Where do I even begin to describe what an amazing venue Olio is? We had toured and booked Olio in…read moreJanuary 2024 (the only venue we toured) and just had our beautiful wedding on October 4th. Sarah was there for us quite literally every step of the way. We had also used Sarah's coordinating business Without A Hitch and worked with Allison who is now a part of the team at Olio. Their professionalism and kindness went above & beyond. We are so thankful to have found this amazing venue and to have celebrated our wedding there! I cannot recommend Olio enough.

Landmark School had their annual fundraiser at Olio this past Friday evening and it was awesome! I…read morelove the spacial layout, lighting and floor.

Excellent site to visit! Beautiful views! We had a great docent lead tour. Our guide shared lots…read moreof details and did a great job trying to answer our group's many questions! Learning about the different architectural phases of this property was very interesting. The Secret Staircase is special! Gift Shop was a fun stop! Friendly staff. They have their own parking lot with ample and FREE parking while you visit. Now that's a plus. Everywhere else in Salem is paid parking, including the Peabody Essex Museum (park and hike!) Highly recommend visiting The House of Seven Gables if you are in the area.

What a great experience!…read more We had the tour to ourselves. The snow turned everyone away. The house is super interesting and our guide was great! If you are in the area, highly recommend a tour. Side note: we used our library card and received 50% off of admission.

Historic building accurately renovated with old charm and cozy bar downstairs…read more Tasty American cuisine with reasonable prices and generous portions. Large freshly fried trout was delicious as well as salmon. House made potato chips and wedges made to the order. Servers were friendly and not annoying. We definitely will be back.

Likely the worst restaurant meal I have ever had…read more I ordered the short rib and I am still not sure what they did to it to make it so dry, hard, and rubbery. I looked like part of a shoe or wood. As it was placed on the table, one of my co-diners leaned over to whisper to me that it looked disgusting. I am guessing it was cooked, frozen, and then WAY over microwaved. (Who microwaves short rib?!) Regardless, it was awful. The polenta was runny and had big lumps of cheese all in one corner. I assume that was supposed to be mixed through. And the broccoli was so over cooked as to be a disintegrating mush. I cannot believe this left the kitchen. I didn't complain because I did not want to disrupt everyone else's dinner. I should have listened to all the other one-star reviews. Bell Inn service was friendly, lively, and casual and the building is really something special.

I grew up on the north shore and remember visiting Brooksby Farm when I was a kid…read more I visited on Sunday with my 2 kids for storytime and wow has it impressively changed - all positive!!! 1) There's stuff for kids now! Storytimes, playground with views of the animals, a hayride, and more! I highly recommend the storytime. They read 2 stories, sang hello to every child, had songs/rhymes, played with a parachute, crafts, and even apples, donuts, and cider - all amazingly free!!! The playground was fun for my 2 year old son and 7 year old daughter, but best for the 1.5-6 age range. There are rest rooms beside the farm store, but they're medal toilets with no seats, so my daughter refused to use them. (I don't blame her.) That's the only thing that kept this from a 5 star experience. We'll be back soon. Worth the hour drive from where we live on the south shore.

I had a great experience! I came here for PYO peaches and blueberries. The blueberries were $4 for…read morea small carton or $6 for a large one. The peaches were $20 for a bag that fit about 20. There were lots to pick from and the employees were friendly. This farm is very big I would definitely consider coming back for some of their other picking seasons.

