When our children were younger we used to do one big trip for us and then a family trip in the summer with them.
Since their passports were about to expire within the year and we figured the family trips would soon come to an end we decided to do something totally different.
My daughter and I both have a love of history. My son and husband are just happy to go with the flow and see cool stuff. So we decided to do a trip to Salem with a side trip to Hampton Beach and the White Mountains.
We originally intended to stay a night in Hampton Beach but we blew a bearing on our vehicle in Maine which unexpected took some of our travel funds. The guys who fixed it were amazing. Had us back on the road in less than 24 hours. No worries though, it wasn’t that far to Salem from Hampton Beach. We still got to see it and plan to go back some day. It was a really neat place with beach shops, places to eat and lots to do all right at the beach.
We arrived in Salem early evening. First order of business was to find a place to stay. We chose the Hawthorne Hotel. It was pricy but more authentic then a Best Western or something. The hotel was built in 1925. It was very central so we could just park and walk everything.
We went full tourist on this trip!
Salem was incredible! So much history. You can feel it as you walk around town.
No trip to Salem would be complete without going to the old graveyard.
Of course we paid out respects at the War Memorial.
For those who are old enough to remember the TV show Bewitched, there is a statue of Elizabeth Montgomery.
Salem also has a beautiful harbour.
We really enjoyed Salem. It is a great family destination.
From here we went to the White Mountains. That was amazing! Breathtaking!
We stayed at the Best Western Silver Fox Inn. Views of the mountains from every window! My son and husband took bicycles out for a ride only to see a bear and have to turn back. It isn’t hard to see why people come back here year after year!
As it turned out this was the last big vacation the four of us took as a family. I think we are very lucky we experienced it together.
I would love to return to the White Mountains for a longer vacation in the future.
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