Submitted by backfromdeath t3_y0dt8b in massachusetts
Taking the kids to Salem on Saturday, I understand it will be busy and crowded and probably disappointing but they wanna go. Looking for advice on parking and maybe some recommendations on what to do, where to eat and what to avoid completely.
^^this
My mom shuttles! She has black and green hair.
Or drive to a commuter rail station and take the train
This. Take the train. It’s the best way to swing it. Also, trains are more fun than traffic.
commuter rail is way more reliable than the subway too. just park at beverly depot
Seriously, the answer to the question of how to drive into Salem, Mass. in October is don't.
Don't.
Don't.
Just don't.
I saw a thread in the Salem subreddit the other day in which city residents were commiserating over the fact that they can't get pizzas delivered during this month, at all, because of the traffic and tourists.
You read that right. If you live there, you can't get food delivered to your house in October. No one wants to fight their way through the crush.
Keep your sanity. Take the ferry or the train.
Oh come on guys.
Yes, Salem is super crowded this time of year and yeah it’s annoying if you live there (I get it, I grew up there), but it’s also a lot of fun for a lot of people, especially kids.
OP Salem can be a lot of fun this time of year! I hope you have a great time.
Some pieces of advice:
if you are okay with walking a bit, there is almost always parking over the little bridge on bridge st, if you want something closer you can try the garage near Peabody Essex.
get there early! It helps with the crowds and parking!
if you want to go out to dinner in Salem make a reservation, (there are also some good restaurants in surrounding communities like Beverly, Marblehead and Lynn that will be less crowded)
bring snacks and critically water! Again helps with the lines.
pick a few activities and museums that you really want to go to and get tickets a head
take time to people watch! That’s half the fun of Salem this time of year!
most importantly, embrace the chaos. It’s going to be crowded, it’s going to be touristy, it’s going to be a little silly, but that’s the fun of it!
Plan ahead a little and it will help make the day run smoother!
Hope this helps!
Seriously Thanks for posting this! Sometimes I think people in this sub must never want to leave home.
Post: Best apple picking/ cider donuts? r/Massachusetts Apple picking is swarmed with children and flannel wearing douchbags. Locals only.
Post: Best beaches? r/Massachusetts Beaches are too crowded, locals only or GTFO
These things are crowded because they are fun!
Crowds aren’t my absolute favorite thing either but not everything is an unspoiled hidden gem, sometimes to do the fun thing you need to deal with other people!
Apple picking is not fun.
Cool. Thanks so much for your input.
I had been avoiding going to Honey Pot in Stow because everyone says how crowded it is, but I went recently. And you know what? It was crowded, but parking was easy. There was a line for donuts, but they had so many people working that I only waited 7 minutes.
I'm not OP but thank you! Salem is a lot of fun. I've only been there once and when my son gets a little older I plan on taking him. Sure it's crowded but seeing everyone dressed up and going to the museums was so much fun. I went there on a year Halloween fell on a weekly so it was insanely crowded but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. We got a hotel just outside of Salem and drove over to Salem in the late morning and spent the whole day there. I hope OP goes and has lots of fun!
I agree. People are talking about it like it's the apocalypse. I took my daughter and her friends to Salem in October the year before Covid and we had a great time. I found parking in one of the public lots. We went to the Peabody Essex, participated in Cry Innocent, which I highly recommend (I did buy the tix online ahead of time). We ate at the Witch's Brew Cafe on Derby St. (no reservation, but I think it was between lunch and dinner time) and then walked around and saw the sites and did some shopping. It was an awesome time and I would totally do it again. But I guess I just like living on the edge.
Absolutely don’t go unless you already have restaurant reservations and attraction tickets. Take the ferry or otherwise go at like 9am.
This is an over-reaction. You can get into any restaurant in town without reservations, you just can't expect to between 5-10pm. Eat early or late, you're fine. Or better yet, pack a picnic for the common, its fucking beautiful year-round but especially when the maples are turning.
Not really an overreaction given how nuts it was this past weekend, but there are more street options this year from local business and if you venture a couple blocks south on Lafayette there are some less crowded spots.
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I went on Saturday, we arrived at 9:30 am and got parking in the lot across from the visitor center downtown! I know you “shouldn’t go” to Salem in October, but it’s something that is worth doing once. Just arrive really early and you won’t have an issue
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We went yesterday (not my idea). If you get there early enough you can park at one of those lots for free and they'll have a shuttle (school bus) drive you to the town center area. Save yourself quite a bit of money. And if you don't want to take the shuttle, it's not a very long walk.