I had my wedding here in May, so this will be a long but all encompassing review of all different…read moreaspects of the Hawthorne. When I was looking for venues, I wanted all inclusive and one location. I spoke with Christine Madigan via email and then over the phone. She assured me that the Hawthorne did weddings well. We booked, signed contracts, set up a room block and everything. The room block: 3/5 stars I originally worked with Beth who set everything up for me and then was transferred to Rob as positions changed. I initially had 15 rooms in my block which we filled pretty quickly, but I saved one for my husbands grandmother so she could stay onsite. She called to book a room and was told there were no rooms. There were rooms so I called and spoke with Rob because she was pretty upset. He assured me we had rooms and for grandma to call him directly. Evidently the folks at the front desk didn't understand how the room block was intended to work. This happened over and over and over again. I really wish they would have set it up so my guests could book online because I heard from nearly half of my guests that either they couldn't get the days we were promised or the room type they wanted. I even had 3 couples stay at another hotel because of this so Hawthorne lost out on money because they couldn't get their booking system organized. One of my couples ended up in a room with a TWIN BED for 2 people. How is that even possible? Meanwhile I had a single person in a room with 2 queen beds and 2 bathrooms? Like I get accommodating people's requests, but a little critical thinking and communication would have gone a long way for comfort here. I doubt those people will come back to this hotel for this reason, which is sad because its such a lovely place. The menu tasting: 5/5 stars We were invited to a tasting of hors d'oeuvres, dinner selections, wine, cocktails and wedding cake. It was amazing to be able to sample items we wanted to serve without doing so blindly. Their food is phenomenal so we were excited to be able to share this with our guests. Wedding planning: 5/5 stars I received packets of information before booking Hawthorne as my venue, so I was aware of the pricing up front. I was even able to create a quote using their pricing sheet so nothing was a surprise. Christine was available to answer all of my questions throughout the process. As we got closer, she gave us homework to complete so we were ready for our big day. We created a signature mocktail, filled out place cards, went over our timeline, dropped off welcome bags, etc. Everything leading up to our wedding day (outside of booking guest rooms) was super smooth and easy. Pretty much everything was provided by the venue. I only had to book a photographer, content creator, photo booth, DJ and HMU on my own. The rest was handled for me which really made things so much smoother. We ended up well under budget, too! Wedding day: 3.5/5 stars If I could go back, I would hire a dedicated day of coordinator who worked specifically for me and not the venue. Christine was great, and did her job well, but she wasn't dedicated to me the entirety of the evening. And she and my mom were butting heads over things we were promised and not delivered. My mom did my wedding florals. We asked in advance if we could have refrigerator space and a private room to set up in. We were told we could have both, and on the day of, there was magically no fridge space, access to water, or a secure room to work in. It was extremely frustrating to be promised things and then not have those promises fulfilled. We were able to pivot and adapt, but that added so much stress to me on a day where I should not have added stress. The room she was working in was also being used as storage for a wedding the following weekend. The hotel has tons of space so I'm not sure why it had to be there but it seemed at that point it was a battle of wills more than anything. My photo booth company arrived right at the time we were about to start our ceremony, which was planned in advance, but the way the rooms were set up he ended up being in the lobby. This turned out to be really fun for wedding guests and random hotel guests to watch, but it was a bit awkward at first. Some of the items we brought for our reception were not brought down and we had to track people down to retrieve those. There was a room upstairs that was dedicated for us to hide away in and eat our appetizers, but I wanted to be with my guests and the appetizers never made it to me and my husband so I was told they were good but I didn't get to try them all. Dinner was absolutely amazing. However, I heard SO MANY complaints afterward about our bartender. I guess he was rude, and terrible at making drinks and when people tried to go to the other bar they got turned away. Overall I had the best day ever and would do it over again with a few tweaks :)

My boyfriend and I recently stayed at the Hawthorne Hotel for a short staycation. We live nearby…read moreand chose the hotel specifically for its history, haunted reputation, and because the price point included what we were told would be complimentary breakfast. The room itself was nice and comfortable, and we were surprised (in a good way) to find that it was a double room. In terms of the "haunted" experience, we did hear some tapping noises coming from the closet shortly after settling in. It was definitely spooky, and my boyfriend barely slept, hoping it would happen again--but it didn't. Still, it added to the atmosphere we were looking for. Unfortunately, the experience took a turn the next morning. When we went down for breakfast, we were informed that we needed a voucher or token that we were never given. I went back to the room to call the front desk for clarification and was told that breakfast was only included if you were given a "certificate," which was never explained at booking. My boyfriend then went to speak to the front desk himself, since he made the reservation (even though I was present when it was booked). He was told that no one ever told him breakfast was included, and the interaction felt accusatory--as though he was being accused of lying. This was uncomfortable and disappointing, especially since we booked the stay based on that information. Adding to that discomfort, as we exited the elevator to head to breakfast, we could hear two front desk staff members chatting enthusiastically. When they noticed us, the conversation abruptly stopped, and they stared as we walked by. It created an awkward and unwelcoming feeling. One was a gentleman with longer hair, and the other was a woman with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. The manager was also involved in the conversation with my boyfriend. I do want to highlight the positives: The server at Nathaniel's was extremely kind and pleasant, and another woman working in the restaurant was also warm and helpful. The room itself was nice, and the restaurant service was genuinely the best part of our stay. That said, due to the front desk and management experience, this is not a hotel we would choose to stay at again--neither for the haunted experience nor for the treatment we received. Salem has many hotel options, and while we wanted this stay to be something special, it fell short. We were hoping to leave a glowing review, but aside from the room and restaurant staff, the overall experience left us disappointed.

