Holiday Tour at House of 7 Gables Historical in More Ways Than You Think

 History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals  No Responses »
Dec 072016
 

gables

What can you learn during a Christmas house tour? How people lived, dressed, ate and celebrated Christmas over the centuries? That is interesting enough — but how about that Christmas was banned in Salem and throughout Massachusetts Bay Colony for nearly two centuries! So, as fascinating as the history of the Salem Witchcraft trials are to read and believe, the tale of Christmas being banned here is equally strange and you can learn more about that during the ongoing Christmas Tours at the House of Seven Gables!

(You can also read up on the reasons for the ban at the History of Massachusetts blog)

The daily tours (10am-5pm now thru Dec. 31st) will lead you from room to room in the house, which will of course be beautifully adorned with traditional holiday decor. You will see how life changed for the various occupants over the centuries, drawn against the backdrop of the winter holiday season.

The important revelation for many attendees will be that you are being given the opportunity, at The House of the Seven Gables mansion, to walk the halls of a house that has stood the test of time and to witness the changing nature of Christmas in New England.

And no matter which day and time you take the tour, mark your calendar for the accompanying Home for the Holidays event this Sunday from 2-4pm. Consider it a chance to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the season and enjoy live music, family activities, and festive decor at this National Historic Landmark museum campus.

Activities planned include:

  • Free “Christmas over Four Centuries” historic mansion tours
  • Holiday crafts that celebrate the spirit of founder Caroline Emmerton
  • Hands-on history at the Living History Lab
  • Live music with pianist Mark West and Phoenix Music
  • Viewing of the unique Settlement Tree and handmade ornaments
  • Festive shopping in the Museum Store
  • Deals on gift memberships

The House of Seven Gables is located at 115 Derby Street, Salem Ma. Christmas tours are included with admission. For more information about Holidays at The Gables, or for any other questions about The House of the Seven Gables, please contact rconary@7gables.org, or call 978-744-0991 x104.

 

Share

Treat Yourself During Salem Fall Restaurant Week

 Contests, Salem Event, Salem Shopping  No Responses »
Nov 142016
 

From freaky fun destination to fabulous foodie stop, Salem Ma converts itself in November from what you saw in October. Gone are the ghouls. Enter the entrees as Salem Fall Restaurant & Wine Week launches Sunday, November 13 – Thursday, November 17.

salem-rest-weekFor these 5 days only, participating Salem Ma. restaurants will offer either a two-course prix-fixe dinner menu for $19, or a three-course prix-fixe dinner menu for $29, or a three-course, prix fixe dinner and wine flight for $49 (note these prices – except for the wine selection – do not include drinks, taxes, or gratuities).

Salem has, over the last few years, established itself on the North Shore as an entertaining culinary destination and people really look forward to our Fall Restaurant Week event. And why not? From one dining locale to another, you will be treated to a wide variety of delicious foods – from steak to seafood, American to ethnic, there is something for everyone. Restaurants offer multiple choices for appetizers, entrees as well as desserts.

Salem Fall Restaurant & Wine Week is sponsored by the Salem Chamber of Commerce.

Reservations are encouraged; contact the restaurants directly. Please mention “Restaurant Week” when making your reservations.

Share

“Goodnight, Captain White” Needs You to Solve Mystery

 History, Salem Event  No Responses »
Nov 102016
 

Interactive theatre is the calling card of History Alive, Inc. productions, most notably Cry Innocent which you may have seen during Halloween in Salem, but also with a relatively newer production called Goodnight, Captain White. This comedy murder mystery will have its final performances of the winter season Nov. 18-20 at the historical Hawthorne Hotel.

gncw-castIt’s 1830. “All friends and well wishers are invited to attend” the retirement party of Captain Joseph White’s favorite ship, the Caroline. But this magnanimous invitation lures a host of enemies and ill-wishers into the perfect opportunity to murder the rich, old captain.  Allegiances twist and turn. Foibles are exposed, depravities revealed.

Then it is up to the audience (that means YOU) and an under cover Daniel Webster to figure out who-dunnit and how. The creators of Cry Innocent give Salem— as odd as this sounds, but you have to be there— a crime to laugh about.

Those who love Salem history and also a good laugh will have this one more weekend to take in Goodnight, Captain White before History Alive, Inc. puts the play to bed for a long winter’s nap.

That’s correct. We said history. This tale is based upon the real-life murder of Capt. Joseph White, a 19th century shipmaster and trader from Salem, MA,

Performances of the interactive who-dunit will be in the library of the historic Hawthorne Hotel, November 18th, 19th and 20th . Shows are at 7:30pm on Friday and Saturday and 5:30pm on Sunday.

“We’ve had so much fun with a great, sold-out run this year, including a fund raiser for the Saltonstall School’s play ground and an immersive weekend at the gorgeous Jeremiah Lee Mansion in Marblehead,” Kristina Wacome Stevick, History Alive, Inc’s artistic director reflected. “But we’re developing a new piece, a world premier, and we want to turn our attention there for the winter.”

But what would hibernation be without a big meal beforehand? Therefore, from this late November run, $10 from each ticket will be donated to the Salem Pantry, which serves Salem’s children who struggle with food insecurity.