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But seriously, don't go. Everything is a line. Every store has a line several people deep. We went to the Gulu Gulu Cafe and put our names in for a table and it took 2 hours to get seated. Then it took significant time for drinks to come and food to arrive (they were slammed, so I get it). If you still go, I mean..... Follow what other folks are saying about having ticketed events for specific times. The wait for everything is brutal. Took me 20+ minutes to get through a line to order a coffee...
I mean, Gulu takes a long time to get food or drinks out on a slow non-touristy day 😂
Warning to Visitors Driving to Salem - I live in town and was walking around some of the side streets last evening. Even though there are numerous "Resident Only" signs for street parking, visitors were (clearly illegally) still parking on the street.
If you choose to do this do not be surprised if your vehicle is towed. Saw two or three tow trucks removing these and bringing them to the impound lot. Between the tow charge and the ticket it will be an expensive trip to Salem for you.
MBTA parking garage is one option. If that's full, another option may just be parking in the Beverly garage and taking the commuter rail one stop down 😅
Highly recommend this. When I worked downtown last October, I just started parking in Beverly and taking the train in.
I lived on Rantoul Street across from that station for the past 2 years, I definitely miss that neighborhood/North Shore 😔
Let me answer both questions with one answer.
Whatever you can find.
Park in Beverly or surrounding town. Take train into salem. Otherwise good luck. Sometimes there is parking behind Waters and Brown in Salem but good luck trying to get in there.
We went this last Sunday. Drove to the satellite parking lot behind the hospital. Came down 95/128 to Centennial Drive and into Salem via Lynn St Peabody. We made the trip at 11:00 and hit zero traffic. It was a breeze. Parked on Jefferson Ave at the shuttle stop but walked downtown, didn’t want to wait for the shuttle. It’s less than a mile walk.
The key is to not expect to drive into or through downtown.
We didn’t have tickets for anything ahead of time. There are things you have to reserve in advance and things you don’t. We stopped by a few restaurants to look at lunch menus and inquire about seating. Nothing with a longer than 15 minute wait.
I grew up in the area. I avoid Salem in October. Haven’t been in years. I was almost dreading it but I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t as frustrating as it used to be. Maybe the city has learned a bit over the years?
Grew up in Salem and the Salem cheese shop is the best thing they got going. Cheddar is off the charts. Right next to the fire station. But I wouldn’t bring my kids there.
Prairie breeze!!!
I would try the commuter rail. Finding parking here during the weekend is a shit show you want no part of.
If you must drive in and park, get there early and look to park at the MBTA station. It's a bit easier to get in and out of than parking in Downtown Salem and it's a pretty big garage.
There is no parking
Don’t even think about the parking garages. You’ll take 1 hour or more just to exit the facility.
Pay $30 for parking in the garage a block away… or free parking / free shuttle for 15 minutes of your time.
https://www.hauntedhappenings.org/maps-info/parking-shuttle-information/
Food options: Ledger, The Derby (my fave), Sea Level, Boston Burger Company
I would say take the commuter rail from Swampscott or Beverly. Also as someone else said consider trying to eat outside of Salem- maybe pack a lunch and some snacks, and eat dinner elsewhere? Beverly has tons of good restaurants and so does Lynn.
Then you know, you know. Food will be jacked up, parking will be impossible, and everyone here will either tell you parking is a bad idea or feel bad and determined enough to offer you erronously kind advice about "Well maybe you could try this one place at that one time," in the vain hope that maybe the other dozen people who know that spot won't have taken it hours before you even see the post.
Take a shuttle in, and take one in early. Make your reservations last month and you might score a spot on Saturday.
Tip: don’t drive. Take the commuter rail in
Take the train. Or park like you're taking a train.
Eat street food, outside of meal times (think 2:00-4:00), or make a reservation. Food is jacked up in price, and dropped in quality so stick with the basics (like pizza) that are fast and hard to get wrong.
I could probably put together a 50 page document on why I hate Salem in October... But y'all probably already know most of the highlights. It's just such a frustrating experience.
That being said, there's a lot going on. Pretty much all the restaurants around the Bewitched Statue are great. Flying Saucer Pizza and Gulu Gulu have some great food and drinks (and coffee), Life Alive around the corner is fantastic if you like healthy foods, and the bars nearby are all very decent. In fact, pretty much anything rated 4.5+ stars on Google reviews there is still great considering how many tourists review it during the literal worst time to be in Salem.