I have been at this venue many times and have always left with a very positive feeling. They pay…read moreattention to details. The food is always excellent as is their servers. They are at the top of the line. Very nicely done. Check out the website for themed dinners. We have been to several and as usual there, they aim to please. The latest dinner was a Patron tequila inspired dinner. No holds barred. Fantastic.

My first interaction with the venue was unfortunately not very positive. Tiffany's initial email…read morewas friendly, but there was zero personalization and it felt very generic. Not a big deal, I get it - they probably get a lot of inquiries every day and they're just trying to streamline. However, when we spoke on the phone she came across as quite short, which caught me off guard. Although the pricing was high given the time of year, that wasn't my main concern. I simply felt discouraged by how my questions were received, almost as though they were an inconvenience, despite this being my first time inquiring about the space. The space is beautiful and probably worth the money, but because of this interaction, I decided to pursue another venue. I genuinely hope this feedback is helpful for future client experiences.

Recently came here with my coworkers during my trip to Beverly and had a great experience…read more Restaurant is located on the water and has a lovely vibe. Food was excellent and service is very attentive. I cannot wait to come back again when weather is warmer and we can sit on the outdoor patio.

The wife and I went for an early dinner to beat the crowd and we were the only ones in the dining…read moreroom so it was very quiet and nice. Great water view that is most likely even better in summer. Staff was very nice and attentive. Appetizers came out decently quick in which we had the buffalo cauliflower bites and crab cake. The cauliflower was cooked well but the buffalo sauce was very strong. It could have used a nice blue cheese dressing on the side for dipping. The crab cake was the highlight of the night. The one crab cake sat on a bed of pepper relish with the mango habanero aioli on top was a surprisingly good combo. My wife ordered the filet and ask for it medium. Looked good coming out the we find out the potatoes and spinach the steak were laying on were very cold and the steak was very rare. At a price of $48 you expect the meal to be at least warm and cooked properly. And now the churassco, I had zero idea what this was gonna come out as but it was just kind of a hodgepodge of stuff thrown on a plate. Yucca frites were very dry and stale tasting so it took a lot to chew. I didn't know the carrot was going to be shredded carrots cause unless it's in a salad I prefer actual carrot slices. Steak and plantains were cooked very well and were tasty. It came out on a skillet but there was zero sizzle. I don't really understand why they put onion rings on the rice it just made it harder to eat. I do hope the food got more consistent throughout the night cause the beginning was kind of a mixed bag.

would NEVER recommend this place to anyone and will be posting all over social media and then…read moresome!! Management is rude and racist! We've been renting this hall for a while now and Saturday night took the cake! Management literally bothered our guests all night and tried to take the microphone from our DJ. Touching the food and walking around as if they were part of the party crew. Told my sister that because she set up more tables we had to pay more money, which we didn't mind at all...because we have it! Called the cops on us but then lied and said it was the neighbors (crock of shit because one of the neighbors is a friend and said they didn't know what the man was talking about because it wasn't loud) Then said we left the place dirty, thank goodness we took all kinds of picture because we cleaned it better than the condition it was given to us !!! We were even told we didn't have to sweep the floors by the President, I think his name was Tommy, but we cleaned that hall from top to bottom, took out the trash in all. If this were true you would have NEVER given my Sister the deposit back!!! You called her to come pick it up!!! And then she gave you both (Brian and Tommy) a piece of her mind today! They are disgusting owners and own staff said you're dickheads! We agree! Please don't rent from them!

I was there for my sisters 15th bday party, I would like to say that the manger Brian was highly…read moreunprofessional, accusatory and disrespectful. From Friday- Saturday we got nothing but attitude and complaints from Brian and another fellow. All we wanted to do is celebrate a birthday but was interrupted by accusations and were threatened to shut down the party due to some things found. The manager reeked of beer and alcohol as he was yelling at all the minors and guests DO NOT BOOK HERE. Do better.

John was so knowledgeable! He discovered me and my friends were from Baltimore, Maryland and had SO…read moreMANY FACTS about how it related. That guy deserves a raise. Very small but cute museum. Lots of boards to look at. Oh and don't forget to take a picture with the skeleton :)

When visiting Salem, this was on the top of my list of must visits. The museum is pretty small but…read morefor the price of $10 per person there is a lot to look at. The gentleman in there was extremely knowledgeable about the different boards that were in there and each boards history. We went during the off season, so luckily for us we were the only ones in there which was fantastic because it felt like a personalized tour. He was very passionate and clearly enjoys his job. They also switch boards out from time to time so there is something different to look at. A very unique experience and worth checking out.