pamphlets advertising the end of the world as we know it. On the street and in the shops - you can buy potions, postcards and pretzels - as well as glow-in-the-dark necklaces and sausage-pepper-onion sandwiches...

Best places to stay and eat and drink? Tell me what you like and I will make some suggestions.

LivingDolce,

I am turning 21 in a few months and, living in Canada, have gotten used to having a martini and a few beers with my dinner. Any nice restaurants you reccomend for me and my girlfriend? any restaurants that are unique? Also any chance that I will be allowed to order a few drinks even if I am 20? Are they strict on the drinking age in Salem? Thanks.

wow! So much info... Thank you everyone! Burgers %26amp; Italian food are good for us! We love to party too. So this definetly sounds like the place.

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