For cannabis: Go to Seagrass and pick up any flowers from Nature's Heritage, Good Chemistry, or Ocean Breeze and chances are pretty good - halfway decent prerolls if that's your thing. Betty's Eddies and I am Edible are both decent edibles and Fernway is an okay distillate cartridge. Fuck ATG and INSA.
Dress warm and go to the Haunted Happenings marketplace. Also seriously listen to everybody telling you not to take a car to Salem. It's a fucking nightmare - especially at the end of the night when you want to leave. Just take the train. Sincerely: Not enough people can tell you to avoid driving there.
Winter Street is all free parking unless there's something going on. Just careful that you don't pass the yellow house with the picture of George Washington in the window or the homeowner will try to press you into buying his book.
I went there on Friday it around 4:30 pm took about 30 minutes to find parking besides that it wasn't bad.
Pack sandwiches and bring water bottles and watch out for the demigorgans.
Plan everybefore you go. You might be able to do a couple things, but not everything you want. How old are your kids? You might want to take into consideration their ages and how they'll react.
Where are you coming from? The train may be best but when I go “back home” this time of year - and I do like to go there - I have parked in the old St James lot behind the church. Not sure if it’s still available for public parking but it’s an easy walk down Federal St from there and you’re right in the middle of it all. Expect to wait for any restaurant seating so maybe check into places first to see what’s available, most of them are pretty good especially the ones on and near Pickering Wharf. I say do it, it’s memorable and your kids will love it. I now live in Plymouth and we have similar problems here in the summer but the vibes are great if you don’t mind the crowds
Yep this is my favorite lot
Funeral home in the commons offers parking for $30
Salem has their own app for this time of year that will give you updates on which parking areas are full and which still have space available. It also lists all the activities and what times they are, so you can plan ahead
I love the big murals painted on the sides of buildings across the river from the smoke shop, a nice walking activity for the family and it’ll probably be less crowded than downtown. Maybe checkout the Peabody essex museum - not super expensive, and has a ton of really cool art/exhibits
Park at the train station
I went today, it is a holiday ,so it was very busy, if your hungry be prepared to wait in line for everything, even the bakery was packed. And the line to get into candy store , I'm just so used to going and walking right in. Park in back of Salem Hospital take shuttle.
My daughter and her friend are taking the ferry out of Long Wharf
I dont know if anyone else has experienced this but when I went a couple of years ago there was a severe shortage of bathrooms!! Every place we went they were out of order. We were so happy to see finally that there were bathrooms at the park service building, and I kid you not, when we got through waiting in line for probably 20 minutes, they put up a rope and said they were out of order! My young daughter and I almost started crying. I guess if you go to Salem, dont drink any water!🤣
Went on Sunday with kids, get there before 9am to get parking.
Count Oarlock nightmare gallery is awesome if you are into movies - Salem common for the vendors and carnival food stuff - flip the bird fried chicken sandwiches - at some point maybe this weekend the kids carnival is setup on the common - def get in early if you are driving
Lol at the drama on this thread. We went every year for years, yea lots of traffic and people but its fun! We would just drive around until a parking spot opened wouldn't take too long.
Flying Saucer Pizza is a cool place that kids might like. I certainly did!
I live right next to Salem and I was gonna go by myself to hangout but idk what I'd actually do
Take the commuter rail in to Salem.
The haunted house it great fun
You can get parking if you’re in by 0900. Anytime after that and you will be circling the town forever trying to park and you’ll start off frustrated. Getting out later will not be fun. Shuttle or train are great options—highly recommend. It’s overwhelming with the thousands of people in October but it is fun! Be prepared to wait in long lines and brings snacks !
Park in the outskirts (pioneer village for example) and Uber in. Definitely check out Life Alive if you’re looking for something healthy and delicious. Paprika Grill is very tasty too. Good luck and have fun!
I’m just leaving Salem today. I recommend eating at the derby or Life Alive.
Tours: The witch museum, Salem night tours, house of the seven gables, and Halloween museum were all fun.
I drive to Salem on every October, park in the downtown near the common on in the parking lots near by or the ones in the the witch mall or behind it. Yes it is crowded, but it’s not the nightmare tale everyone is talking about here
Don’t. And don’t let your kids dictate where you go.
Salem sucks
lorcan-mt t1_irr6o5b wrote
Check out the satellite parking, there are shuttles to downtown. Don't try to drive through downtown Salem.