salem, massachusetts…

we look forward to halloween big time around here. i go into costume-planning-frenzy at least two months before. the decorations go up in september, we usually have a big festive party.

and.  i just love this *time of year.  while halloween plans are underway, i’m scouring magazines for the latest-greatest thanksgiving dinner recipes + i’ve started christmas shopping.  it’s like holidays on crack in my mind, and i kinda live for times like this.

so. with all that said, there was no way we were going to miss the annual october festivities in salem, massachusetts.

known for the famous witch trials, the town lives it up this time of year.  total tourist trap, mixed with history.

myla’s social studies teacher was a tour guide in salem for a while, and myla told her we were going to visit salem – so, her teacher typed up an entire page of what to do & what to avoid.  it was incredibly helpful!

with her teacher’s recommendation, we dined for lunch at “seaport cafe” on the wharf. our food was incredible. we couldn’t have asked for more beautiful fall weather. i feel like we’ve really been lucking out in the total package area, these days…

the town streets are FULL of food vendors, fair-like stands, a carnival, street acts, live entertainment, etc etc — after mingling through a few streets we had tickets to see a theatrical witch trial. “cry innocent” — my big girls were looking forward to seeing salem since we are fans of ‘vampire diaries.’ they mention salem in reference to the witches, and so be it fiction, it extra*sparked their interest!

who knew? salem has darling boutique shops – after lots of window shopping between festivities, miss thirteen found a darling sweater.

miss five begged & begged to go on the rides at the carny. +we can never pass-up the water-squirting game!

the ferris wheel offered the best view of the port. just look at how charming the waterfront is in the background!

we had to try ice cream at ‘captain dusty’s!’
they had a special ‘witches brew’ that was chocolate + marshmallow + chunks of chocolate covered espresso beans + more,
it was divine!

many of the alley ways around town were decorated —
the guy on the right would puke bright green every few seconds,
total hit with the kids!

we watched the presentations at the “salem witch museum”…

we ended our night with dinner at ‘the great escape’ restaurant. it was the original salem jail and it’s been updated with contemporary flair but you still dine in booths with jail bars around you. fabulous atmosphere.  amazing food.  +the kiddos loved it!

our littlest witch really enjoyed the festival. she’s already planning what she wants to wear next year, if we go again…
lots of people were walking around town in their costumes – we skipped that little detail.

*****

* living in the moment, yes…
but i am forever shamelessly guilty of happy little plannings for the next season…
the next holiday…
our next big event.

what are you planning or looking forward to in your life?