Salem area

I have not been to Boston or Salem before. Are there reasonably priced places to stay in either area during the fall months? I am looking for the history and the atmosphere of the area. Being a history teacher, I look forward to the off the beaten track non-tourist areas where the stories and features are more real. Any help with this query will be greatly appreciated.

Salem area

Hi,

What%26#39;s ';reasonably-priced'; to you? You will probably find less-expensive hotels in the Salem area than in Boston. However, you can try booking a hotel through Hotwire or Priceline. You can usually get a pretty good deal that way.

What part of the ';fall months'; are you coming? If it%26#39;s early fall (Sept-Oct), most of the attractions are still open. If it%26#39;s after November 1, some of them close for the season.

There are tons of historic sites in and around Boston, as you probably guessed. I don%26#39;t know so much about off the beaten track, because they are all tourist sites now. However, some are much more well known (Old North Church, USS Ironsides) than others (Slater Mill, Lowell National Historic Park).

Rather than going into great detail, I%26#39;ll give you links to my favorite historic places around here...ones that maybe are a bit less well known:

John Adams National Park and Birthplace: http://www.nps.gov/adam/

Lowell National Historic Park (about 40 minutes north of Boston, but easily accessible by commuter rail train):

http://www.nps.gov/lowe/

Salem Maritime National Historic Site:

http://www.nps.gov/sama/

Slater Mill National Historic Site: This one is actually in Pawtucket RI, about 40 minutes south of Boston. But, it%26#39;s a great place to visit. It%26#39;s the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in America...the site of the first water-powered textile mill in the US:

http://www.slatermill.org

Although Plimouth Plantation is definitely a tourist site, I think you might enjoy it. It%26#39;s very well done and it presents truly what life was really like for the Pilgrims. None of that belt-buckle hat stuff, but an actual, thoroughly-researched and realistic reproduction of the tough life those people led:

http://www.plimouth.org

Salem area

Thank you so much for your time and input. I will definately take your suggestions for these sites. If you ever need ideas or places to go when in the Colorado area, please do not hesitate to ask.

Also, investigate Sturbridge Village a rural New England village circa 1830 reconstructed in exact replica with real buildings moved to the Surbridge location from all over New England. It is a reconstruction but authentic. http://www.osv.org

To access Slater Mill, Plimouth Plantation and Sturbridge Village, it would be best to rent a car.

In Salema couple of places of historical notethat are under the radar-Gallows Hill and the McIntyre Tract, which is an area of preseved homes that is spectacular.

I know that this is the Boston forum, but since you mentioned Salem I will put my 2 cents in. Last year we went to Salem and ate at Red%26#39;s it is the biggest and best breakfast we ever and I mean ever had. It lasted us until supper which we ate at the Salem Brewery. If you like beer then you will be in heaven - it was one of the best micro breweries in the area . In bewteen we went on the Salem trolley tour which isnt as long but just as detailed as the Boston Trolley tours. In fact is Main office is literly on the same street as Reds It had stops at several interesting spots. We parked by the Red%26#39;s and just got of the trolley ( as it does a continueous loop) at the stop after a few times in the afternoon to feed the meter and never got a ticket or ran out of time. It worked out great - I enjoyed Salem alot. We are coming back to Boston in a few weeks to visit and to help a friend move so have other priorities but it is worth a second visit if only for the two resturants I mentioned. Good luck and have fun

if you end up in salem, make SURE to go to the willows, great views, food, ice cream, and rides and shops...

If in Salem, be absolutely certain to spend a half day or more a the Peabody Essex Museum on Essex Street. It is a semi-hidden jewel and one of the best, (if not the best), historical maritime museums in the world. It has excellent exhibits of historical nature to the region and the area and of the China and Asian trade, in general, which built the success of this area and created the first millionaires in the U.S.A, when a million dollars was really an extravagant amount of money in the 18th century when Salem was a prominent world name in trading. It is a gem.

www.pem.org