Boston Day 3:

We woke up bright and early on our third day in the Boston area because we had a lot of driving to do. We wanted to check out Sam Adams, see some witches in Salem, and then head up to Bangor, Maine for the night. But first, we had to make a quick stop in Rhode Island. We were actually staying at a hotel south of Boston since our original schedule had Cape Cod on the list. (That obviously didn’t happen though). We thought wouldn’t it be great if we could check off Rhode Island from our list of “have-been-to-that-state?” So, we literally drove across the state line and then made a U-turn. But that still counts, right?

Sam Adams Brewery Tour

After Rhode Island, our first stop was the Sam Adams Brewery tour. You might have noticed a theme in our travels. We like brewery tours. So, we couldn’t leave such a well known brewery off the list. We arrived around 10:30am, and found ourselves struggling to find a parking spot. I read online that parking was limited, but I didn’t expect the lot to be quite so small and quite so full. Especially at 10:30am on a Monday morning. Do these people not have jobs and who drinks at 10am anyway? haha..yea I know..people like us! On our second pass around the building, we snagged a spot just as another person was leaving. Yay! But, a word to the wise, take public transportation if you can.

We just missed the cutoff for the next tour, so we ended up having to wait around. It wasn’t a big deal though. In the waiting area, they had information to read, hops and spices to sniff, and free postcards to send to your loved ones. Soon our tour started and boy was it good. There were 3 stops. At the first stop, you get chew on various types of barley and smell some hops. Production is discussed at the second stop. And, on the most important third stop, you get to taste some beer! Everyone who loves lighter beers will love it. They give you a free tasting glass and pass around pitchers of 3 different beers. You can take as much as you want. I didn’t take much though as I love darker beers and for the samples they had the Boston Lager and 2 ales. They should offer at least one darker beer to taste.

[Tour = FREE, includes tasting glass]

At the conclusion of the tour, you pass right through the gift shop. There is no way around it. The tour was free, but I guess Sam Adams still wanted to be part of the Go Card, because it got us a free gift. The famous Sam Adams pint glass. Yay! We also picked up a bottle of Tetravis. It is a quad with tastes of molasses, raisins, and figs. If you like Chimay Blue, I think you’ll also like Tetravis. It’s way better than the gross samples given on the tour 😉

Salem

Next up, Salem, Massachusetts. I had been here once before. It was several years ago on Halloween. It was ridiculous and fun. Everyone was dressed up partying on the street, and there were so many people that you couldn’t see even the sidewalk. This time there were only a few people in costumes, but you could actually explore the area. We spent some time wandering through shops that sold potions, herbal remedies, and spell books. Maybe a little corny, but super fun for an afternoon. (We did buy a potion to help draw in money and success. I’ll let you know if it worked.)

The Red Line Cafe

Our Go Card came with free entrance to The Salem Witch Museum, but I was too hungry to wait to eat. So, we grabbed a window table at The Red Line Cafe and did some people watching over our lunch. We had coffee,witches’ goober muffin, and a delicious sandwich stuffed with turkey, brie, marmalade, greens, and dijon, coffee. The goober muffin was actually a pistachio muffin, but I think it is more fun to give witch names to everything in Salem.

[Medium Coffee = $2.05, muffin = $3, Jive Turkey Sandwich = $9.50]

The Salem Witch Museum

Finally we made it to The Salem Witch Museum. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. It isn’t a museum where you can walk around at your own pace looking at artifacts and reading about history. Instead, a huge group is led through the museum at the same time.

The first exhibit is a narration. Figures and scenes are lit up going all the way around the room as a narrator speaks. I’m pretty sure nothing has been updated since the museum opened in the 1970’s. It’s that cheesy. And, it is the most general and basic narration you will ever hear about the witch trials. I think I learned more about it in 4th grade than I did during this presentation!

A guide leads you through the second exhibit. There are various artifacts placed around a small room, and your guide leads you to each one. And then she presses a button on a wall and you hear a recording. The theme is “evolving perceptions” and comparing the witch hunts to common stereotyping. I thought it was only marginally more interesting than the first exhibit. Mostly, I was just annoyed. Where were the spell books and potions and proof that witches do exist? (Ok, that was a joke. Kind of.) But, why didn’t they at least try to describe what Wicca is all about. I’d be very interested to learn what they believe in, their practices, and their holidays. If the museum is so concerned about the wrong perceptions people have, maybe they should try to correct the perceptions. Let us learn.

[Tickets = $11, included in Go Card]

The Bewitched Statue

We couldn’t pull ourselves away from Salem just yet after the museum, so we decided to walk around a bit more. While walking, we came across the Bewitched statue donated by TV Land. It depicts Elizabeth Montgomery riding a broomstick in front of the moon. Fun and goofy, but maybe a little too lighthearted for a town the executed 20 people for witchcraft. I have mixed feeling about it. But, I do know that it would be way cooler if the nose twitched.

Drain SmART Salem

Anothing thing to look for when you are walking around Salem is the storm drains. I know that sounds odd, but they are really neat. Salem has a public art project called Drain SmART Salem to educate people about the connection between the drains and the ocean. So, all the drains have sea creatures painted on them. I especially liked one that had an octopus taking a sponge bath. Pretty cool project if you ask me.

The Salem Witch Trials Memorial

We wrapped up our whirlwind tour of Salem at The Salem Witch Trials Memorial. The memorial consists of 20 granite benches, one for each person executed after being accused of being a witch. The name of the accused and date of execution are inscribed on the bench. All this caused because of some bored teenage girls. Such a tragedy.

Kennebunkport, Maine

After Salem, we had to high-tail it to Bangor, Maine. We were hours behind on our schedule, and that meant we had to cut out several stops. But, we still stopped in Kennebunkport, Maine. We did need to eat dinner after all. It was historically a shipbuilding and fishing village on the coast of Maine, but now it’s a popular summer destination. There is a plethora of shops, galleries, and restaurants.

The Clam Shack: On The Bridge

We had a hard time choosing which restaurant to eat dinner, but ended up at a cute shop on the bridge. The Clam Shack. It received rave reviews on yelp, had long lines, stunk of seafood, and had outdoor seating. How could we not eat here? Yeah… we should have skipped it. We ordered a fresh crab sandwich and clam chowder. It understandably had a long wait because of the amount of people eating there. But, the food was sub-par. The sandwich tasted good, but I had to keep picking out bits of shell. And, the clam chowder? It just tasted fishy. Nisheet did seem to enjoy the chowder and especially the New England oyster crackers that came with it.

[Clam Chowder = $6.75, Crab Sandwich = $9.95]

Rococo Ice Cream

Since I was still hungry after not eating much dinner, it was time for dessert. So, we headed to the ice cream shop. Rococo Ice Cream. Freaking amazing place. Their flavors are incredible, and they let you try them all. Our favorites, and what we ordered, were Goat Cheese Blackberry Chambord and Persian Cake. The first tasted like a delicious blackberry cheesecake. The Persian cake flavor was filled with rose water, pistachios, and cardamom. Oh my gosh…so creative and so dang YUMMY!

[Small Ice Cream (2 scoops) = $4.50]