Salem’s So Sweet Festival

Last weekend my family and I were hosted by Destination Salem for a weekend of chocolate, fine dining, and ice sculptures as part of Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival. While Salem, Massachusetts may be famous for its bewitching past, this charming city has so much more to offer past the month of October. From a world-class museum to the city’s rich maritime and trade history to an impressive collection of shops and restaurants that will satisfy anyone’s appetite, Salem is a destination like no other. 

If you’ve followed my blog or social media over the years, you may know of my personal history with Salem. Not only did I grow up in the town next door, my husband and I spent many a date night in the city. In 2014 we were married at the same church that my great-grandparents said their vows in in 1911 as they were part of the large French-Canadian community in Salem. Since having Arielle we haven’t had the opportunity to visit as often as we’d like, but we’ve still been able to show her all of our favorite haunts. This weekend we discovered a whole slew of new favorites thanks to Destination Salem. Here are some of the highlights from our trip to Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival. 

Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival

This February 10 through the 12 marked Salem’s 21st Annual Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival. Across the city, businesses celebrated Valentine’s Day by featuring curated restaurant menus, delectable chocolate tastings, sparkling ice sculptures, special events, and plenty of Valentine-themed shopping.

Where to Eat

Jolie Tea has been one of my Salem go-tos for years, but this was the first time I had visited since they started their lunch menu. You can still enjoy high tea, but I decided I would try their newest offering. The smoked salmon on a brioche bun was absolutely delicious! I also tried a tea that was wonderfully flavorful, La Belle Rose. Perfect for Valentine’s Day! 

I am still working on the leftovers from the prix fixe menu at The Hawthorne Hotel. The arugula salad with chocolate vinaigrette dressing was inspired and I would love to recreate the brie and fig risotto. It was extremely busy at The Hawthorne on Friday night so the service we received was on the slower side. But the chef’s talent more than made up for the wait, as did the peanut butter tiramisu and the fact that I got to sit by the Tavern’s warm fireplace. 

I’ve visited my fair share of Salem’s best restaurants, but was introduced to a few new locations during this trip such as Salem’s Retreat (previously Leslie’s Retreat), Counter at the Hotel Salem, Turner’s Seafood, and Lulu’s Bakery & Pantry. The Hollandaise sauce on the Eggs Florentine at Salem’s Retreat had a special kick to it that I really enjoyed, while the lobster flatbread was a unique choice at Counter. It was hard for me to pick out what I enjoyed most at Lulu’s as the biscuit was deliciously crumbly, Arielle’s chocolate croissant was full of buttery goodness, and the whipped feta really added something to the avocado toast. Turner’s is famous for its fresh seafood and I was so impressed with their selection. 

What to Do

As this weekend was to celebrate everything chocolate, we had to visit some of the city’s premiere chocolatiers. If you are looking for the best hot chocolate in Salem, head to Kakawa Chocolate House where you can order a flight of several chocolate elixirs, all different and all delicious. For chocolate that is too pretty to eat (though you’ll still eat it because it is so good), make your way down Derby Street to The Chocolate Pantry. This small, woman-owned business sources its ingredients from around the world. We enjoyed a chocolate tasting with Amy, the owner, and chief chocolatier, and it turns out that I actually like white chocolate  – but only the white chocolate from The Chocolate Pantry!

If you are a real foodie but also want to learn about the Salem spice trade and its architecture, Karen Scalia of Salem Food Tours will be your new best friend. This is actually one of the oldest food tour companies in the world! For a craft brew, pull up a stool at East Regiment Beer Co. Scott and Josh, the founders of East Regiment, not only craft their own delicious brews, but they also built their entire brewing system themselves!

What to See

I’ve raved about the Peabody Essex Museum before, but it really is my favorite place to go in Salem for its excellent special exhibits and impressive collection of over two million items. I so enjoyed our tour with Susan Hubbard Ryan through some of their major exhibits, as well as their newest special collection, Spirits: Tsherin Sherpa with Robert Beer. 

I was really moved by our tour guide, Vijay, at The Daniels House. This history buff knew so much about the property, one of the few still standing from the days of the Salem Witch Trials, and how we should be framing the trials in our own understanding of what happened in 1692. I would absolutely recommend attending one of the Bed & Breakfast’s fireside chats.

Surprisingly enough, I have never had a psychic reading before so I was very excited to visit Maison Vampyre but admittedly nervous. Turns out, I had nothing to be nervous about. Alexis, Ben, June, and Kris were warm and welcoming to us newbies. They made it clear that they weren’t “vampires” in the pop culture sense but practiced a type of magic called Vampyre Magic. I won’t share too much about the entire encounter because I feel like it is something you need to experience for yourself if you are curious. But it did not disappoint. 

If you’re a fan of history but enjoy the seedier side of things, then Salem’s Anti-Valentine Tour is for you. We took this trolley ride where our guides regaled us of some of the bawdiest anecdotes from Salem’s past, one including the city’s most famous native son, Nathaniel Hawthorne.  

Of course, we enjoyed taking a walking tour of the area specifically to see the ice sculptures on display for the Festival. This may have been Arielle’s favorite part! 

What I think struck me about this trip was the passion that all of our hosts shared about the city of Salem, the craft that they specialize in (chocolate, beer, tea, food, magic, etc.), and the history. There is such a sense of pride and uniqueness that makes a visit to Salem so special, and it reminded me of why I love this city so much. 

A big thank you to Kate Fox and Stacia Cooper from Destination Salem, Kristen Levesque of Kristen Levesque PR, Arielle Kaplan of Creative Collective, and all of our hosts at Salem Main Streets and the Salem Chamber of Commerce’s Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival. Also, thank you to The Hampton Inn Boston/Salem for providing us with our accomodations. I will be following up with a full hotel review soon! 

My gratitude to Jolie Tea, Turner’s Seafood, Salem’s Retreat, Salem Food Tours, The Hotel Salem, The Hawthorne Hotel, Lulu’s Bakery & Pantry, The Chocolate Pantry, East Regiment Brewery, Kakawa Chocolate House, The Daniels House, the Peabody Essex Museum, the Anti-Valentine’s Tour, and Maison Vampyre, for showing us everything Salem has to offer!

Have you been to Salem? Instead of waiting for October, why not plan your trip for one of the city’s many fun festivals? Check out Destination Salem for great resources, as well as my list of the Best of Salem. 

*This tour of Salem was provided for purposes of review by Destination Salem. As always, all opinions and photos are my own.