Salem seemed like it would be great fun in many respects, but I wish there had been a post here letting me know that the nighttime there is a lot like a carnival. It was very crowded with many drunk people (granted it was a Saturday night before Halloween). Lots of noise, traffic and merriment. Nothing wrong with that, but it was not what I expected and I sort of wish there had been some warning of that here on Trip Advisor.
Have fun if you go for festive atmosphere, but think twice if you%26#39;re looking for somber, scary history.
Salem not what I expected
The %26#39;festive atmosphere%26#39; only lasts for the month of October, when Haunted Happenings is going on. The other 11 months are a fair bit calmer. I%26#39;ve gone there in July, August %26amp; September and have never had issues with noise, traffic or merriment.
For the last two trips, both in September, I actually stayed in Salem, at the Waterfront Hotel, and went out walking at night. It was very quiet, the only people I saw were the folks waiting to go on a night tour, or locals that were out walking their dogs. Didn%26#39;t see even one drunk.
Give Salem a try during a different month, you will probably find a very different city than the festive one you%26#39;ve seen.
Salem not what I expected
I agree with the previous post. I attended college in Salem and most of the time it was quite boring! As the years go on, it does become quite a circus during October, but still fun and exciting!
If you want scary history try any other month...
Salem is the pits. Now you know.
I agree 100%! I wish there had been a warning too. Me and my mom just came back from Salem today, I had higher expectations for this trip and I was really disappointed. Granted it had some great sites, but all in all this historical village was made out to be like a circus! I guess a lot of this is because of the ';halloween season';. This place is too small to have such crowds, I felt like I was back in N.Y.C.. While I expected more of a serious presentation, much of it was such a mockery! Maybe off season would be a better time to visit landmarks?
I also thought that the old cemetery should have had some kind of trail and order to it....people were roaming and running around all over these graves. A little disrespectful....and not too many restaurants around? I hate to sound like this place was no good, again, maybe it is better during off-season.
Like I said earlier, Hallowe%26#39;en is their big season, and a lot of the locals aren%26#39;t fond of what happens in October. It%26#39;s a totally different vibe in the summer, or possibly May or June.
Salem is a great place to visit, 11 months of the year!!!
October is not for everybody and many of the people there in October would find the other 11 months of hte year a bore.
I live nearby, and go there regularly, but not in October.
Maybe it wasn%26#39;t the job of the Trip Advisor folks to warn you, so much as it was your job to ask what Haunted Happenings was like. It probably has been mentioned on some other threads, but you missed them. That%26#39;s what this forum is for, you ask a question, it gets answered.
Like previous posts suggest, don%26#39;t judge Salem on its October appearance, it%26#39;s a great place the other months of the year and is quite peaceful.
Thanks for the input. I read a lot on the forums ahead of time and read all the reviews of tour groups and just didn%26#39;t see anything that gave what I thought in retrospect was a realistic idea of what it would be like there this time of year.
If I get the chance I will definitely try Salem again when it%26#39;s not Halloween season.
Definitely give it a shot in the %26#39;off Hallowe%26#39;en%26#39; season, I think you%26#39;ll be pleasantly surprised. A lot of people are repeat visitors to Salem, myself included. And I%26#39;ve yet to experience Haunted Happenings.
MBrack:
Others, including myself have posted simlar info. Not quite as direct as your. One of the former locals would get very upset and many gave up trying.
Even would I would go to Salem, it would never be this time of year.
No comments:
Post a Comment