Salem, MA

I do not even know where to start with Salem! Really I would have liked more time to explore and see more of the museums, maybe even take in a second ghost tour, but alas time was not on our side. We had about 5 hours in Salem, so we planned a visit to the Salem Witch Museum, shopping, and a ghost tour.

The Salem Witch Museum was surprisingly disappointing. You sit in a large room and watch the story unfold about how the Salem witch trials began and what happened to the poor souls who lost their lives during that time. Then you move into a room with some more stories about witches throughout the last few centuries since the witch trials (late 1600s) and that's it, now go shop. Overall, I would not really recommend this museum and that could contribute to why I wish we had more time in Salem.

Patrick Dougherty - Stickwork

Samantha from Bewitched

We had planned a ghost tour for the evening (of which I highly recommend!), but did not really plan the in-between time, so we wandered the town a bit. There is a lot of shopping to be had, and of course plenty of witch themed souvenirs. Keep in mind that real witches still inhabit the town of Salem, so you can find actual books, and supplies for those that practice Wicca. If you are interested, this is definitely the place to find out!

If you find yourself with some time in Salem or are not sure what to do, make your way toward the cemetery, a bit east of the main town. There you will find the Salem Witch Memorial.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's House of the Seven Gables is in Salem too, so be sure to save time to discover that gem!

Penscola Lighthouse

Penscola was just our entry and exit point for Alabama and the Gulf Shores, but it contains some shopping, some beautiful beaches, and a fantastic lighthouse placed right next to a naval base. There is plenty to do on the base, like a aviation museum and Blue Angel viewings, but we did not have much time before our flight and opted for the lighthouse.

The lighthouse was lit for the first time in 1859. It replaced a less bright lighthouse that was built half a mile away. The US government had recognized the importance of protecting this entry point and had built forts in the area surrounding the lighthouse.

A view of the beach from the top

A view of the grounds around the lighthouse

During the Civil War the lighthouse changed hands between Union and Confederate troops, and even went dark for a few months during transitions.

Blue Angels in the nearby naval base

The lighthouse lens

The bottom third of the lighthouse is painted white to contrast with the trees, while the top two-thirds is black to contrast with the sky. It is officially on the National Registry for Historic Places and many of the out buildings have been restored.

Going down the stairs

Going up the stairs (yep, that's me, Sassafrass, coming down and freaking out!)

Food in and around Gulf Shores Alabama

Thickblackglasses and I knew that going to the Gulf would involve a lot of seafood, and we were looking forward to it! To prepare ourselves we tried some oysters at an upscale restaurant in our hometown. Being far away from the ocean can be make it tricky to find fresh seafood, but this restaurant's oysters were not too bad. It still could not prepare us for the fresh delishousness of oysters (and other seafood) at the Gulf!

Our first oyster experience was at Felix's Fish Camp, near the USS Alabama in Mobile. Since we had tried raw oysters at home we decided baked oysters would give us a new experience. Felix's offers a mixed plate with two of each of their baked oysters: 2 Rockefeller (with spinach), 2 Casino (with bacon and Parmesan), and 2 Felix's (with breadcrumbs, cheese, and garlic). My favorite were definitely the Felix's while Thickblackglasses opted for the Casino, but we enjoyed all of them and would highly recommend getting this plate!

Our second experience with baked oysters was at the Oyster House in Gulf Shores. Although they were not as good at the Felix's Felix oysters, they were still really tasty!

Baked Oysters and gumbo

During this meal we also decided to taste the raw oysters. The waitress made the cocktail sauce tableside which made for an even better experience.

At the Oyster House we also tried fried alligator. It came out in tiny bite-sized pieces and was breaded so it's hard to tell what it really looks like, but, for some, that may be better! They were well fried and crunchy. [We also had fried alligator in Texas (March 2013) a few years back, but failed to write about it.]

Thickblackglasses also went fishing, not deep sea, but out enough that he caught us all some delicious fishes! We brought them home to be grilled and fried. Both ways were delicious and we were lucky enough to package it and ship it home after vacation.

I cannot forget our stop at Matt's Ice Cream. Delicious homemade ice cream was perfect for a hot day in Alabama - I could not resist trying the banana split!