Samhain in Salem: Saturday Fright Fever at the Hawthorne Hotel

I know that I let Samhain in a Week kind of slide away from me up to and through Samhain itself, and for that, I apologize. There was so much great information I wanted to share with you all that I didn't get the chance to. Fortunately, the wheel turns and a new year will come, so before you know it, I'll have another series and so much more delicious info for you!

My absence was for a really good reason, though.

I mean, come on. SAMHAIN IN SALEM. The Witch City! For one of the biggest holidays of the year! (Well, maybe in my own mind, but I freakin' love Halloween, dammit.)

After not even having been married a month -- we got married on Samhain 2010 -- my husband asked if I wanted to go to Salem for our anniversary. I think I was struck dumb for a good five minutes, mouth hanging open and eyes all wide, and I managed to wipe some drool from my lower lip before nodding slowly. As the life came back to me, I jumped up, squeed, and pummeled him with hugs and kisses and YES PLEASE I'D LOVE TO GO.

Well, the weekend of our first wedding anniversary came (a lot faster than we had anticipated, actually), and we celebrated by spending four whole days in Salem! As a result, instead of finishing out my Samhain in a Week series, I'm instead bringing you Samhain in Salem, chock full of our adventures, tons of photos, and some amazing history about both the Witch City and its infamous Witch Trials.

So let's kick it off! The main reason we were in Salem in the first place was to celebrate our anniversary as only us Halloween freaks could think: Staying at the historic Hawthorne Hotel (more about this place in a later post) and attending its annual witches' ball, this year named Saturday Fright Fever!

[caption id="attachment_665" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="Lookie what I found here! Waldo and Wenda were spotted multiple times at the Ball -- people were better at that game than we thought -- and they even became famous (probably for having the most lighthearted costumes at the ball, lol), having been approached for the next couple days with, "Were you the Waldos?" Why yes. Yes, we were."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="451" caption="The ballroom was absolutely PACKED with revelers and rogues... and this was only one floor! The Ball spanned over three different floors, each with a different theme. You might even find another Waldo lurking around..."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="604" caption="The fabulous band was -- sorry in advance for the pun -- out of this world! And as a (newly-minted) Trekkie, I appreciated their costumes. ;)"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="361" caption="Spotted another one of us! Waldos unite!!"][/caption]

Like I said before, there were three floors dedicated to the Ball, each with a different theme or layout. Below are some photos from each room:

Main floor! This one was dedicated to the "prom night" idea, with balloons formed into creatures and undead prom dates both as props and roaming the dance floor.

















Second Floor! Sadly, there wasn't a lot up here, mainly a photo booth-type area and a balcony where you could see down to the main floor (which is how I got that overhead shot!). There were, however, some cops upstairs sporting their Salem Witch City badges:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="604" caption="Costumed or not, these guys were awesome! And good sports, too, lol."][/caption]

Basement! Now THIS was a cool room. I don't have more than the one photo because it was dark, but they had some disco music going and a dance floor lit up with strobe lights and laser light shows. Despite the lack of pictures, we ended up hanging out down here for a while!



COSTUMES! Now the part I'm sure y'all were excited about: The costumes everyone wore! There were some that just blew us out of the water.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="361" caption="Coneheads!! That headgear, seriously... "WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE?!" (Under your bed...!)"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="361" caption="This guy got so much attention that he got a bi... well, I think you know where I'm going with this."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="604" caption="These guys had a sign on their backs that simply said "WTF." WTF, indeed!"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="361" caption="I TOTALLY got a photo with Edward Scissorhands, and was starstruck the whole night! (Looks like the real thing, doesn't he?!)"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="451" caption="Speaking of starstruck, Matt was on pins and needles to meet these guys! (Haaaaa, hahaha...)"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="451" caption="What is this I don't even. They were even freakier in real life."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="604" caption="OMG the three sisters from Hocus Pocus!! <3 One was even carrying the book with that creepy eye in it... it was AWESOME!"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="451" caption="And apparently, no matter what state you're in (or how cold it is), there's always got to be a "sexy [insert costume here"]". Nice ass, though, at least!"]"[/caption]All in all, it was an absolutely AMAZING time, and we're so glad we had the chance to do this!

Coming up in future posts: The history of the Hawthorne Hotel (including hauntings), the Hawthorne house, the history of the Salem Witch Trials, local food and treats (come on, y'all, this is partially a food blog. ;)), and much more from our trip!