The November shows of Goodnight, Captain White will also feature a new performer in the ensemble, improv. comedian Zach Reynolds from Portsmouth, NH.

“Preparing for Captain White has been a high-energy, collaborative process,” he explains. “The whole cast is hilarious, and with Sarah Mann’s direction we’ve been able to make the ingenious script come to life in surprising and side-splitting ways. I’ve loved getting to know my character, Frank, and discovering how such an apparently dimwitted guy can have a duplicitous, conniving dark side.”

The play will resurface once in late June as part of Cry Innocent’s 25th anniversary celebration, a festival which will highlight the spin-off projects and new work forged by Cry Innocent ensemble members past and present. It will then travel to Edinburgh, Scotland and the South Shore where there are additional historical connections to the story.

Tickets for the shows of Goodnight, Captain White, by Mark Stevick can be purchased at goodnightcaptainwhitehh.bpt.me.

Share

Take a Tour of the “Other” Salem

 History, Salem Event  No Responses »
Nov 062016
 

There are tours a plenty in the night to give you a fright here in Salem, especially during Haunted Happenings, but there are more than a few by day that serve to put on display the architectural and social history of the great seaport town of Salem. For example among the tours today are:

Ropes Mansion Tours

ropes-mansionRecognized as one of New England’s most significant and thoroughly documented historic houses, the Ropes Mansion, located at 318 Essex Street, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This Georgian Colonial, built around 1727, was home to four generations of the Ropes family. Filled with original furnishings, the Ropes Mansion contains superb examples of 18th and 19th-century furniture, ceramics and glass, silver, kitchenwares, textiles and personal objects. You can tour the house from noon to 4pm.

U.S. Custom House Tour

Take a self-guided tour through the U.S. Custom House that was built in 1819 to house the offices of the U.S. Customs Service. During the height of Salem’s East Indies trade, the Customs Service in Salem collected millions of dollars in taxes on incoming cargo. These taxes provided vital financial support for the new United States government. For three years this building was the workplace of the famous American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne’s experiences during his stint in the Custom House inspired his most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter.

While the 1-2pm tour is free, reservations are required. Please call  978-740-1650 or visit the Visitor Center at 2 New Liberty Street on the day of your visit to make a reservation

Derby and Narbonne House Tour

This tour, presented by the National Park Service, is a ranger-led program that leads visitors through two distinct historic homes. The Derby House, constructed in 1762 was the first home of Elias Hasket and Elizabeth Crowninshield Derby. It is an exemplary example of a wealthy merchant’s Georgian home and is furnished to reflect the Derbys’ 20-year long residence in the house. The Narbonne House, built in 1675, spans nearly 300 years of history as a home of successful businessmen and their families. The Narbonne House is unfurnished and contains displays of some of the nearly 150,000 archaeological artifacts excavated from the home’s backyard.

While the 2:30-3:30pm tour is free, reservations are required. Please call  978-740-1650 or visit the Visitor Center at 2 New Liberty Street on the day of your visit to make a reservation.

Share

No Trick, Salem Treats You to a Halloween PARTY!

 History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals  No Responses »
Oct 272016
 

be-safeHalloween is no longer just for kids and adults with kids. October 31st in Salem Ma has had a tradition of proving just that. This year, even being on a Monday night, we expect record crowds of adults to converge on Washington Street like a horde of zombies for completion of our month-long Haunted Happenings celebration.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF) “Millennial consumers (ages 18-34) are now the most likely of all adult generations to participate in Halloween. They’re also one of the top spenders on Halloween costumes, spending an average $42.39 compared with $31.03 for all adults.”

This youthful population segment has big plans for those costumes too: their intent to attend parties is up 10.9% from 2006, reports the NRF.

Winifred Sanderson: Sisters, All Hallow’s Eve has become a night of frolic, where children wear costumes and run amok!

Sarah: Amok! [dances around]  Amok, amok, amok, amok, amok.

And… that brings us back to Salem Ma. We are having a party. Millennials and every other older generation are invited but we want this night of fun and frolic to be a safe one.

This is a link to Halloween Night’s Be Smart, Be Safe, Have Fun suggestions flyer that we urge you to read and make use of. Simple advice is offered, such as if you have to drive here, park someplace else, like Beverly or Danvers. Don’t bring liquor. Don’t bring real swords. Don’t bring fake swords or anything that looks like a weapon. They WILL BE confiscated.

The second part of the flyer has the day & evening festivities schedule, from Shock Top Beer Garden, ( 21+) on Federal St. at Washington Street, to all the different bands at various locations in the Downtown District, to the 10:15pm Halloween Finale Fireworks at Washington Street & Bridge Street.

After the closing fireworks show, please be respectful as you leave town. You may not know this but many parts of the Downtown District are residential. There are people trying to get some sleep because they ARE going to work Tuesday. That brick structure you are leaning up against may look like an empty office building, but it is really a refurbished apartment complex.

And if you are using social media to share with all your friends not lucky enough to be here, consider using the tags #SalemMA and @hauntdhappnings in your pictures & tweets.

Have a great time, we made this party for you!

Share
 Older Entries  Newer Entries